Duel at Diablo

This week's most rewarding drama pick in Australia on MGM Amazon Channel, and in the US on fuboTV and MGM+ Amazon Channel is Duel at Diablo. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. James Garner leads a cast that never overplays its hand. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on MGM Amazon Channel.

Duel at Diablo arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The writing in Duel at Diablo treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. In Apache territory, a supply Army column heads for the next fort, an ex-scout searches for the killer of his Native wife, and a housewife abandons her husband to rejoin her Apache lover's tribe. James Garner and Sidney Poitier lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. Duel at Diablo came out in 1966. The performances in Duel at Diablo do a lot of work in the silences between the dialogue. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Drama fans who appreciate slow-burn storytelling will feel right at home with Duel at Diablo. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. James Garner is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.

Duel at Diablo was released in 1966, directed by Ralph Nelson. The full 105-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.