With their emancipation guaranteed by the Union victory in the American civil war, groups of former slaves are encouraged by the state to head west and develop and cultivate the land. Ex-bluecoat "Buck" (Sidney Poitier) sets himself up as a wagon-master for these would-be emigrants. For a modest fee, he agrees to show them the way and guarantee their safety. Now there are those who don't much like this relocation plan, and the "DeShay" gang are employed by the southern cotton farmers to try to ensure that their erstwhile property never survive the trip. It's one such altercation that sees "Buck" - trying to stay alive - swap horses with a preacher (Harry Belafonte) who just happened to be bathing in a stream nearby. The gang now follow the wrong horse only for their leader (Cameron Mitchell) to convince the preacher that he will pay him $500 for "Buck" and that it'd be in his interests to help send the slaves back to their former masters, too. Swiftly, he sets off on the trail of his quarry, but when he realises that "Buck" is actually quite a decent soul who genuinely wants to help his clients achieve their new opportunities without upsetting the balance between the native Indians and the buffalo, the two decide to unite and plan their own form of revenge. The thing has a degree of predictability about it that rather drags it down, even if the story does highlight the fact that victory in war wasn't necessarily a victory for freedom. The cinematography is grand and there is plenty of action, but somehow the film just never caught fire for me. Neither man came across as especially convincing and Mitchell just underwhelmed as a baddie. I suppose the days of the Western as a genre were coming to an end and though the underlying message of continuing fear and exploitation is clear and important, the film itself, despite quite an entertaining denouement, is maybe trying a bit too hard.
