A black soldier returns from fighting for the Union in the Civil War only to find out that his mother has been murdered by a gang of white thugs.
The film makes great use of its locations and is well photographed - the widescreen compositions are frequently impressive, and the movie zips along at a good pace, but it's not the most original western ever made in terms of story or character development.
That said, there's enough action and intrigue here to keep most fans happy and, as mentioned, Williamson makes the most of his leading man status in this picture.
Brenda Venus is also pretty captivating here, the camera loves her and you can't really blame it.
If not a classic, Joshua is still a pretty worthwhile watch, particularly if you're a Williamson fan.