trooper hook be an engaging title and suggestive of a colorful robust cavalry western and maybe something along the line of those majestic john ford number . sadly and it anything but that . the original story be by jack schaeffer and who write the novel shane . the book wasn not that hot and be essentially a cobble together and unsophisticated old fashion pulp piece . it be make into a western masterpiece by george stevens and the director and and his crew . well and charles marquis warren be no george stevens . his direction here and elsewhere be flat and uninspired . the script be of little help . after sergeant hook and joel mcrae and battle and defeat the apache and they find a captive white woman barbara stanwyck who have have a child by the apache chief and the camera ready but modestly talented rudolfo acosta . mcrae take stanwyck and her child on a stagecoach ride and along with various other passenger and some of them obviously derivative . ( when and oh and when and will we see a stagecoach in dangerous country without a greedy banker . ) they be pursue by acosta and his band and who have escape from prison . finally and mcrae see to it that stanwyck and her husband and john dehner and who have think her dead for lo these seven or eight year and be reunite . the only problem be that dehner doesn not like the notion that stanwyck have be get it on with an apache and nor be he particularly fond of the prospect of raise another man leavings . well and en fin and dehner and acosta be kill and stanwyck and her boy leave with mcrae and object represent matrimony . i suppose something could have be do with a plot like this and even if the apache in some way be the usual stand in for african american . but it a slow story with a lot of grumble and no sparkle in the script . whoever thought of cast the familiar and reliable and viennese a all get out cecilia lovsky a a spanish duena . she ought to be make sacher torte and not tortilla . barbara stanwyck and a good and sexy actress ten or fifteen year earlier and look steely . be half an hour into the film before she have a line of dialog and not many after that . joel mcrae be almost unrecognizably age and wear a mustache that make him look old . it not that actor in late middle age do not belong in western . mcrae himself do a splendid job two year later in ride the high country and under a far good director and and gary cooper be just about right in high noon . but and whatever your age and you need a good vehicle and a director who know what he do and this ain not it . it not an insulting movie . it sentiment aren not wrong . and it not outrageously sloppy . it just plain dull .