Duel at Diablo
by Ralph Nelson
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Actor: Bibi Andersson, Bill Travers, Dennis Weaver, James Garner, Sidney PoitierDirector: Ralph Nelson
Brand: Sony
Producer: Ralph Nelson
Cinematographer: Charles F. Wheeler
Editor: Fredric Steinkamp
Producer: Fred Engel
Writer: Marvin H. Albert
Writer: Michael M. Grilikhes
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 103 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-05-20
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of Duel at Diablo
DVD Review: On the vengeance trail - a darker, meaner James Garner
Summary: 4 Stars
James Garner's easy-going charm made him a bankable star for most of his career. But, every so often, he didn't mind stepping out of his comfort zone to try different, more hard-bitten roles. Case in point: DUEL AT DIABLO, a near classic western drama which not only showcased a more intense James Garner but also the great Sidney Poitier. DUEL AT DIABLO was made in 1966 and it's not your typical western. This one eschews the black and white good guy/bad guy sensibilities often reflected in this film genre. Instead, DUEL AT DIABLO unfurls themes colored more in shades of grey and not so easily resolved. This is far removed from the lighthearted likes of Support Your Local Sheriff or MAVERICK.
Always gritty and, at times, bleak and brooding, DUEL AT DIABLO is peopled with complex, no-nonsense types. As the film rolls along, don't be too surprised if you find your opinions shifting with regards to these characters. Almost from the get-go it dawns on us that this picture doesn't intend to run by the numbers. The opening sequence tells of frontier scout Jess Remsberg (Garner) rescuing a white woman abducted by Apaches and returning her to her home, only to have the townspeople and the woman's husband treat her with indifference and scorn. So, right away, there's an undercurrent of unease felt on the screen.
Meanwhile, Remsberg learns of the brutal murder of his Comanche wife and means to find the killer and then not kill him easy. He agrees to scout for a cavalry troop heading thru perilous Apache country with a cache of ammo and bolstered in part by green recruits, as the troop's destination of a distant Army fort coincides with Remsberg's. Along for the ride and not ecstatic about it is a tough but well-dressed horse breaker and ex-soldier named Toller (Poitier). A civilian with his own shipment also manages to attach himself to the cavalry. The last member of this military jaunt happens to be the same woman Remsberg had rescued, as it turns out she has further personal business with the Apaches.
The action sequences are moderately intense. There are passages replete with rollicking fistfights, gunfights, ambushes, chases, and fleeting moments of torture (or, rather, the aftermath of torture). DUEL AT DIABLO addresses certain social issues (the American Indian's plight, the persona non grata status of Mrs. Grange, who involuntarily had spent time with the "savages"), yet the film is clever enough to cloak its messages under an action-packed plot. DUEL AT DIABLO doesn't champion the proud Apaches' cause as much as attempt to have a representation of their side of things. They do come off a bit sympathetic (it seems that the tribe treated Mrs. Grange better than the townspeople), but, well, naturally, I was rooting more for Garner and Poitier's posse to come out on top. The action culminates in a harrowing last stand at a place called Diablo Canyon. It's intense stuff as the cavalry unit has its members rapidly whittled down. And yet when the good guys do win out and the bad guys led away at gunpoint, it doesn't quite feel like your normal western flick ending. Not everything is tied up in a nice, neat bow. It's very much up in the air whether the hero gets the girl. Remsberg does get his revenge, but whether it's a satisfactory comeuppance, that's another thing. And the Apaches, proud and straight standing to the end, they get sent back to their reservation. Definitely not a happy ending for them...
The cast is uniformly very good, with several actors playing against type (notably, Dennis Weaver, in a hiss-worthy role). I'm even fond of that poor Lieutenant with the Irish accent who kept accumulating wounds (poor fella). Sidney Poitier brings his vaunted presence and is cool, commanding and even dapper. It's always a bit of a twist seeing the affable James Garner switch up and play a role this dark and driven. The only other similarly grim western which comes to mind is A Man Called Sledge, and that one's not as good as DUEL AT DIABLO. And Luther Sledge isn't as likable as Jess Remsberg. Garner also imbues Remsberg with this engaging quality of weary savviness. And, as always, Garner is so natural on screen and keeps it so low key that he comes off as wholly believable, making Remsberg's moments of quiet despair and bursts of violence even more palpable things.
DUEL AT DIABLO gives you pause, gives you a glimpse of how brutal and unforgiving the American frontier really was. This is a movie in which James Garner doesn't charm or trick the bad guys into submission. Rather, he intimidates and beats the living bejeesus out of them. Garner isn't flashy and mannered in his acting; in fact, you never see him acting, and this is what makes him so good. And, word to the wise, Garner stalking the vengeance trail is something to see.
Description of Duel at Diablo
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