This film essentially revolves around the trial of a cavalry soldier by the name of "First Sergeant Braxton Rutledge" (Woody Strode) who stands accused of raping and killing a young woman named "Lucy Dabney" (Toby Michaels) and then deserting his post out of fear from being caught. Although everyone who knows him are stunned by this development, the case itself is overwhelmingly against him. Complicating matters is the fact that the victim was white--while Sergeant Rutledge is black. It also doesn't help that the prosecutor "Captain Shattuck" (Carleton Young) is quite skilled at manipulating the testimony of the witnesses in an effort to acquire a verdict against the defendant. Offsetting that to some degree is the knowledge that his defense counsel "Lieutenant Tom Cantrell" (Jeffrey Hunter) is a man he not only respects but happens to be someone who will leave no stone unturned in his effort to win his acquittal-but even then the odds are clearly not in his favor. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a pretty good film which clearly aimed at showcasing racial injustice within American society that continues to play out even today. Be that as it may, although there were some scenes that were somewhat overplayed, I thought that Woody Strode put on an outstanding performance and even though this was not a great Western by any means, I enjoyed it for the most part and I have rated it accordingly.
Review of Sergeant Rutledge
