A 1956 Western film directed by Delmer Daves, starring Richard Widmark and Felicia Farr.
After an Apache massacre, the teenaged survivors of a wagon train must depend on a renegade white man accused of murder.
Tropes present include:
- Arrows on Fire: used to set off Stuff Blowing Up.
- Asshole Victim: the sheriff's death isn't exactly mourned, even by the settlers.
- Badass Native: Comanche Todd is a white man, but has lived all his life with the Indians and considers himself one of them.
- Badass Boast: when Todd challenges a duo of Apache warriors:"Come! If you do not fear one Comanche!...it always took two Apache to kill one Comanche warrior!"
- Big Brother Worship: Billy starts hero-worshipping Todd almost immediately.
- The Brigadier: General Otis Howard, only appears after the characters have made it out of Apache territory and serves as the stern but fair judge during Todd's trial.
- The Cavalry: Shows up...but since there's only a total of fifteen of them, versus three hundred Apaches, other solutions have to be found.
- Chain Pain: Todd uses the severed chain from his shackles to kill a bird and while fighting the Apache.
- Crucified Hero Shot
- Cuffs Off, Rub Wrists: slightly averted, as the first thing Todd does on losing his shackles is stretch.
- Death of a Child: Clint's young sister is killed by the Apaches.
- Didn't Think This Through: Ridge and Valinda most prominently.
- Valinda panics, screams her head off and runs when bitten by a rattlesnake—spreading the venom.
- Ridge then wastes half their limited ammunition shooting the snake and also incidentally alerts any nearby Apaches to their position.
- Due to the Dead: Todd prevents the survivors from doing this, as it might reveal that there were survivors. He does try to comfort them with the thought of The High Place.
- Failed a Spot Check: The Lieutenant accepts that Todd is not the missing half-Comanche fugitive...as Todd mounts an Indian pony and picks up his bow and arrows.
- Half-Breed Discrimination: Jolie is half-Indian. Her half-sister bullies her relentlessly, partly out of bitterness at having her mother replaced by another woman.
- Heartbroken Badass: Todd is mourning the death of his (Indian) wife and two young sons.
- Heel Realization: Valinda, when she realizes that the people she most despises have given up their water rations for her.
- Humiliation Conga / Trauma Conga Line: Valinda emerges at the end of hers a better person.
- Going Native: Comanche Todd has been raised by the Comanches and identifies with them. Jenny and Billy go native by staying with him.
- Kick the Dog: the Sheriff cruelly taunts Todd by withholding water and attempts to prevent the settlers' giving him food.
- Kirk Summation: Jenny and Todd give a joint one to the court and Gen. Howard.
- Mercy Kill: Todd gives Clint the responsibility of doing this to the girls and Billy if necessary.
- Night Swim Equals Death: inverted. The teenagers' sneaking off for a spot of Skinny Dipping saves their lives.
- Nobody Here but Us Birds: Todd recognizes the call of a genuine coyote...because after twenty years' of your life depending on knowing the difference, you get very good at telling.
- Rape and Revenge: Todd's wife was raped and murdered by four white men, as were his two sons.
- Pet the Dog: The lines are drawn very quickly when the sheriff decides that Todd is to have no food or water.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Valinda is the stuck-up Rich Bitch blonde; Jolie is her quiet and sensible half-breed half-sister.
- Skinny Dipping: Subverted. Ridge gets Valinda and Jolie to go for a night swim with him (with Jenny, Clint, and Billy following them), but they don't strip down and are unhappy to find out that he expects them to.
- Smells Sexy: Todd tells this to Jenny.
- Stuff Blowing Up
- Spotting the Thread: the Lieutenant figures out (after having missed numerous other "hints") who Todd is when he spots the Sheriff's badge Todd collected earlier.
- Suck Out the Poison: When Valinda is bitten by a rattlesnake, although a torniquet is also used.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: All three of Sheriff Harper's brothers. One is shot dead from a distance by Todd in the film's first few seconds. When the remaining Harpers pursue Todd for revenge, one (who is wearing a Red Shirt) is shot after less than ten seconds of screen time and just one quick line of dialogue. Harper's third brother, Cole, lasts a few minutes longer and has some dialogue, but falls to Todd after a close-quarters battle.
- What a Drag: the sheriff does this to Todd.
- Would Hit a Girl: Todd punches out a hysterical Valinda...much to everyone's relief.
