Massaker

Dragoon Wells Massacre is a rare gem. I can say rare, because there are only 11 people commenting on it. The good news is it can now be found on YouTube. There are two characters that stand out. Mona Freeman ( Ann) and Sebastian Cabot ( Jonah). I simply hated these characters ( but for different reasons). Ann because she is a miserable woman always complaining, and Jonah because he is a nasty, evil murdering coward who sells guns and whiskey to the Indians. What makes the movie is the scenery, music and suspense. It is really a 10 Little Indians type story where various people are thrown together and it is a question who survives and who gets killed. The most interesting characters are two who are paired off together. Captain Matt Riordan ( Dennis O'Keefe), the only soldier who survived an Indian massacre and Maria Fay ( Katy Jurado) a Mexican woman who you strongly suspect is a prostitute. These two prove the old adage correct. "Opposites Attract." The question remains: Who survives and who dies ( besides Jonah obviously)? That is why you watch: To find out. I would like to rate this movie higher: Very good instead of just good, but I can't because of Mona Freeman she ruins things. 7/10 stars.

I may as well say at the outset that I am biased toward this movie. I liked westerns as a teenager and I liked westerns movies in color with recognizable actors. As an older fellow I now like mostly black and white movies westerns included. I stumbled on the production company filming this movie while on vacation with my folks in southern Utah desert in the summer of 1956. Iwas able to wander around the location and Stayed to watch about four takes of a two shot involving Okeefe and Cabot. After waiting eight months I saw the movie and a local theater and found the plot to be far more complex than most. This is not a run-of-the-mill 50s, one hero type, Western. I recommend it to anyone who likes some character development and appreciates the product of some of the good talents offered by Hollywood both in front of and behind the camera. I would like to find it on DVD.

A small group of travellers stranded in the Arizona Desert. One of the group is an outlaw (Barry O'Sullivan) who is being taken to trial, and another is a cavalry captain (Dennis O'Keefe) whose troop has been wiped out by the Apaches. Matters are complicated by the presence of two women and an unscrupulous gunrunner.

Dragoon Wells Massacre is a western featuring an assortment of characters left to fend off the Apaches in the rough terrain, however there's some effort to add some refreshing elements such as fleshing out the characters. It's tautly-drawn, has great cinematography and some good action, but it's the characters that makes this film interesting. The acting is great too, particularly Jack Elam, who plays a misunderstood man. Mona Freeman can be an irritating character with her self-centredness, but the other characters such as Barry Sullivan put her in her place.

As Westerns go, this one is a little different. The plot is nothing new, Captain Matt Riordan has to guide a group of travellers across the plains to Dragoon Wells Camp after they have been attacked by Indians. Not all the members of the party is what they appear to be.

This movie is different in the sense that we appear to have a very standards stereotypical group of traditional Western movie characters. However the script is very different, in a sense trying to break the mould, filling out many of the characters. A lot of them feel very fleshed out giving a richness to the movie that you would not expect. The movie takes chances and personally, I like that, something that has the guts to be different. However, the downside of this means that there are several moments where a couple of the key players are acting extremely out of character. Not enough though, to damage the movie as a whole.

The film does have one major flaw. The Ann Bradley character is simply the most irritating woman ever seen in a film. The audience is meant to care about this character, yet for the first 3/4 of the movie all I wanted was to see an arrow put through her head.

Overall, this is pretty good fare, I would recommend this to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre. - 6/10

Dragoon Wells Massacre(1957) is an engaging effort about two disparate groups of travelers who must band together to fight off savage Indians . As a cavalry officer, Capt. Matt Riordan (Dennis O'Keefe) , the sole survivor of an Indian assault , along with stagecoach passengers (Mona Freeman , Katy Jurado , Max Showalter) and a wagon load of prisoners (Barry Sullivan) travel through hostile Indian country. The column remains under the command of the officer , along with a wagon owned by traitor gunrunner Jonah (Sebastian Cabot) that contains hidden repeating rifles , Winchester rifles , ammunition , supplies and whiskey for the rebellious Indians . As the expedition heading for an Union Fort and along the way suffering rampaging native American attacks commanded by Yellow Claw (John War Eagle) , Jeronimo's follower .

Standard Western set during the Arizona Indian Wars with the rebel upheaval of brave chief Yellow Claw , when fear and violence spread throughout the land . This one shows a campy , amusing and entertaining glimpse in the Wild West . This sharp, well-paced film packs thrills , noisy action , horse pursuits , crossfire , high body-count , and it is fast-moving and quite entertaining . It's a medium/low budget film with passable actors , technicians , functional production values and pleasing results . There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing some shoot'em up or stunts every few minutes . Bursting with appealing characters, interesting themes as the peculiar relationships among the prisoners and soldiers, romance , sub-plots , and with very decent filmmaking and interpretation . There is an odd implementation of shots in the camera work during some particular scenes as the film approaches its climax , as the battles between the besieged people and Indians . Nice production design creating an adequate scenario with luminous outdoors , plains , montains and rocky landscapes under a glimmer sun and atmospheric sets but in B-series style . Here stands out its top-notch main and support cast with plenty of famous actors such as Barry Sullivan , Dennis O'Keefe , Mona Freeman, Katy Jurado , Sebastian Cabot , Max Showalter , Jack Elam , Trevor Bardette and Hank Worden , John Ford's regular . Schuster's western Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957) , despite its potboiler title, has nice writing, a rousing score by Paul Dunlap and Schuster's tight direction raise this several notches above the product normally churned out by its studio, the usually low-grade Allied Artists. As well colorful cinematography by expert cameraman William H. Clothier , though a perfect remastering being really necessary, due to the film copy is faded.

This well-crafted B western was decently directed by veteran programmer man, Harold D. Schuster . A highly regarded editor, in fact he cut the classic Murnau's Sunrise (1927) , Harold D. Schuster started out in films as an actor. It didn't take him long to abandon that career, and he turned to the production side of the business, working his way up to editor and eventually taking the reins as a director. While much of his directorial output is run-of-the-mill , there are some real gems scattered throughout such as My Friend Flicka (1943) . Although typed as an "outdoors" director, Schuster could turn out tough, gritty little thrillers when he wanted to, such as Loophole (1954), about a bank teller who gets framed for an embezzlement; it ranks right up there with the edgy crime dramas of Don Siegel and Phil Karlson. Schuster made all kinds of genres in films as Wings of the morning , South of Karanga , Breakfast in Hollywood , Security Risk , Loophole , Jack Slade , Girl Trouble , The Postman Didn't Ring , Small Town Deb , On the Sunny Side , A Very Young Lady , Zanzibar , Frame , Bomber's Moon , My Friend Flicka . Schuster eventually turned to series television, and finished out his career there , directing episodes of notorious series such as Twilight zone , Legend of Jesse James, U. S. Marshall , Wire Service, Detective McGraw , Zane Grey , Lassie , Tombstone Territory , among others .