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Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

1962 was an incredibly happy year for me, and the memory of seeing this film with my entire family is a treasured one. I loved seeing the Rat Pack up on the big screen, and I loved the ending BUT-It wasn't until I saw the film again more than fifty years later, that I realized the sting inside the ending. Sammy Davis Jr's character is now a part of the cavalry, which was his dream and that's great - however, it's the Tenth Cavalry. That's where he's being sent off to. As a young child, I never knew that was a completely segregated branch of the service. And none of the characters seem to react to this announcement. They just accept it as being the way things are.It actually gives the ending a bittersweet quality.

Ever since my childhood, the Rat Pack films have been staples on Italian TV – but, curiously enough, not this one!; still, as often happens, its long absence doesn’t necessarily make it a lost gem and, actually, it can now be seen as the least of them! In any case, a legitimate DVD edition of it has just been released in time for the 10th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s passing – though I had to make do myself with a barely adequate VHS-to-DVD dub for this viewing…but which, surprisingly ran for 117 minutes when the film’s official length is given as 112! Anyway, personally produced by Sinatra, this emerges as the third version of a Rudyard Kipling story: a sort of GUNGA DIN (1939) parody in Western garb – except that the original already contained strong doses of humor! Old hand W.R. Burnett wrote the script and the necessity here to follow a proper plot renders this less freewheeling than other Rat Peck outings; however, this then results in jarring bouts of violence played alongside revue-style comic sketches! The film’s major set-piece is an extended shootout between the boys and some renegade Indians in a ghost town which culminates in an outburst of fireworks and the shooting of dynamite a' la RIO BRAVO (1959); by the way, Sinatra and Dean Martin had already proved themselves in the genre – most notably with JOHNNY CONCHO (1956) and RIO BRAVO itself respectively (Martin actually became a staple of the gun-and-saddle tradition between 1956 and 1973).With this in mind, the repartee among the stars is par for the course: Martin has the old Cary Grant role, Peter Lawford fills in for Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Sammy Davis Jr., naturally, is Din; as for Joey Bishop’s character, he usually finds himself the brunt of the boys’ jokes. Sinatra himself seems constrained by the martinet role played in GUNGA DIN by Victor McLaglen but, typically, Dino and Davis have fun with their roles. Michael Pate and Henry Silva (as father and son) feature as the rebelling Indians; incidentally, Sinatra and Silva’s next confrontation – later that year in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE – proved far more memorable. It’s also worth pointing out that three of Bing Crosby’s sons appear here as bumbling privates.Director Sturges was himself a Western expert and had already collaborated with Sinatra on the war adventure NEVER SO FEW (1959); he also did a number of Cavalry vs. Indians-type efforts such as ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO (1953) and THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL (1965; which was also largely played for laughs).P.S. Shortly after this film’s release, Sinatra fell out badly with Lawford (even throwing him down a flight of stairs!) after President Kennedy – who was Lawford’s brother-in-law – choose to stay over at Bing Crosby’s house rather than his (due to recent allegations of Sinatra’s connection with the Mafia being uncovered) and which explains Lawford’s disappearance from subsequent Rat Pack efforts…

You will see this movie released when Walt Disney releases "Song of the South". In other words, NEVER! I enjoyed this movie when it was released. It is a classic Rat Pack movie that is not quite as good as "Oceans Eleven" or "Robin and the Seven Hoods" but still enjoyable none the less. No, not when it shows Sammy Davis Jr tap dancing and playing the trumpet at gun point to entertain a bunch of drunken cowboys. He timidly responds to their requests. Even though he WAS a fantastic dancer and trumpet player. He was one of the most gifted American entertainers of the 20th century. While Mr Davis was headlining in Vegas, he was required to accept accommodations in a rooming house on the west side of the city, rather than reside with his peers in the hotels. Not until the pendulum swings from the left towards the center and we accept the fact that the movie makers of that time were not concerned about being "Politically Correct". Their intentions were not aimed at intentionally hurting or humiliating anyone, they just didn't care if it did! I imagine there is a wealth of entertaining movies slowly rotting away in the studio vaults that will never see the light of day. This is one of them.

If you are reading this you probably know how much fun this Rat Packfilm is to watch. You probably also have not seen it in years thanks to United Artists who own the rights. I don't think it will be made available for sale anytime soon. This is one of my favorites from this genre of film making. The reason is that I love the Rat Pack , western movies and comedies. But I think you have to be a big fan of the Rat Pack to have much interest in the film. This is why I don't think we will see it released for sale to the public. There are some folks selling copies of VHS & DVD (taped from reel). I would use caution when buying because I have spent money on some pretty bad versions over the years.