They Came to Cordura (Blu-ray)

Set against the backdrop of the 1916 war against Pancho Villa, They Came to Cordura stars screen icon Gary Cooper (High Noon) as Thomas Thorn, a career Army officer given the humiliating task of leading five Medal of Honor candidates to the military base of Cordura, Texas. Branded a coward during battle, Thorn hopes to learn what these men, each of whom performed heroically under fire, possess which he lacks. But as the grueling journey through the desert progresses, the “heroes” panic, attempting murder and mutiny as the quest for survival reveals their true characters. The brilliant Rita Hayworth (The Lady from Shanghai) co-stars as the seventh member of the group, an American expatriate who gradually comes to appreciate Thorn’s quiet integrity as he leads his mutinous charges through a desperate odyssey. Filled with both exciting action and finely tuned drama, their treacherous trek to the town of Cordura (which is also the Spanish word for courage) is a rugged and riveting tale of bravery far more enduring than the fleeting heroics of battle. Co-starring Van Heflin (Shane) and Tab Hunter (Damn Yankees) under the stirring direction of Robert Rossen (All the King’s Men, The Hustler).