Two Flags West

For four years between 1861 and 1865, the Civil War raged on as North fought South, mostly in the eastern half of the country.  Out west though, life went on, and the U.S. army and cavalry still had to protect settlers from raiding Indians from any number of tribes.  It's a little known but always interesting part of American history, this time in the west that is overshadowed what was happening back in the east. It's a topic that's been explored a couple times through film, most notably Sam Peckinpah's Major Dundee and John Sturges' Escape from Fort Bravo, and now I can add another to the list, 1950's Two Flags West, an obvious influence on both films.

So if a majority of your soldiers are off fighting elsewhere, what does an army do to fill out its ranks? In 1863, President Lincoln passed a proclamation stating that any Confederate prisoners of war in Union prison camps could sign up to fight with the Union in the west, battling Indians rather than wasting away in a prison camp.  As if fighting Indians wasn't enough, any movie dealing with this situation now gets the natural rivalry and hatred of North vs. South now forced to work alongside each other.  If that's not a recipe for success, I don't know what is. 'Flags' plays on that sentiment, ending up with an underrated and exciting Civil War/western combo.

On his way to Fort Thorn, a remote outpost in New Mexico, wounded Union officer Capt. Bradford (Cornel Wilde) stops at a Union prison camp in Illinois, offering Confederate cavalry there commanded by Colonel Clay Tucker (Joseph Cotten) a proposition. If they enlist in the Union army, they can ride out of the camp and join him in traveling west to fight the warring and dangerous Apache tribe in the southwest. Tucker and his fellow surviving prisoners -- some 40-plus men -- agree and head west with Bradford to Fort Thorn. There they find the situation a little more prickly than they imagined. In addition to the Apaches, they must deal with Major Kenniston (Jeff Chandler), an officer with a deep-seeded hatred for any Confederates who he blames for his brother's death. His brother's widow, Elena (Linda Darnell), is also at the post, providing even more of a rivalry among the new arrivals.

With the talented cast involved and the above-average finished product, I'm semi-stunned to see this movie has no reputation at all, either positive or negative.  I was lucky enough to catch it on TCM's recent tribute to Linda Darnell, but other than that it's not available anywhere on DVD or even VHS (that I could find). It makes sense of course. It's a good movie, lost in a sea of good movies over the years. Director Robert Wise turns out a solid western that knows what it is doing and how to entertain. 'Flags' is a pretty dark western overall, especially for one released in 1950, and has its fair share of violence, some of which is surprisingly graphic and gruesome. It doesn't overstay its welcome at just 92 minutes, but coupled with an interesting story, great cast, gorgeous New Mexico locations and a solid score from composer Hugo Friedhofer, ends up being an above average western that deserves some sort of reputation.

Maybe some of the issue is the casting. Cotten, Darnell, Chandler and Wilde are not HUGE names when it comes to movie stars.  I count that as a big positive here.  They're all good actors, not just stars.  They work well together in an ensemble that does have a lot going on, but Wise keeps all those plates spinning for the most part.  Cotten is the gentleman Southern officer, a more than capable soldier who looks out for his men above all else.  Chandler gets to be a villain of sorts playing a character that reminded me of Henry Fonda's performance in Fort Apache.  He always played flawed good guys so doing a 180 is a nice twist. Wilde is the odd man out with the smaller part but he makes the most of it. And instead of a love triangle, we've got a love square with Darnell having to decide among those three actors.  My only other movie I've seen Darnell in is My Darling Clementine -- not a great performance for her but not really her fault -- so this is a drastic improvement.

Filmed in black and white, Wise's cavalry western with North meeting South isn't your typical western. Sure, there are those iconic shots a la John Ford of a cavalry troop riding across the horizon, but in general there is a darkness here that you don't see often.  Chandler's Major Kenniston hates the Confederates -- he was wounded in the opening moments of the fighting at First Bull Run and later escaped from Libby Prison -- and through his hatred almost gets his whole command wiped out. Cotten's Colonel Tucker is a proud Southern officer but only to a point, an issue which Kenniston pokes and prods. Everyone is out for themselves in this western, leading to a surprising ending.

Thinly garrisoned by aging and wounded Union soldiers sent west and a lone company of Confederate cavalry, Kenniston provokes an attack as the Apache tribes come together to attack Fort Thorn. For a modestly budgeted western, the assault on the fort is impressive in its scale.  Chaotic and violent, it looks like at one point the whole garrison -- women and children included -- will be massacred. The ending does provide a twist, Chandler's ego-maniacal officer given a chance to redeem himself.  Thin on action up to this point, the finale makes up for it.

In other supporting parts, look for Noah Beery Jr, Arthur Hunnicutt and Dale Robertson as the three most visible members of Colonel Tucker's Confederate troop. Jay C. Flippen has a small part as Sgt. Duffy, Kenniston's aide and a veteran soldier with plenty of experience. Flippen and Hunnicutt have a couple good back-and-forths with their Union vs. Confederacy rivalry. Skeptical as to why this movie had no notoriety, I wasn't sure what to expect from Two Flags West, but I was more than pleasantly surprised. If you can track down a copy or stumble across it on TCM again, I highly recommend it.

Two Flags West <---TCM trailer (1950): ***/****