Broken Arrow

There is nary a trace of fear or even uncertainty in characters who are supposedly engaged in a most brutal, unprincipled war. There's hardly even genuine grief over the fallen. Why am I supposed to care about Jimmy Stewart's cartoonish efforts to broker peace between two groups of toy soldiers? There's also a stupid Pocahontas-style romantic subplot. God save us.

Jimmy Stewart in a cross-cultural romance but it's the cross-cultural bromance that makes this an unusual and slightly more interesting western.

Nice western that doesn't antagonize the natives. Jeff Chandler's Cochise is the man. James Stewart's child bride relationship is creepy though. Fav scene: Cochise's meeting with other natives, the analogy with the tree in a storm, and then the titular Broken Arrow.

Stewart at his usual romantic fever pitch. Not really a western.

By far one of the best Western's I've seen.The even handed way the movie portrays both sides is astonishing for a movie from the 50's.Neither the Apache nor the whites are painted in black or white.There are shades of gray in all of them and most of there motivations seem real.The only negatives to this film is that the acting is a little off at times and the movie was a little slow paced for my taste.The ending is about as non Hollywood as you are going to get from this era.Two Thumbs Up.

So mature for it's time

Definitely not a spectacular flick, but an entertaining watch nonetheless, even if only to see the collected and stable performances of Jeff Chandler and James Stewart and their supposed chemistry. Alas, the film leaves the impression that the two leads did not have a solid idea where to take their characters to, or maybe they lacked direction. The formulaic plot and execution do not help either.

Decent Western, very much by-the-book, no fannying around, it's straight down to business between Jimmy Stewart and Chief Cochise, trying to negotiate a peace treaty between whites and indians and finding it ain't so easy. A bit of double crossing and mixed signals in the plot, but very much an easy film to follow. Shades of Dances With Wolves with Stewart instantly falling in love with a young girl. Not a deep or clever film, just good clean fun for schoolboys and fathers alike.

Solid movie that benefits from having Jimmy Stewart in the lead.

This movie is dated but there are plenty of good moments. The performances are good in the script is interesting. The script treats the Indians like humans and not savages. However they have white actors playing some of the non-white roles. Also the romance story is the least interesting part of the script. Overall I would recommend this to anyone who likes older westerns.

In the 1870s, frontiersman Tom Jeffords (James Stewart) forms a tentative friendship with the Apache chief Cochise (Jeff Chandler, Oscar-nominated) in the hopes of brokering a lasting peace...but the prejudices of his fellow white men make that a tricky proposition. For its values and its sympathetic depiction of its Native American characters, it's a historically significant and admirable film. As a drama, it now seems simplified and abbreviated (especially the ending), but it still compels.

More than anything Broken Arrow has its heart in the right place. In a minefield of war the best way is to find a direct route to a vision of peace without dwelling on everything that will keep people angry and fighting. James Stewart was the perfect sort of man to be the bridge between fighting folks and while it doesn't try to trigger too much animosity, it hints at the dangers of not having a common understanding. Broken Arrow provides a goodhearted, though Hollywoodized, experience I valued.