The Siege at Red River (1954), just released on DVD from Fox Cinema Archives, Fox's on-demand line of classic titles, is a modest yet underrated Civil War western that contains not only a satisfying mix of action, suspense and even singing, but some efficient and intelligent storytelling.

For much of its running time, the movie has the feel of another small-scale Civil War drama: The Raid (1954), which the same studio, 20th Century-Fox, released just four months after The Siege at Red River. (Both films are the work of the same screenwriter, Sydney Boehm.) The Raid is an excellent film that relates the true story of the northernmost battle of the Civil War, in which confederates posed as northerners and infiltrated a small Vermont town before taking it over militarily. The Siege at Red River also involves southerners posing as northerners in order to carry out a military mission, but this tale is set in the midwest and west, as the confederates intercept a new device that could tip the scales in the ongoing war -- the Gatling gun.

Van Johnson, starring here as a confederate spy and arms smuggler, may seem like an unlikely casting choice since he is best remembered for his musicals, but in truth, Johnson was a strong all-around leading man, capable of working well in just about every genre. Realizing this, the makers of Siege smartly borrowed him from MGM, for his character is called upon to fight, to engage in serious dramatics, to show some charm while romancing beautiful Joanne Dru, and, yes, to sing. Johnson masquerades as a traveling salesman, moving from town to town to sell his wares with his confederate partner (Milburn Stone). To attract attention, they get up on their wagon and playfully sing to the townspeople. One of their songs, however, is actually a secret signal to confederate sleeper agents in each town, who now know to transfer covert information to the two men. The singing has a logical dramatic purpose, but it also allows us to accept Johnson in the role altogether -- an economical device indeed. (Plus he sings very well!)

Elsewhere, director Rudolph Mate shows his skill in communicating story and character development with strong visual momentum. In the opening eight minutes, for example, with a bare minimum of dialogue, Mate clearly establishes the characters and their situation as the rebels rob the Gatling gun from a train and make a clever escape. After three more minutes of screen time, we've moved with the southern spies through three states and have been introduced to Joanne Dru, whom Johnson and Stone rescue and accompany to the next town. As minor as this film is, it's a good model of economical visual storytelling.

Rudolph Mate has long been undervalued as a director. He started as a cinematographer, and a good one, with movies like The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), Foreign Correspondent (1940), Cover Girl (1944) and Gilda (1946) to his credit. Then he became a director of such efficient titles like Union Station (1950), Branded (1950), When Words Collide (1951), The Far Horizons (1955) and Miracle in the Rain (1956), which for the most part contain a crispness of tone and pace that match the crispness of the cinematography and overall look.

The Siege at Red River, while no exception, also owes a great deal to its screenwriter, Sydney Boehm. Boehm wrote many fine film noirs, including The Big Heat (1953), and he brings his strong sense of character and plotting to bear here. The narrative flows quickly and logically, yet still yields plot surprises and manages to treat both sides of the Civil War three-dimensionally. The drama also builds in a satisfying way from small-scale incident to large action finale involving cavalry and Indians (footage for this was lifted from Buffalo Bill [1944].)

But Boehm's most clever device is the introduction of a wild card character about halfway through, played by Richard Boone in a way that must have inspired the actor when he played another villain in Budd Boetticher's The Tall T (1957) a few years later. Boone's character is dangerous, unsteady, and volatile, whose only motivation is money, and as such he will work with northerners, southerners, whomever. "The only thing we got in common," he tells Johnson, "is we both bleed if we're cut." You get the sense that Boone is capable of anything at any moment, including betrayal and murder, which makes him very intriguing and allows Boone to almost steal the show.

Fox has not restored or remastered this film, and the image is uneven throughout in terms of sharpness, brightness and contrast. And there's a visible green vertical line along the far right edge of the frame during the early reels and again towards the end. This is frustrating, but it should be said that most reels look very, very good. A restoration one day would be welcome, as the Utah location scenery is spectacular.

By Jeremy Arnold