The Trackers 1971

In the Old West, Sam Paxton hires a tracker to find his kidnapped daughter. Dora Paxton and he return home to a grim tableau: their son, Davey Paxton, has been shot to death and their teenage daughter has vanished, swept up by a mysterious raiding party. When a posse led by Sheriff Naylor proves ineffective, Paxton sends for an old Confederate war buddy named Charlie Gordon. But what arrives is Ezekiel Smith, an Abilene, Texas lawman who is substituting for a badly injured Gordon. And he’s Black.

Half the posse quits on the spot. The small band that remains insists on elderly scout Ben Vogel taking point—until Vogel is shot dead from ambush. Adding to the nervousness, Ezekiel says the daughter was kidnapped not by traditional outlaws but by Apache Indians. And when the trail leads into Mexico (out of American jurisdiction), everyone deserts Paxton except Ezekiel. The nearest US Cavalry post turns them down, saying entering Mexico would be an act of war.

The two-man posse stops to pray at a monastery and Father Gomez promises them shelter there if they ever need it. The solution turns out to be a mix of the two suspected criminals—white crimelord El Grande operates out of Mexico and usually hires starving renegade Indians to do his dirty work. The daughter, along with Becky Paxton and three other women, are locked in a shed prior to being sold for prostitution.

Ezekiel Smith poses as an outlaw looking for work and boldly walks into the Lion’s Den. He is served liquor there, but not in American saloons in Texas. Paxton barges in unannounced, and Ezekiel has to pretend he’s a cop and starts a bar brawl to divert suspicions. Paxton is locked up, but Ezekiel manages to spring him and the three girls once he has earned the gang’s trust.

The girls ride on ahead while the now-friendly duo cover their retreat. Once they reach American soil, the US Cavalry can legally fire on the pursuing gang and with their leader killed; they retreat. Having finally made a new friend, Ezekiel heads back to his Texas Marshal job.