Fort Massacre

The patrol movie has been a staple of cinema since its very early days and has cut across many genres including the war movie and ,as in this case,the Western.The setting is New Mexico in the late 1870's and a platoon of the US Cavalry is trying to make its way back to base under less than auspicious circumstances .Its officers are all dead ,killed in action by the Apache,and its leader,by default is Sergeant Vinson (Joel McCrae -cast in a rare unsympathetic role).Vinson is neither liked nor trusted by his men who believe that he is so embittered by the death of his wife at the hands of the Apache that his judgement is flawed and that he will risk their lives for his own revenge .His bellicose attitude seems to reinforce this belief as he orders an attack on a superior force of the enemy as they camp by a waterhole ,with heavy loss of life.This is not the only encounter with the enemy as he and his men take shelter at a seemingly abandoned adobe dwelling where he is besieged by the Apache.

Shot wholly on location by the estimable Carl Guthrie this a tight ,taut movie that moves with pace and efficiency .The acting is excellent with special praise to MacRae ,John Russell as an educated drifter turned soldier Travis ,who becomes a confidante to Vinson ,Forrest Tucker as Irish born trooper McGurney (the role Andrew McClaglen usually played in John Ford pictures)and Anthony Caruso as the Native scout Pawnee .McRae in particular shows us that he could play morally complex and driven characters every bit as well as did James Stewart in his movies for Anthony Mann .Vinson is an angry and bitter man ,qualities the actor brings out well Joseph M Newman directs briskly and stages some lively action sequences in what is a predictable but highly entertaining minor Western

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.

It has been years since I have seen this movie and I have been looking for it for a long time. I still remember moments in the movie as if I just saw it yesterday because of its gripping mature story line and deep rich character portrayals. I still get goosebumps when I think about it. The plot development was powerful with what I found to be a shocking conclusion. I find classic story telling with intense character portrayals to be much more interesting than some of the movie gimmicks used by most of the industry today. This movie is not shy on realism or story. I guess that some of that which makes up the high quality depth of this motion picture story simply goes over the head of some people, (based on some of the other reviews I have read about this film). I believe this is an absolute must see for McCrea or Russell fans.

While there have been a ton of westerns involving the US Cavalry, this one is a bit different. Instead of the usual 'Indians-bad/Cavalry-good' mentality, this one is much more complex and the moral implications are not so cut and dry.

"Fort Massacre" begins with a small band of Cavalry enlisted men stuck in enemy territory. The local Indian tribe has attacked and killed the Commanding Officer and now the Sergeant (Joel McCrea) is in charge. This may not be a good thing, as McCrea has a VERY personal stake. After all, his family was wiped out by Indians and he has a serious chip on his shoulder as a result. Many of his men (particularly Forrest Tucker playing his usual loud-mouth character) balk at his authority--they think that McCrea is more interested in killing the Indians than making sure they get back to the fort.

John Russell plays an 'everyman' sort of guy. He is neither on the side of the folks against McCrea nor is he going to blindly follow him. The only negative of this character is that he's supposed to be a guy who's had many jobs and is looking for a purpose in life--so he joined the Cavalry. BUT, he also said he graduated Magna Cum Laude at a university--and it is hard to believe he's only be a private. The only other part that was really hard to believe was the Indian woman--who spoke like a middle-class white lady! Still, despite a few problems, the film was very compelling because it took a psychological look at people AND offered a complex story with characters who were NOT 'cookie cutter' western heroes. Well worth seeing.

Joel McCrea stars as tough US Cavalry Sergeant Vinson, who has to take command of "C Troop" when the senior officers are killed during an Apache attack. But what drives Vinson on? And is he the right man to lead the remaining members of the Troop? Directed by Joseph Newman, the films photography comes from Carl Guthrie, screenplay is courtesy of Martin Goldsmith, it's filmed in CinemaScope with De Luxe colour and the co- star list contains Forrest Tucker, John Russell, George N. Neise & Susan Cabot.

A moody and tough psychological Western that showcases the truly good side of the "B" Western splinter. Thematically strong with its anti-racist core, and really tightly written by Goldsmith, it's also notable for containing a wonderful performance from McCrea. Though his Western output was very hit and miss (the brilliant Peckinpah film "Ride The High Country" was to come 4 years later) McCrea was always value for money in even the tardiest of Oaters. Here he gets to really grizzle for all his worth, his Vinson is a bitter man, blinded by hate, yet still capable of softening up if engaged in the right conversation. McCrea is first rate in the role, never over doing the hard-nosed side of the character and garnering believable sympathy when his guard is down.

More known for being the director of "This Island Earth", Joseph Newman is hardly the name one links to the direction of a psychological Western. Yet he does a surprisingly good job with the action sequences and rightly lets his actors just tell the story. There's a small complaint that the final battle is all too brief, but that's a touch offset by a hillside C Troop/Apache battle that takes place in the first third of the film. Briskly constructed and with no saggy male posturing to weigh it down, the battle shows Newman to be quite adept at crafting a good old fashioned fight to the death between two very old fashioned foes. The film also looks terrific. Though sadly not having a widespread DVD release and therefore not getting a remastered work over, the current print of the film available to television networks and Region 1 DVD is still a treat in this High Definition age. Where once the print was apparently murky, you now should be able to adjust and reap the benefit of what is on offer. Filmed at three locations, Gallup/New Mexico, Red Rock State Park/New Mexico & Kanab/Utah, Carl Guthrie's photography really utilises these locations, one moment it be a beautiful sprawling landscape, the next the rocks are enveloping the characters to portray the tension and confinement of their emotional and physical journey. All given the De Luxe sheen as the browns, reds and uniform blues come vividly to life.

Fort Massacre is little known and certainly under seen, thus its reputation has been founded by the casual Western viewer entering into it unaware of what type of character driven film it is. It's hoped that it can now find a newer and more appreciative audience because it's one of the better "B" Westerns of the late 1950s. 8/10