Flechas sangrientas

The film started off badly for Wade Cooper: a handcuffed prisoner of the US Cavalry, ambushed by Native Americans, wounded in the shoulder by an arrow, staggering through the wilderness . Then he sees Martha Hyer bathing nude in the river ... She takes him back to her husband's trading post and nurses him so well that within a day or two he's able to defeat in hand-to-hand combat a brave who assaults her.

Suspiciously well-graded roads also serve to diminish the film's worth.

Often I feel that monetary values in these old Westerns reflect the era when the film was made, rather than the one that it features. At one point a bad guys reflects that his share of the loot - $4,000 - isn't that much, but in 18971 it would have been very useful indeed - worth some $88,000 in 2021 values.

A predictable ending.

Blood on the Arrow is a rather confused western that stars Dale Robertson, Martha Hyer and Wendell Corey. It's got everything in it, cavalry, outlaws, Indians and a damsel in distress. Lest no one be confused the damsel is Martha Hyer.

Martha finds a wounded Dale Robertson, an outlaw separated from his men, and brings him back to the trading post where she endures a loveless marriage with Wendell Corey. But before the film is over they will have to put up with Apaches jumping the reservation and Robertson's men, none of whom are as scrupulous as he.

For an outlaw Dale's a little too good to be true. When the Indians kidnap young Dandy Curran, Hyer's son, Robertson gets his men involved in a scheme to rescue the lad that involves stealing army rifles and arming the Apaches. A big old no-no in any Hollywood western.

Personally while I think Martha's beautiful, one of the most beautiful women ever in films, I just can't swallow Dale risking all for her. If I was him, I'd have kept on riding.

The cast performs well, certainly Robertson is no stranger to the Hollywood west. But the film's just a tad bit too unreal for my taste.

I don't understand why such a good western is so rare, hard to find. There is not many surprises, but a quite exciting pace and action scenes. The Indians are here not the only villains and Dale Robertson the good hero; I know, that may sound cheesy, predictable, and it partly is too...This is not ULZANA'S RAID, but really worth purchasing. Sidney Salkow was really a good adventure, western director, but not noir though, except CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL...Such a shame. Here, the performances are quite convincing, even Dale Robertson, who seems better than usual. Wendell Corey too, in a supporting role and not a good guy one. Good directing.

I never cared for dale robertson in any western role ... he always seemed like the out of place easterner ... he was especially terrible in the series "tales of wells fargo" ... in this film he played an outlaw on the run because he held up an army payroll ... the only series he did any good at was "ironhorse" marth hyer was especially hot in this film, her only naked scene i know of and even one indian brave thought she looked good enough for him

Outlaw Wade Cooper (Dale Robertson) is a prisoner of the US Cavalry. When the Apache attacks, he is the sole survivor. Nancy Mailer (Martha Hyer) rescues Wade and brings him back to the her miserly husband Clint's (Wendell Corey) trading post. When the Apaches raid the post, Clint propose to trade their lives for all the guns that the Apaches would need. The Apaches take their son for leverage.

There are outlaws, Indians, gunfights, Cavalry, and melodrama. This is quintessential Western B-movie. The characters are all iconic. There isn't much subtlety. Not all of it makes sense. It's questionable why the outlaws didn't just fight for the gold, but instead help to rescue the boy. I get Wade's motivation for the Mrs Mailer. The other outlaws make little sense.