What makes it different from others?

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Standard western from Disney has Calvary soldier-turned-deserter James Garner escaping incarceration with two camels, coming across an Indian boy in the New Mexico desert, also on the run; turns out the kid, who speaks near-perfect English, is a "white eyes," either adopted by the Indians or raised in captivity (the movie is shy to say). Family film uses the ornery camels for comic relief, while Garner's paternal feelings for the boy underline the scenario with sentiment. Vera Miles plays a handsome widow, conveniently placed on the journey (with a young daughter, Jodie Foster) for the soldier to warm to and the boy to learn from about family. Luckily for Garner, Miles still has her dead husband's razor so's the soldier can give himself a shave... ** from ****

this has always been a sentimental favorite of mine amongst the old studio Disney live action films. doesn't mean it's mushy or not well made however. well, maybe it's a little mushy. and the budget is certainly a lot lower and more economical than a 'Butch Cassidy' or a 'Little Big Man'. but even though Disney always practiced economy, their family films were of the highest quality offered usually.a lot of Disney films at this time were either over the top, over sentimentalized treatments of pseudo dramatics such as 'Castaway Cowboy' or outright slapstick fare like 'Million Dollar Duck' and the 'Ugly Daschund'. it is nice that they tried to be serious about this film. something they didn't do later on with the zany 'Apple Dumpling Gang' westerns with Don Knotts. this film actually attempts some pretty decent cinema and a carries a little weight and substance.it also features Disney regular Jodie Foster, who was then only nine or ten years old. Jodie Foster has helped to make several Disney films memorable and charming and she has a sweet little role here with veteran actress Vera miles.this also has a good history lesson about camels and the United States Calvery, which i hear was true and accurate. this film is certainly more toned down and more intelligent than the non-Disney family feature a few years later, 'Hawmps', which was played mostly for laughs.this really is a sweet little movie that, of course, is not on the scale of a 'Little Big Man', but is very worthwhile in it's own modest way. Disney films from the old Burbank studio days, like this one, often don't gather the respect and recognition they really do deserve. not even from so called die hard Disney fans who often aren't even aware that they existed or to the extent of Walt and the Burbank staff's involvement in these films. it's a little disturbing because that kind of mindless dedication to a icon, while having a flippant disregard for the heart and foundations of what makes the person and the icon great, seems baffling in a kind of depressing way.any true fan of the Disney legacy should find this movie enjoyable and cute fun. if not at least interesting in context to Disney studio history.

The plot is a little predictable, or maybe I remembered it from 'way back when. As a James Garner fan, it's a sure bet that I've seen this before, but can't remember when. The timing and pace were superb; I was entertained without thinking about time passing. It's a little sentimental for today's tastes. Acting was flawless by the entire cast; every character was believable. The music was unpretentious, and unfortunately, unmemorable, but then it also doesn't date itself, either. At the end, I didn't have the feeling that this is an all time classic, but it did manage to jerk that little tear out of my eyeball. The only major flaw was the poor use of obvious studio shot closeups during the chase scenes, which jarred the viewer from the suspended disbelief necessary to enjoy fiction. Overall, I'm not sorry that I own the DVD. It's a real joy to escape the foul language and smut that passes itself off as entertainment these days.

As a teenager, I have a natural taste for movies with excellent special effects, engaging, innovative plots and good old fashioned gore. However, as a father, I have grown a special appreciation for movies that are simply decent and human. This is one of those. It is a family movie, but with a clever and, well, lovable concept. Well written and well performed, it has the capacity to touch even those who don't want to admit they can be touched, even if it is old.