The trouble with Smith was Indians... the trouble with Indians was not enough Smiths!
1969-03-21
N/A
102 min
When the Indian Jimmyboy is accused of murder of a white man, he flees onto the ranch of Smith, who's well known for his tolerance for Indians, since he was raised by the old Indian Antoine. Smith helps Jimmyboy against the mean Sheriff and promises to speak for him in court, thus persuading him to surrender himself to the police.
This arguably tries too hard and its message is crammed in, but it at least does have positive intentions.
<em>'Smith!'</em> features likeable performances from Glenn Ford and Chief Dan George, while Keenan Wynn is a good actor to have onscreen - even if he plays an antagonist. Nancy Olson's character is annoying, though. There is also unfortunately some inappropriate casting, namely Warren Oates. I do like the look of the film, in how it is shot etc.
The plot is pretty messy, even with an obvious motive. The tone of the film seems, at least to me, to be all over the place as it probably tries to do too much. It's also the definition of the white savior trope. Despite those things, it does at least end in pleasant fashion.
