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Run of the Arrow

Play trailer Poster for Run of the Arrow Released Sep 5, 1957 1h 26m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Dejected by the defeat of the Confederacy, O'Meara (Rod Steiger) heads west toward Sioux territory. After surviving a test called the "Run of the Arrow," he is accepted as one of the Oglala Sioux people and marries Yellow Moccasin (Sara Montiel). The couple create a family together and live contentedly until Capt. Clark (Brian Keith) arrives with a group of cavalry, hoping to build a fort nearby. O'Meara acts as a scout for the troops until their wary peace is shattered.

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Run of the Arrow

Critics Reviews

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Nathanael Hood The Retro Set In a sense, it's an anti-assimilation narrative. Rated: 7/10 Dec 28, 2018 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Bloody western about national identity. Rated: B+ Jul 25, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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j f Seems odd a confederate soldier, so dedicated to the cause that he was unable to accept it was lost, would so eagerly seek to Rachel Dolezal himself into the Sioux nation…but whatever. Decent picture anyway. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Renegando o Meu Sangue (1957) 3,5 ⭐️ #MovieReview Ex-soldado, após ataque, é salvo por nativa e acaba se tornando sioux. Tudo ia bem até a chegada dos soldados para a construção de um forte em terras índias. Ares de filme B, com Charles Bronson no elenco Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member good movie. could not be made today Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Sam Fuller brings his blunt brisk directorial style to the Western, not his first but a particularly even-handed look at White-Native American relations during the period just after the Civil War. Rod Steiger plays a Confederate soldier who refuses to join the United States after the war, preferring instead to head out to the Western territories to join up with the Sioux/Lakota (kudos to Fuller for recognising and explicating these two names). After falling in with an elderly Sioux man, Walking Coyote (Jay C. Flippen), who worked for the army, Steiger finds himself captured by some young braves led by Crazy Wolf (H. M. Wynant). They give the pair a chance to escape called âThe Run of the Arrowâ? (they have a head start as far as the arrow can fly but then must run for their lives). Of course, Steiger succeeds with the help of Yellow Moccasin (Sara Montiel) who becomes his wife when he is accepted into the tribe (foreshadowing Costnerâ(TM)s Dances with Wolves, 1990). Later, Steiger as a Sioux man is selected to negotiate with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (led by Brian Keith) who seek to build a fort on a Sioux hunting ground. He finds himself opposed by Ralph Meekerâ(TM)s Lieutenant Driscoll (a Union solider once shot by Steigerâ(TM)s Oâ(TM)Meara). As you can see, Steiger is not a perfect hero â" he still stands for the South (even when Fullerâ(TM)s script challenges him with reference to the Ku Klux Klan) and his decision to join the Sioux may be more a reaction to the Civil War and less clearly a love for the Sioux (although he does love his wife and the young mute boy that they adopt). Incidentally, the Sioux are led by Charles Bronson and it seems likely that most of the Native Americans are played by whites; this was likely true of the times and Fuller still manages to make his film feel more progressive than most with this problem. You can see the influence this film had on Jim Jarmusch and his Dead Man (1995), a more recent progressive Western, particularly in the relationship between Walking Coyote and Oâ(TM)Meara. If only Fuller had access to better resources, this could have had less of a B-movie feel â" that said, this is also one of its charms. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent film that ponders the struggle for identity. Steiger's character must choose between accepting the United States as his home after the South loses or trying to be a true Sioux. The film is complex and nuanced but lands on the position that one must be true to your roots. Steiger's performance is superb as usual and the cinematography featuring the on-location Utah landscape in Technicolor is beautiful Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Maaaaaaaaaaaaad goooooooooood. One of my favorite westerns, instantly. Which makes sense because Fuller is the man. A must-see. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Run of the Arrow

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Movie Info

Synopsis Dejected by the defeat of the Confederacy, O'Meara (Rod Steiger) heads west toward Sioux territory. After surviving a test called the "Run of the Arrow," he is accepted as one of the Oglala Sioux people and marries Yellow Moccasin (Sara Montiel). The couple create a family together and live contentedly until Capt. Clark (Brian Keith) arrives with a group of cavalry, hoping to build a fort nearby. O'Meara acts as a scout for the troops until their wary peace is shattered.
Director
Samuel Fuller
Producer
Samuel Fuller
Screenwriter
Samuel Fuller
Distributor
RKO Radio Pictures, Universal International Pictures
Production Co
RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 5, 1957, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 11, 2017
Runtime
1h 26m
Sound Mix
Mono
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