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Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Good concept, poorly executed.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The acting in this movie is really good.

period courtroom drama that attempts to humanize former slaves by endowing them with the extraordinary kindness of saints and/or morons, thus maintaining a fiercely racist viewpoint. the apaches are, naturally, beasts. and no, it is not "fine because it was 1960." for the rest, while the subject matter is sharp, the execution is filled with stereotypes, reversed stereotypes, and sentimentalism of all sorts.

Normally, a movie about the trial of a man accused of rape and murder would be suspenseful. But since the movie was made in 1960, and the accused was a black man who supposedly raped a white girl, it was a given that the man was innocent. About the only suspense was in whether he would be acquitted, as happened in this movie, or convicted, which is what happened in another such movie, "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962). But that is still thin gruel, for even if Sergeant Rutledge had been white, the trial is a flop, dramatically speaking.In place of suspense or dramatic value, the movie delivers, or is supposed to deliver, a sense of moral worth, in which the audience is allowed to take pride in the way it is above racial prejudice. So, the question is, Which of the two is more important, enjoying a well-made movie that does not congratulate the audience for being so enlightened, but merely provides entertainment, or suffering through a poorly made movie just so you can wallow in a feeling of egalitarian righteousness?In its simplistic way, the movie might be on the right side of the racial issue, but it gives us a questionable treatment of women. The main female character, Mary Beecher, is a strong, independent thinking woman. Sergeant Rudledge hands her a revolver, saying she is a Western woman, implying competence with a gun, and that she will need it because the Apaches will show her no mercy. Minutes later, when a couple of Apaches attack, she shoots one of them before he can attack Rutledge.However, most of the rest of the women in this movie are a bunch of simpleminded old biddies, whose purpose in life is to be scandalized by the shameless behavior of others, obviously overprotected by their husbands. As a result, Mary and those women seem to be of totally different species, because the idea that she will become like them when she gets old defies comprehension.One of the things that scandalize these women is the behavior of Lucy Dabney, the girl who is raped and strangled. The women chastise her for riding a horse astride. But Lucy says, in front of Chandler Hubble, who we eventually find out is the one that actually raped her, that as long as she says her prayers and behaves herself, her father doesn't care if she rides around like Lady Godiva. It is also worked into the conversation that her mother is dead. In other words, Lucy does not have a simpleminded old biddy for a mother to instill the proper sense of decorum into her.At the end, Lieutenant Tom Cantrell, whose job it is to defend Rutledge, beats a confession out of Chandler Hubble while he is on the witness stand. Hubble admits that he had to rape Lucy because of the way she walked, the way she moved her body. You see, what with Lucy having her legs spread-eagled when she rides a horse and putting the image into his head of her being naked on that horse as well, it was just too much for him. In other words, the movie is just a hair from blaming the victim, although it stops short of that, blaming the circumstance of her not having a mother to raise her properly.One might think that the real blame for the rape would fall on Hubble, the man who raped her. But the movie portrays him as having acted under a sexual compulsion (especially since his wife is deceased, thereby depriving him of a normal sexual outlet). The point seems to be that it is up to women to behave in such a way as to not unleash the demon in men such as him.Regardless of the way this movie handles race and gender issues, however, its biggest problem is that it was a bad movie when it was made, and it just gets worse with age.

Sergeant Rutledge (1960) *** (out of 4) Extremely well-made and dramatic film from John Ford about a black soldier (Woody Strode) accused of killing his superior officer and raping and murdering his daughter. Lt. Tom Cantrell (Jeffrey Hunter) was the arrested officer and after spending time with the soldier agrees to defend him of the charges. In the court martial hearing we learn what really happened as Cantrell tries to save the soldier even though he admits being at the scene of the crime. SERGEANT RUTLEDGE, for some reason, never really gets mentioned when people discuss the films of John Ford and that's a shame because it's certainly one of the best films of his later period. I really enjoyed the way Ford told the story as we start off in the court room where we hear the charges and then through flashbacks we see all the events that led up to the murder and the aftermath. On a technical level Ford did a few interesting things here including how he would shoot the court scene in the dark with shadows and then cut to the flashback. This might seem like something minor but it actually has a strong impact. Ford also knew the best things to cut back to the court room scene. A lot of times when flashbacks are mixed into movies they're often done so just to move the story forward. That's not the case here because the director had to perfectly mix them with the court footage and I thought it really did a good job at building and keeping the drama from one to another. Another very strong aspect are the performances with Hunter leading the way. He never really seemed to get enough credit for his acting but the passion on display here is very powerful and I especially enjoyed the way he handled the court scenes. Constance Towers plays an important part as a witness and does a fine job as well. Billie Burke and Willis Bouchey appear in supporting roles. The real star is Strode who delivers an incredibly powerful performance and especially the scene where he must testify and finally breaks down. I don't think I'm overstating things when I say this was without question one of the strongest roles for a black actor at this period in time and Strode certainly did everything he could to make it so memorable. The actor contains a certain dignity and power that leaps off the screen. I think Ford did make one fatal mistake that really killed the film in spots and that's the horrid comic bits that are scattered throughout the film. The humor comes up in such horrid times and it's usually following something dramatic and it really kills everything that the story is trying to capture. Why Ford decided to make the humor so in your face is beyond me. With that said, the incredibly strong performances and strong story are good enough to overcome this one flaw and SERGEANT RUTLEDGE is worth viewing.

Having seen the picture again last night but this time in HD, I'd just like to say that in my opinion, it has to be the finest cavalry picture ever filmed. The movement of the actors on the horses, the motion of the troop riding across the scenery, even the positions taken of the troop in the background as the dialogue unfolds is impressive. At most there were less than 20 horsemen in one scene, but the actions portrayed the effect of an entire company of horse soldiers. There are too many layers in this picture for me to comment on but I always enjoy watching it when it comes on the telly. A close second in cavalry films would have to be Mssrs. Ford & Waynes Horse Soldiers. But even though there were more actors to fill the scenes, I'd still give Sgt. Rutledge the high mark. Long may he live!