Above average western with some brutal violence and some talky exploration of the Whiteman vs Indian philosophy and behavior. The then trend of social commentary started making its way into the movie western.
There had been a long film history, with a few notable exceptions, of portraying Native Americans as mad dog, heathen horribles that were destroying the White Man's manifest destiny and needed extermination or at the very least interment. They were less than human.
That ethnocentric egotism is here but at least it is articulated and a skeptical scope is put on both sides. Make no mistake, the Indians are the villains here, but the invading, trespassing intruders will pay a heavy price, as do they. The lesson here is not politically correct, it is an inconvenient consistency, White is right and the Darkman is at best a Noble Savage who wears feathers instead of hats.
There had been a long film history, with a few notable exceptions, of portraying Native Americans as mad dog, heathen horribles that were destroying the White Man's manifest destiny and needed extermination or at the very least interment. They were less than human.
That ethnocentric egotism is here but at least it is articulated and a skeptical scope is put on both sides. Make no mistake, the Indians are the villains here, but the invading, trespassing intruders will pay a heavy price, as do they. The lesson here is not politically correct, it is an inconvenient consistency, White is right and the Darkman is at best a Noble Savage who wears feathers instead of hats.