Dark Command

1940

Action / Adventure / Drama / Romance / War / Western

6
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 100% · 5 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 68% · 1K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.7/10 10 3352 3.4K

civil war marshal kansas, usa

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Plot summary

When transplanted Texan Bob Seton arrives in Lawrence, Kansas he finds much to like about the place, especially Mary McCloud, daughter of the local banker. Politics is in the air however. It's just prior to the civil war and there is already a sharp division in the Territory as to whether it will remain slave-free. When he gets the opportunity to run for marshal, Seton finds himself running against the respected local schoolteacher, William Cantrell. Not is what it seems however. While acting as the upstanding citizen in public, Cantrell is dangerously ambitious and is prepared to do anything to make his mark, and his fortune, on the Territory. When he loses the race for marshal, he forms a group of raiders who run guns into the territory and rob and terrorize settlers throughout the territory. Eventually donning Confederate uniforms, it is left to Seton and the good citizens of Lawrence to face Cantrell and his raiders in one final clash.

Director

Raoul Walsh Photo
Raoul Walsh

Top cast

Bob Sáenz Photo
Bob Sáenz as Guerrilla
Herman Hack Photo
Herman Hack as Townsman
Trevor Bardette Photo
Trevor Bardette as Mr. Hale
Edward Hearn Photo
Edward Hearn as Jury Foreman
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
760.99 MB
988*720
English 2.0
Approved
Subtitles
23.976 fps
1 hr 34 min
Seeds ...
1.46 GB
1472*1072
English 2.0
Approved
Subtitles
23.976 fps
1 hr 34 min
Seeds 5

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by John Chard 7 / 10

On to Kansas we go. Loosely based around

On to Kansas we go. Loosely based around a true story, Dark Command sees John Wayne play Bob Seton, an uneducated cowboy from Texas who wins around the people of Lawrence, Kansas to become their town Marshall just prior to the outbreak of the civil war. This angers the previously respectful town teacher, Will Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon), who after being beaten on the vote by Seton, forms guerrilla groups to raid, pillage and gun run around the Kansas countryside. Seton, now ensconced in the ways of the law, sets about crushing Cantrell and his unfeeling raiders, but there is also another matter at hand. Both men have deep affection for the same woman, Mary McCloud (Claire Trevor appearing with Wayne again after Stagecoach the previous year), so things are just that little bit more spicy between them as things start to come to a head. Directed by Raoul Walsh and adapted from the novel by W.R. Burnett ("Little Caesar" & "High Sierra"), the picture also contains fine support from Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes and features a pleasing score from Victor Young. Though historically dubious, Dark Command is no less enjoyable for being a creaky distortion of the "Quantrill's Raiders" (Re: Cantrell} period in history. Those after a history lesson would be well advised to source from elsewhere in that respect. Catching John Wayne just as he was about to become the towering presence he was, the film also serves as notice to a time when stunts and character interplay were precious commodities. Walsh, ever the sharp eye for action, delivers some wonderful sequences here, horses and carts are a thundering, even careering over cliffs at one point. Whilst the final raid on Lawrence is a blood pumping feast for the eyes. But it's with the feel of the film that it ultimately succeeds as a period piece of note. The mood is dark as the civil War looms, slave trading and gun running sit distastefully with dubious politics, and then the war, with Cantrell and his raiders taking their spoils of war leaving a particularly nasty taste in the mouth. All of which is moodily cloaked in a Raoul Walsh inspired sheen. A tip top production all round, and a fine cast on form makes Dark Command a must see for Republic Studios enthusiasts. See it if you can. 7/10
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Reviewed by AlsExGal 7 / 10

Western/historical drama

Set in 1860's Kansas, the story concerns Will Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon), a seemingly harmless school teacher who is secretly the head of an outlaw gang that commits robberies and murders across the state. In Lawrence, Kansas, newcomer Bob Seton (John Wayne) takes on the job of marshal, putting him at odds with Cantrell. They also spar over banker's daughter Mary McCloud (Claire Trevor).

This is a fictionalized version of Quantrill's Raiders. It was unusual seeing Pidgeon in this kind of role. He wasn't bad at all. I liked Gabby Hayes as Wayne's dentist sidekick, and Marjorie Main as Pidgeon's disapproving mother. Claire Trevor received top billing, a testament to the various stars' standing at the time. Western hero Roy Rogers plays Trevor's naive young brother who joins up with Pidgeon, not knowing the true nature of his exploits. Again, it was strange seeing Rogers in such a lesser supporting role. The movie's entertaining, regardless of whatever liberties are taken with the history involved. The film earned Oscar nominations for Best B&W Art Direction, and Best Score (Victor Young).

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