The Sunday Afternoon Western: The Indian Fighter (Region 2)
Kirk Douglas plays the title character but spends more time fighting his fellow white men than he does Indians. Returning to the West after the Civil War he hopes to broker a peace with the Sioux. Unfortunately he hasn’t taken into account the gold on the Indians land or how far men will go to get it.
The real bad guys here aren’t the Indians but a couple of greedy whites played by Walter Matthau and Lon Chaney. Matthau is probably best known for his later comedy roles but he could be a convincing villain and he makes the most of a fairly limited part here. Lon on the other hand just gets to act big and dumb.
This is an all action western with little time for character development. We never really learn why Douglas changed from Indian fighter to Indian lover (literally). With a star of lesser magnitude this might be a problem but Kirk carries the film with charisma to spare.
The movie is short and many of the scenes feel truncated but whether this is down to director André De Toth or interference from star/producer Douglas (this was the first venture for his new production company Bryna) I don’t know. One thing is for sure the film may lack depth but it doesn’t lack pace with eighty-five minute flying by. Toth made several westerns both for the big and small screen (he even directed a couple of episodes of Peckinpah’s short lived The Westerner series) but is probably best known for being at the helm of the Vincent Price version of House of Wax.
Special mention is due to Elsa Martinelli as Douglas Indian love interest, the only squaw with an Italian accent. She’s pleasing on the eye (no doubt the reason she was cast) but the minute she opens her mouth all suspension of disbelief is gone, luckily she has little dialogue.
The Indian Fighter is a fun timewaster, it won’t change your life or stay with you long after it’s over but there are worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon.
On DVD we get to see the films full 2.35:1 image and while the print used is in good condition the transfer looks a little soft and lacking in detail.
There are no extras and even the menus are of an extremely basic nature, with only symbols for the options.
