Massacre à Furnace Creek

Because it is a western built around an investigation, as a crime drama, a court drama. The main interest is for me Albert Dekker as a villainous character. For the rest, I repeat that this western is not like any other of this kind. This is for me one of the best movies from director Bruce Humberstone; he will repeat in western with TEN WANTED MEN for Columbia Pictures and starring Randolph Scott. But keep in mind that he was mostly specialized in comedies, light hearted dramas or musicals. A film noir though, I WAKE UP SCREAMING, also starring Vic Mature, was a little gem to pick up from Humberstone's filmography.

A superior B Feature. Mature and Langan are the sons determined to prove their father, the commander of a lonely cavalry outpost, acted correctly and was not responsible for the fort's destruction in an Indian attack. In doing so they expose a plot by Dekker to buy up cavalry land rich in mineral deposits for a pittance. Script and direction give the production a stylish edge. It's not the question if Victor Mature is a good actor or not. I wouldn't like to decide this. It's like real life: Some real people also leave the impression of being bad actors. It's Mature's face that is interesting. It looks not only attractive, but uncommon, too. Behind it seems to be much more than you can immediately see, waiting to be revealed at any moment, wherefore it's interesting to watch him.

When a general gives an order to divert a military escort from a wagon train to the remote Fort Furnace Creek, the Apache leader "Little Dog" sees his chance to reduce everything to rubble... The horrified authorities proceed to court-martial the general, but he dies on the witness stand and it falls to his two, estranged, sons, to get to the bottom of this mystery. One, "Rufe" (Glenn Lankan) a soldier; the other "Cash" (Victor Mature) an astute gambler handy with his six-gun. The latter gets to the town where one of the chief witnesses against his father "Capt. Walsh" (Reginald Gardiner) has take refuge in the bottle. Clearly seeing he has something on his mind, "Cash" attempts to find out what. The arrival of the other brother, the murder of "Walsh" and a note that might clear things up all feature as the story comes to an head - appropriately, in the burnt out ruins of the fort. It's a solid, action-packed adventure that gives Mature a chance to be more than the usual swarthy, sandalled hero. Coleen Grey ("Molly") introduces the tiniest element of romance, but nothing to clutter the quickly-paced plot that amalgamates just about every theme from the genre. Some effort has been put into the production, and I quite enjoyed it.

Fury at Furnace Creek is directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and collectively written by Charles G. Booth, Winston Miller and David Garth. It stars Victor Mature, Glenn Langan, Coleen Gray, Albert Dekker and Reginald Gardiner. Music is by David Raksin and cinematography by Harry Jackson.

When General Blackwell (Robert Warwick) is accused of instigating an Apache massacre, he refutes the allegation so strongly in court he keels over and dies. With the family name tarnished, the estranged Blackwell brothers (Mature and Langan) must put aside their differences to hopefully unearth the truth and clear their father's name.

Nice. Without bringing new dimensions to this formula of plotting, Fury at Furnace Creek is stylish and doesn't take the easy narrative options so prevalent in other Westerns of the 40s. Sure, the standard action quotient is adhered to, with Apache attack, pursuits, saloon shoot-out and the good versus bad finale, but screenplay and scripting has an intelligence about it; and the cast performances coupled with Jackson's shadowy infused black and white photography, make this well worthy of a look by the Western faithful. 7/10

Bruce Humberstone directed mainly B pictures - competently, by and large, but nothing too memorable. FURY AT FURNACE CREEK is an odd name to give a Western, but there is high quality written all over it. The direction is assured and even inspired, resting on strong dialogue, convincing characters, unexpected twists, superior cinematography - the horse rides and chases against desert background might just rate the finest I have ever watched - and far better than average acting.

Victor Mature posts one of his best performances, in line with MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, KISS OF DEATH, ESCORT WEST, his roles as Demetrius in three different films, and - to me the jewel in the crown - his self-deprecating performance in Vittorio de Sica's AFTER THE FOX, as a has-been actor. In FURY, Mature dominates the screen. His scenes with lovely Coleen Gray convey a chemistry that contrasts with the film noir-like tones of this Western, where murder is being planned against Captain Walsh, remarkably played by Reginald Gardiner, as a decent man who is sinking into alcohol because of his betrayal of his commanding officer, General Blackwell, who reportedly issued an order that caused the massacre at Fort Furnace Creek.

Albert Dekker as top villain Leverett; Charles Stevens as murderous hispanic gunhand José Artego; and Charles Kemper as Peaceful Jones, the comic relief carrying a large tree trunk, are unforgettable.

Glenn Langan plays the other Blackwell brother. I would have liked to see a more developed part there. Langan does well enough with what he is given, but his sudden exit down a stream strikes me as unsatisfying in an otherwise top grade Western. The other star is lost to a disappointing soundtrack reminiscent of STAGECOACH (1939).

Despite those drawbacks, I would include FURNACE among the 20 best Westerns ever made. Real must-see.