The Dark Command (1940)

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(1,300 ratings)

Set in the years leading up to the Civil War and its outbreak, Dark Command tells a fictionalized version of the story of William Clarke Quantrill, the schoolteacher-turned-renegade, whose raids -- ostensibly on behalf of the Confederacy -- turned Kansas into a charnel house. John Wayne plays Bob… More Set in the years leading up to the Civil War and its outbreak, Dark Command tells a fictionalized version of the story of William Clarke Quantrill, the schoolteacher-turned-renegade, whose raids -- ostensibly on behalf of the Confederacy -- turned Kansas into a charnel house. John Wayne plays Bob Setton, a young Texan who arrives in Lawrence, KS, in 1859 on his way west, partnered with George "Gabby" Hayes. He meets Marie McCloud (Claire Trevor) and her younger brother, Fletch (Roy Rogers), and takes a liking to them, especially Marie. His only competition for her is William Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon), the local schoolteacher, who has big ambitions in life. He is nominated for town marshal and seems a shoo-in, especially as his only rival is Bob Setton, who admits he knows nothing about the law and can't even read, but Setton wins with his honest, unpretentious speech. At the time, Kansas is riven by strife, as settlers from the North opposed to slavery and those from the South supporting it pour into the territory, and Setton has his hands full. His most difficult personal moment comes when he must arrest Fletch for shooting an anti-slavery farmer (Trevor Bardette) to death. Cantrell leads a campaign of terror against the jury, however, which finds the young man not guilty just as the Civil War breaks out. In the months that follow, Setton and his posse go after the raiders who are stealing and destroying huge amounts of property in Kansas on behalf of the Confederacy. He suspects Cantrell is their leader, but can't prove it, and has to tread carefully. As the raids worsen, and the war drags on -- even Marie's pro-Confederacy banker father is murdered during a run on his bank -- their conflict comes to a violent end as Cantrell launches an attack on Lawrence, vowing to destroy the town, with only Bob Setton and Cantrell's own mother (Marjorie Main) standing in his way. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Raoul Walsh
Written By: Grover Jones, Lionel Houser, F. Hugh Herbert, Jan Fortune
Genres: Western, Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics

In Theaters: Apr 4, 1940 Wide
On DVD: May 23, 2000

Critic Reviews

Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Unusual Western, with eerie, sinister atmosphere, lots of political commentary, and strange relationships.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Above average western covering the Quantrill territory, full of fiction over fact, and starring John Wayne and Roy Rogers.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Nominated for the Interior Decoration and Score Oscars, this John Wayne pre-Civil War adventure is better than the norm due to Raoul Walsh's direction and good cast.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Republic's costliest film; it was also its biggest box office hit.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Not bad revisionist take on Quantrill's Raiders repurposed into a John Wayne vehicle. The film, the followup to Stagecoach, was the picture that actually confirmed the Duke's marketability since it ended up being a huge hit. Roy Rogers, free of Trigger for a change, does a… More
Not bad revisionist take on Quantrill's Raiders repurposed into a John Wayne vehicle. The film, the followup to Stagecoach, was the picture that actually confirmed the Duke's marketability since it ended up being a huge hit. Roy Rogers, free of Trigger for a change, does a good job as Claire's brother.

Cast

            Claire Trevor as Marie McCloud

            John Wayne as Bob Setton

            Walter Pidgeon as William Cantrell

            Roy Rogers as Fletch McCloud

            George 'Gabby' Hayes as Doc Grunch

            Porter Hall as Angus McCloud

            Marjorie Main as Mme. Cantrell/Elizabeth Adams

            Raymond Walburn as Judge Buckner

            Joe Sawyer as Bushropp

            Helen MacKellar as Mrs. Hale

            John Farrell MacDonald as Dave

            Trevor Bardette as Hale

            Ernie S. Adams as Townsman

            Richard Alexander as Sentry

            Al Bridge as Slave trader

            Budd Buster
            
            Edmund Cobb as 3rd juror

            Tex Cooper
            
            Harry Cording as Killer

            John Dilson
            
            Edward Earle
            
            Mildred Gover as Ellie

            Frank S. Hagney
            
            Edward Hearn as 1st juror

            Howard Hickman
            
            Tom London as Messenger

            Jack Low
            
            Cliff Lyons
            
            Joe McGuinn
            
            John Merton as Cantrell Man

            Dick Rich
            
            Jack Rockwell as Assassin

            Clinton Rosemond
            
            Harry Strang
            
            Glenn Strange as Yankee

            Hal Taliaferro as Townsmen

            Ferris Taylor as Banker

            Wally Wales as Vigilante

            Yakima Canutt as Townsman

            Harry Woods as Dental patient

            Jack Montgomery
            
See full cast