The Horse Soldiers
"A sabre-rattling good picture." -Los Angeles Times
John Wayne teams with William Holden and eminent western director John Ford for the frontier actioner "packed with laughter, romance and thrills" (The Hollywood Reporter)! Written by John Lee Mahin and Martin Rackin, this faithful representation of one of the most daring cavalry exploits in history is both a moving tribute to the men who fought and died in that bloody war, and a powerful, action-packed drama.
Based on an actual Civil War incident, The Horse Soldiers tells the rousing tale of a troop of Union Soldiers who force their way deep into Southern territory to destroy a rebel stronghold at Newton Station. In command is hardbitten Colonel Marlowe (Wayne), a man who is strikingly contrasted by the company's gentle surgeon (Holden) and the beautiful but crafty Southern belle (Constance Towers) who's forced to accompany the Union raiders on perhaps the most harrowing mission in the war.
Member Reviews
Good John Wayne Western - bbould
This may not be director John Ford at his very best, but the film does contain some excellent scenes. The Horse Soldiers is not as good as The Searchers (a classic) or John Ford's famous cavalry trilogy, but it certainly is an enjoyable action/adventure film. Among the familiar faces that show up in many Wayne films are Ken Curtis, Hank Worden, Denver Pyle and Strother Martin. The latter two play low-life Confederate deserters who try to ingratiate themselves with Col. Marlow (Wayne) but are treated appropriately by our hero. This movie might be described as a guilty pleasure. It's a good movie, not a great movie, and I have enjoyed watching it a number of times.A Contrarian Opinion - MovieLover5
I actually enjoyed this movie, albeit you have to watch it in context of 50 years ago as there is some cheesiness to tolerate. But overall I felt it was a good John Wayne action flick. (Also, I have recently seen some pretty bad westerns, so maybe that influenced my rating.)
The story is very loosely based on a true behind Confederate lines raid by Union cavalry. I suspect that's about as far as the accurate history part goes, but it was still interesting to watch. The character played by Wayne is the same as he has done in various pictures of his, and let's face it, you don't watch a John Wayne movie for his acting skills. William Holden is always a good actor though, and he does a credible job as the doctor who has seen too much of what war does to flesh.
Throw in some pretty good battle scenes, and you have a good action film to spend a couple of hours with.What it could have been but never was - TaBobo
I was surprised by how lackluster this John Wayne/John Ford collaboration was. William Holden seemed to be one of the only actors in the cast who was actually acting, everyone else felt like performance. It was horrible mind you, but it certainly went nowhere and didn't take the opportunities it had to really explore the pointlessness of death in war.
Dissappointed. This is one to skip
Member Reviews
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Good John Wayne Western - bbould
This may not be director John Ford at his very best, but the film does contain some excellent scenes. The Horse Soldiers is not as good as The Searchers (a classic) or John Ford's famous cavalry trilogy, but it certainly is an enjoyable action/adventure film. ...A Contrarian Opinion - MovieLover5
I actually enjoyed this movie, albeit you have to watch it in context of 50 years ago as there is some cheesiness to tolerate. But overall I felt it was a good John Wayne action flick. (Also, I have recently seen some pretty bad westerns, so maybe that influenced ...What it could have been but never was - TaBobo
I was surprised by how lackluster this John Wayne/John Ford collaboration was. William Holden seemed to be one of the only actors in the cast who was actually acting, everyone else felt like performance. It was horrible mind you, but it certainly went nowhere ...