Sergeant Rutledge is a 1960 film directed by John Ford, with Woody Strode in the title role. The film, controversial for its time, has Strode as a black sergeant in the United States Cavalry accused of the rape and murder of a white girl.

Lieutenant Tom Cantrell is sent to defend Sergeant Braxton Rutledge a black cavalry soldier on a charge of rape and murder. The story begins in a courtroom and the story is told through flashbacks. This is a story of how a black soldier in the face of danger from the Indians can be so easily mistaken as a criminal. Written by Christopher D. Ryan

Circumstantial evidence suggests a first sergeant in a black cavalry regiment has raped and murdered a white girl then killed his commanding officer. When he makes the case look even worse by deserting, an old lieutenant friend is sent to get him back - and finds himself also quelling an apache uprising. The lieutenant then volunteers to defend the sergeant in court, where the full story starts slowly to emerge. Written by Jeremy Perkins