I saw "Distant Drums" for the first time when I was 10 or 11 years old and I recall it was a great film for me. Then I saw it as an adult and though it was not the great film I remembered it was still very good as an action and adventure sort of western. Since I'm not from the USA I didn't notice some historical mistakes -mainly the use of guns and rifles not yet invented by the time of the action- I learned about after reading some reviews here; I think those are major flaws in a movie.

However, I think my little knowledge about the Seminole wars in Florida give me the possibility of judging the film just at what it is: an adventure film. That established, "Distant Drums" appears to me as a highly entertaining and well done movie as well as a very original film mainly because of where the action is located. Is has great color, beautiful photography and incredible open wide sceneries in the Everglades. The plot -although kind of standard (a bunch of soldiers chased by savage Indians through the swamps- is however very well handled by director Roul Walsh and he keeps action going all along without major bumps. The sequence at the Seminole village is most impressive and tense as it is the final underwater knife duel between Captain Wyatt and chief Okala.

Gary Cooper (Wyatt) is very good as the leader of the escaping troop and shows the presence and self confidence a leader should. The rest of the cast brings a good support too, mainly Arthur Hunnicutt (Coooper's sidekick) and Ray Teal (one of the troopers),and Mari Aldon does a credible work as Cooper's romantic interest. Seminole chief Okala looks mean enough and a proper match for Cooper. Perhaps the less impressive performance is that of Richard Webb kind of dull as a navy officer involved in the mission.

In all this a decent action/adventure film, most entertaining and worth seeing for those who enjoy the genre.

This film is about a small group of soldiers who make an incursion well into Seminole territory in Florida. Things don't go well and they are forced to essentially trudge through swamps in order to get back to their front line.

When I watch movies, I look for details many others do not. Much of this is because I love history and taught it. So, when I see folks who are supposed to be fighting the Seminole Indians during the Second Seminole War (the one Zachary Taylor participated in),I hated seeing folks using revolvers and Springfield rifles that used cartridges, as these weapons came along during the Civil War era...about 25 years later. And, the uniforms on the men were a motley collection of types---and the most prevalent was a Rough Riders type from about 1898! This was all very sloppy...and the folks making the film simply didn't care. When I add to that the story is only kinda interesting, then I am left with a movie that clearly falls into the 'time-passer' category...one that is modestly watchable and entertaining but absolutely nothing more...even WITH Gary Cooper in the lead! Watch it if you must...and at least the nice Florida locations are nice to see.

Rather cheesy fiction about a combined navy-army operation in the 1840s 2nd Seminole War. While most missions were to kill or capture Seminoles for resettlement in Oklahoma, this expedition's primary target was an old Spanish fort which gunrunners stored their the munitions and other supplies to barter with the Seminoles(in exchange for what?). To get there, the troopers used a combination of horses, canoes and bushwhacking to get from the east coast of Florida to Lake Okeechobee, and beyond, all the while being exposed to the possibility of attack by Seminoles.

The expedition is led by Captain Wyatt(Gary Cooper),a rather reclusive army officer, who lives on a small island in a small lake. Most troopers have to be picked up at the regional headquarters, commanded by Zachary Taylor. Wyatt's favorite companion is a backwoodsman called Monk(Arthur Hunnicut),who's always seen with a coonskin cap no matter how hot and humid it is. About midway in the film, they reach the fort and manage to surprise the inhabitants, killing all. They also discover several hostages in a cell. Of course, one is a beautiful sexy, unattached, young woman, who naturally soon takes a shine to Cooper. Now, to get back home, they have to take a different route, because Seminoles are swarming on the route the took to get there. They face very difficult slogging, and eventual starvation, not to mention occasional Seminoles.

The basic plot much reminds me of that of "Northwest Passage", of a decade before. A group of rangers tramp though a long stretch of difficult wilderness for one objective, which is accomplished, then have a more difficult time on the return trip, including starvation. It's estimated that 80% of the trooper casualties were due to diseases and other non-Indian hazards. For example, malaria and yellow fever were real hazards not usually present in New England. Starvation was another hazard, which this expedition encountered on the return trip.

Mari Aldon plays Judy, the gorgeous rescued captive. It's too bad this seems to have been her only significant film role. She had been a ballerina.

Another film dealing with the 2nd Seminole War, called "Seminole" was released just 2 years later. It was also shot in color and largely in the Everglades. Although it too has an excess of historical fabrication, at least it has some historical basis, whereas the present film does not. However, the Indians look more authentic in the present film.