Each his own, but JOHN FORD even a Top 5 director in this home, HORSE SOLDIERS doesn't make the Top 30 of his work. It was a troubled production and overshadowed by the death of a stuntman who had worked for Ford for 10 years.... But it is still fine entertainment, yet next to TWO RODE TOGETHER it is probably his weakest western. Still you get Holden, Strother Martin, some great photography and Ford moments. Constance Towers unfortunately has no onscreen appeal unfortunately. The script didn't help her much either.
But Ford came back with one of the finest films of the 60s, LIBERTY VALANCE. He designed it as a farewell song to the changing west where the characters are even more important than in his other films, hence the decision to focus on the people, not the landscape (as did Hawks 3 years earlier with RIO BRAVO).
I have an entertaining collection on HORSE SOLDIERS in my archive, incl. some 100 unpublished behind the scenes stills. Unfortunately
this time Kino Lorber was not interested. Maybe on another release...