Linkshoch Wonderful Movie

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

drystyx You know you have a great action film when you realize you could make it work just as well as a stage play.And that's what we have here. An action Western about a "lost patrol" style cavalry unit, against the natives.Don't be misled by the "action" though. This is a deep story. McCrea gives an astounding performance, owed also to great writing, directing, and supporting cast, as a man who isn't what he seems.The movie gives us a look at how a man in position of leader can seem to be in one piece, but isn't. We see hints of the character's madness, and some, like Tucker's character, have seen him enough not to be fooled. A pair of peaceful Indians, one an old man, the other a beautiful woman, become pivotal in learning more about McCrea, and pivotal in his sole supporter's realization of how mad his leader is.The two Indians are exceptionally well written, and played to perfection. We see two humans, and so does the cavalry unit, all except McCrea.The ending is quite a surprise, even today. Very few cavalry films show characters who are this believable and three dimensional.

bkoganbing With the officers killed, Sergeant Joel McCrea finds himself in command of a patrol that's supposed to meet up with a larger column of men at a water hole. McCrea and his patrol find that larger group of men, but they turn out to be hostile Apaches. That's the beginning of Fort Massacre, a tough and brutal western about an army patrol trying to get back to their lines. The problem they have isn't just the Indians, it's McCrea. He lost his wife and children to the Apaches a few years before and it's unhinged him and clouded his judgment. At least that's the considered opinion of most of the men.The main problem with Fort Massacre is the miscasting of Joel McCrea who usually made it point of always being an upright hero in his films. In fact when his swan song picture was originally being cast, Ride the High Country, McCrea insisted on being the hero Steven Judd because he knew it would be better on him instead of the original casting of Gil Westrum the former deputy who was turning bad. Randolph Scott agreed to the switch and it worked out all for the better.In fact Fort Massacre would rate a lot higher with me if Randolph Scott had done the lead. In his later westerns Scott's heroes had a real edge to them, the film would have worked better with him. I'm not sure producer Walter Mirisch didn't send this script for Scott to McCrea by mistake. McCrea's sergeant had a lot of similarities to the revenge crazed character Alan Ladd played in One Foot In Hell. The rest of the cast does nicely in parts that fit them. Denver Pyle, Forest Tucker and John Russell are other troop members. Anthony Caruso is a laconic Pawnee Indian scout for the patrol who's full of a lot of wisdom. Susan Cabot and Francis McDonald are a Paiute cliff dweller and his granddaughter with whom the troop take refuge and Irving Bacon and Claire Carlton are a pair of Indian traders.Fort Massacre is a grim western with no frills, it could have been a lot better if Randolph Scott had done this one though.

kyle_furr The best thing about this film is that there is no humor in it, unlike some westerns like the searchers. The plot has Joel McCrea in charge since all the officers have been killed and the men don't trust McCrea since he has such a deep hatred of the Indians, who killed his wife and kid. This is a lot like The Lost Patrol when which not too many are going to make it out alive.

Mister-UHF Unlike John Ford's celebrated cavalry Westerns, there's no humor or sentimentality in this film. It shows the grim situations and less than stellar personnel that cavalry commanders often faced. The interplay between Sergeant Vinson, Private McGurney, and Scout Pawnee is interesting and incisive. McGurney shows how a miscreant within a unit can be as great a menace as the enemy. The cinematography is excellent, paricularly during riding and water hole sequences. Worth looking at, especially for Western fans interested in the cavalry.