‘Sergeant Rutledge’: An Engrossing Courtroom Drama

Truth and justice play out in a John Ford western.

Sgt. Braxton Rutledge (Woody Strode), who commands the nearly all-colored 9th Cavalry, in "Sergeant Rutledge." Warner Bros.

U | 1 h 51 min | Drama | 1960

John Ford sets his courtroom drama in the late 19th century at the U.S. Army HQ, Department of the Southwest, Arizona. He uses this whodunit to frame the virtues of truth, justice, and courage as a bulwark against prejudice.