Dark Command

A cowboy (John Wayne) arrives in Kansas, runs for Marshall, and battles a Confederate raider.

Dark Command was one of Republic Pictures’ first big budget westerns. With the success of Stagecoach the year prior, John Wayne had proven himself an A-List box office draw and Republic sought to capitalize. While result is not wholly removed from his earlier B-westerns, it is an improvement.

The story is nothing new. John Wayne arrives in town, sniffs out trouble, and sets about making things right. What is new, however, is the bigger budget, which translates to better production values and a superior supporting cast. George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, the best regular in Wayne’s B-westerns, is joined by Claire Trevor, Roy Rogers, and Walter Pidgeon, who finally provides the Duke with a villain that’s more than a cardboard cutout.

Director Raoul Walsh (who had given the Duke his first big break ten years earlier in The Big Trail) does a good job with the action, although his decision to downplay the sensational stunt work of Yakima Canutt is a detriment.

At 94 minutes, Dark Command runs quite a bit longer than most of Wayne’s B-westerns. While this does allow the film flesh out several of its characters, it also loses some of the raw efficiency of those earlier entries. Fans of Wayne should enjoy it, but those looking for another Stagecoach will be disappointed.