Summary
Set against the stark, unforgiving landscape of the American Southwest, The Devil's Saddle serves as a gritty exploration of frontier justice and racial tension. The narrative centers on Harry, played by the athletic Ken Maynard, who becomes the focal point of a conspiracy led by a group of lawless prospectors. These opportunistic invaders, seeking to exploit Hopi lands, frame Harry for a murder he did not commit, effectively weaponizing the tribe's grief against him. As the Hopi demand an 'eye for an eye'—insisting that the white man’s law be as rigorous as their own—the tension escalates to a harrowing climax. Harry’s father, caught between his son and the demands of the tribe, fails to deliver justice, prompting the Hopi to set fire to the family home in a symbolic and literal act of retribution. The film culminates in a visceral pursuit where Harry must not only evade the tribe but also capture the true villain to clear his name through a display of raw, physical dominance.
Concerns the early lives of Hopi Indians. Evolves around the invasion of their lands by prospectors. Harry is the center of plot of gang of lawless whites to convince Indians he killed one of their number; he finally clears himself. The strongest situations are those near the end where Harry corners the villain, hog-ties him and delivers him to the Indians ... the Indians are seen setting fire to Harry's father's home in revenge for the father's failure to punish Harry whom they had thought guilty of the murder; they had demanded the same law for the whites as for the Indians.
