The Outriders (1950)

During the last year of the Civil War, three Confederate prisoners (Joel McCrea, Barry Sullivan, James Whitmore) escape from a Union prison camp. They talk their way into escorting a wagon train heading from Santa Fe to St. Louis but they have an ulterior motive: the gold the wagon train is secretly carrying. Directed by Roy Rowland (HIT THE DECK), this is a pretty decent Technicolor western. Shot in Utah, the movie features both the usual western action and interesting characters that must make decisions that test their moral mettle. The film's highlight is a dangerous crossing through a rapid river that is intense. There's a fine underscore by Andre Previn that propels the movie along. Even non western fans should find something to like here. With Arlene Dahl as the only woman on the wagon train, Ramon Novarro, Ted De Corsia, Jeff Corey and Claude Jarman Jr.