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Dark Command

1940 · 94 min

A classic Western with a love triangle and a villain hiding in plain sight, building to a tense ride to warn a town.

Tagline
A drama of undying love.
Overview
When transplanted Texan Bob Seton arrives in Lawrence, Kansas he finds much to like about the place, especially Mary McCloud, daughter of the local banker. Politics is in the air however. It's just prior to the civil war and there is already a sharp division in the Territory as to whether it will remain slave-free. When he gets the opportunity to run for marshal, Seton finds himself running against the respected local schoolteacher, William Cantrell. Not is what it seems however. While acting as the upstanding citizen in public, Cantrell is dangerously ambitious and is prepared to do anything to make his mark, and his fortune, on the Territory. When he loses the race for marshal, he forms a group of raiders who run guns into the territory and rob and terrorize settlers throughout the territory. Eventually donning Confederate uniforms, it is left to Seton and the good citizens of Lawrence to face Cantrell and his raiders in one final clash.

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • romanticstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • betrayal
  • ambition
  • love
  • justice
  • war
Places
  • small town
  • countryside
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language none
  • Violence mild
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action5
Horror1
Humour3
Realism7
Romance5
Tension6
Darkness5
Complexity4
Emotional weight5

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Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, romance, western
Directed by
Raoul Walsh
Written by
Grover Jones, Lionel Houser, F. Hugh Herbert
Starring
Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Walter Pidgeon, Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Porter Hall, Marjorie Main, Raymond Walburn
Music
Victor Young
Cinematography
Jack A. Marta
Runtime
94 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

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