Red Mountain (film)

Plot

Colorado, 1865: A gold assayer is killed and Lane Waldron is seen leaving, so a posse goes after him and turns into a lynch mob. Lane claims he had a sample from his mine examined by the assayer, but denies shooting him. A noose around Lane's neck is shot in half at the last second by an unseen marksman.

The rescuer turns out to be Brett Sherwood, a Confederate captain from the Civil War. In a hideout, he leaves a gun as a test, and when Lane grabs it and aims it at him, Brett reveals that it's not loaded. Lane's sweetheart, Chris, turns up as well, so Brett takes both of them captive.

Although she has different loyalties than Lane, hating the rebels and General Quantrill in particular for killing her family, Chris frees him from his bonds. Chris is a Southern sympathizer who resents General Sherman's actions in the war on the Union side.

In a struggle, Lane's leg is broken. Brett does everything in his power to help him. He goes to get a doctor. Quantrill and his raiders turn up, and his sergeant, Randall, tries to torture Lane into telling the location of his gold mine. Brett and Chris return with a surgeon, who operates on Lane.

A band of Indians engages Quantrill's men in battle. Lane is shot by a Ute, who is killed by Chris. As he lay dying, Lane says he wants Chris and Brett to have his gold mine. Brett confesses that he was the one who had killed the assayer, who had been trying to cheat him and pulled a gun on him.

Cast

Production

The film was originally called Quantrill's Raiders.

At one stage Burt Lancaster and Wendell Corey, who were both under contract to Hal Wallis, were to star. The lead role eventually went to Alan Ladd. It was shot on location in New Mexico near the town of Gallup.

Director William Dieterle fell ill during the shoot and John Farrow flew out to take over. His work is uncredited.