The Maverick (1952)
6/10
The Maverick
22 April 2023
There's a wild range war going on, and when some murderous cattlemen are arrested by the military, Lt. Pete Devlin (Elliott) and a few other soldiers are ordered to deliver the men to trial at a fort some distance away.

Along the way the traveling party is joined by a lone covered wagon carrying Della Watson (Phyllis Coates) and her grandmother (Florence Lake) to the fort.

There's plenty of trouble on the journey, as the prisoners' friends (led by Robert J. Wilke) are following with plans to set them free. Meanwhile Sgt. Frick (Myron Healey) makes some idiotic choices -- such as making an unwanted advance on Della -- and he becomes resentful when Lt. Devlin busts his rank back down to trooper and promises a disciplinary hearing.

Bill Elliott plays a Lt. Pete Devlin, an honorable "by the book" cavalry officer, a nice change from being an outlaw or gunfighter sporting those twin guns, though he comes across a bit stiff, and Phyllis Coates bickers with Devin. Her character is fairly interesting in that she's torn between annoyance and respect for Lt. Devlin's upright persona. But soon falls for Devlin especially when Myron Healey predictably turns bad.

The Maverick is a fairly entertaining film, though it can be a bit talky at times, the conflict dialogue between Elliott and Coates over discipline a little repetitive - however, the contrast between Healy's rebellious character and Elliott's duty bound character makes this an interesting watch. Ends with a climactic shootout.
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