The Raid [1954] [DVD]

This little-known American Civil War drama, about a group of escaped Confederate soldiers who lay vengeful siege to a town near the Canadian border, has much to commend it: a tight construction, bursts of action, strong characters and a great cast that includes Van Heflin, Lee Marvin, Richard Boone, Peter Graves and Anne Bancroft.

The script by The Big Heat's Sydney Boehm plays like an allegory of a wider conflict, while Hugo Fregonese, an Argentinian director who deserved greater public recognition, keeps the tension bubbling in the manner of High Noon.