Sergeant Rutledge

Sergeant Rutledge is a 1960 Western and military courtroom drama starring Woody Strode and Jeffrey Hunter. It was directed by John Ford and shot on location in Monument Valley, Utah.

The film revolves around the courtmartial of 1st Sgt. Braxton Rutledge Strode, a Buffalo Soldier of the 9th U.S. Cavalry. His defense is handled by Lt. Tom Cantrell Hunter, Rutledges troop officer. The story is told through a series of flashbacks, expanding the testimony of witnesses as they describe the events following the murder of Rutledges Commanding Officer, Major Dabney, and the rape and murder of Dabneys daughter, for which Rutledge is the accused.Circumstantial evidence suggests that the first sergeant raped and murdered the girl and then killed his commanding officer. Worse still, Rutledge deserts after the killings. Ultimately, he is tracked down and arrested by Lt. Cantrell. At one point, Rutledge escapes from captivity during an Indian raid, but later, he voluntarily returns to warn his fellow cavalrymen that they are about to face an ambush, thus saving the troop. He is then brought back in to face the charges and the prejudices of an allwhite military court. ........

Source: Wikipedia