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Sergeant Rutledge

Sergeant Rutledge

Western · Crime · Drama · 1960

Respected black cavalry Sergeant Brax Rutledge stands court-martial for raping and killing a white woman and murdering her father, his superior officer.

Movie details

Sergeant Rutledge

“Forget all the suspense you have ever seen! Forget all the excitement you have ever known!”

1960 Western · Crime · Drama 1h 51m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

Respected black cavalry Sergeant Brax Rutledge stands court-martial for raping and killing a white woman and murdering her father, his superior officer.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Sergeant Rutledge?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Ford

Written by

Willis Goldbeck · James Warner Bellah

Jeffrey Hunter

Jeffrey Hunter

Lt. Tom Cantrell

Woody Strode

Woody Strode

1st Sgt. Braxton Rutledge

Constance Towers

Constance Towers

Mary Beecher

Billie Burke

Billie Burke

Mrs. Cordelia Fosgate

Juano Hernández

Juano Hernández

Sgt. Matthew Luke Skidmore

Willis Bouchey

Willis Bouchey

Col. Otis Fosgate - president of the court-martial

Carleton Young

Carleton Young

Capt. Shattuck - prosecutor

Court is in session

Put Sergeant Rutledge on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.