The Stalking Moon

Gregory Peck reteams with To Kill a Mockingbird director Robert Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula on The Stalking Moon (1968). A unique Western, it falls outside the late '60s revisionist trend, presenting instead a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game.

Aged scout Sam Varner (Gregory Peck) fulfills his last duty to the US Army by rounding up escaped Apaches. Among them is Sarah (Eva Marie Saint), a white captive who's lived among the Apaches for years, raising a half-breed son (Noland Clay). Sam reluctantly agrees to escort them to safety, only to find Apache warrior Salvaje (Nathaniel Narcisco) pursuing, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Sam joins Indian tracker Nick (Robert Forster) and stationmaster Ned (Russell Thorson) to defend Sarah and her son from Salvaje's wrath.

The Stalking Moon is marvelously pared-down. Superficially resembling the previous year's Hombre, it jettisons that movie's oversized cast and racial posturing. Alvin Sargent's straightforward script proves sparse on dialogue and elliptical in motivation. Characterization rests on small moments, like Sam and Sarah's awkward supper or Nick teaching the boy poker. Stalking Moon knows where it's going and doesn't dawdle unnecessarily.

Mulligan handles the plot efficiently, more taut thriller than traditional Western. Charles Lang's beautiful photography only enhances the story's dread: Salvaje appears as an elemental, remorseless Fate, his motivation chillingly indistinct. The ultimate siege proves familiar, with characters whittled down through stupid mistakes. (Would you feed your dog with a murderous Apache outside?) But the climax pays off when Sam and Salvaje go mano a mano in decidedly brutal fashion.

Gregory Peck plays Sam like a more grizzled Hondo Lane, tough, weather-beaten but good-hearted. Eva Marie Saint (North by Northwest) adroitly handles a role requiring little dialogue or overt emotion. Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) makes a likeable sidekick, charm overcoming a poor makeup job. The supporting cast gets less chance to shine, with James Olsen, Frank Silvera, Lonnie Chapman and Russell Thorson reduced to bit parts.

The Stalking Moon is an underrated Western. Made when most Westerns went for graphic violence or liberal preaching, Robert Mulligan's economical storytelling stands out.