Rifles Apaches

This is a fully-fledged 90 minutes approximately action Western film , fast moving , tense , rousing scenes and excitement throughout its running time . A young cavalry officer called (Audie Murphy) is assigned the job of bringing in a band of Apaches Miscalero led by Vitorio (Vitale) and his son Red Hawk (Michael Dante) who have been terrorizing the countryside . They have escaped from San Carlos reserve , illustrating the callous disregard with which the government treated the Apaches as the US agency fails to deliver even the meager provisions without proper supplies for survival . But the captain Stanton is caught in the crossfire of passions and greed . There arrives a new Colonel (John Archer) and Stanton turns into second-in-command and he subsequently is dismissed .

The picture packs whirlwinds of manic action , thrills , fights , sustained energy and often commendable results . The film has a slickness and crude vigour , though some scenes are failures . The Indian attacks , shootouts , pyrotechnics , battles , riding pursuits , all of them are spectacular and the film is another passable Hollywood product but of B-series . It contains some vigorous and ingeniously done action scenes , but others no-nonsense . The highlights of the movie are the overlong fighting between Stanton and Red Hawk and the final Indian attack to cavalry . Gorgeous outdoors filmed on location in Bronson Canyon , Mojave, California and Red Rock Canyon State Park Cantil, California . It was professionally directed by William Witney who spent his entire career making serials and second-features , one of them is this ¨Apache rifles¨ , providing the screenplay allowed him to keep them thrilling at his own moving and relentless gallop . It has a rigour look , hard-edged scenes , action-packed , wild energy , exciting images that , in the eyes of connoisseurs makes one of the most acceptable of his kind .

This traditional Western was regularly directed by William Witney , though contains some vigorous scenes . Witney was a craftsman who directed 140 titles from the 30s . Oklahoma-born William Witney began his long screen career as a studio messenger in silent days joining Republic Pictures shortly after . By 1936 , he was already script supervisor on serials and his own directorial career started the following year . Witney graduated to director at 21, he was Hollywood's youngest , and he teamed with director John English on many of the period's best serials . He realized many of the era's best serials , most of them highlighted by kinetic fight and chase scenes that helped change the face of action movie-making and from 1956 , he transferred these stirring energies to TV Westerns with prolific and enjoyable results . The favorite shooting was the 1939 serial ¨Zorro's fighting legion¨ . As his pictures were mainly serials , after WWII service with US Marines , he moved on to Roy Rogers Westerns , inserting into them a new tough backbone that offended some Rogers purists . In 1954 he made one of the best films ¨The outcast¨ with John Derek , besides his television work which includes some quite exciting episodes of such series as ¨High Chaparral¨, ¨Bonanza¨, ¨Laramie¨, ¨Zorro¨, ¨The Virginian¨ and ¨Wagon train¨ and he followed to work for cinema and was capable of making large-scale movies as ¨Santa Fe Passage¨ involving a wagon train against Indians , ¨The Bonnie Parker story¨about the famous gun-moll , and specially ¨Master of the world¨ an amusing Jules Verne adventure with Vincent Price and Charles Bronson . The motion picture will appeal to Western buffs ; it's an agreeable popcorn story plenty of shots with Indians , soldiers and gunfighters .

The "War Hero" who is a "War Hero" to War Heroes...Audie Murphy is and was Virtually Neglected by Movie Archeologists and Never Got Much Respect from the Professional "Critics' '.

Truth be Told...His Obvious "Screen Presence" and Acting was Always a "Work in Progress" for the "Medal of Honor" Recipient and the Most Decorated Soldier of WWII.

Audie Said..."Acting was a battle I never won."

His Movies, for the Most Part were B-Westerns, usually in Glorious Technicolor, and the Humble, but Troubled Man, Gave it His All and Delivered Highly Entertaining Movies,

that Always Made Money for Everyone Involved, and were at Least Average, "Bang for the Buck" to His Faithful Fans.

In this One, at the Start of the 3rd Act in His 50 Movie Career, is Not Flawless, it does Contain Irritating and Grainy Stock Footage, but the Remainder of the Film is "Spot-On" Concerning the On-Going Effort of Reversing the Indian Stereotypes,

Starting with "Broken Arrow" (1950), Ushering in a More Nuanced Portrayal, Showing some Respect for the Native American and Their Dealing with the Invaders and Their Evil Deeds, Stealing Their Land, Culture, and Displacement.

Good Performances All Around the Rousing and Engaging Story.

With Michael Dante as the Apache Warrior and Linda Dawson at the Center of a Mild "Love Triangle", as a Missionary Working and Living with the Apaches. L. Q. Jones (a Sam Peckinpah Friendly) is Feisty as a Nasty Villain.

All Audie Murphy Movies are...

Worth a Watch.

After an initial uprising against the Apaches has finally been put down, a cavalry officer by the name of "Captain Jeff Stanton" (Audie Murphy) makes a deal with the Apache chief "Victorio" (Joseph Vitale) that in exchange for returning to their reservation the U.S. Army will guarantee that white miners in search of gold will not trespass. Unfortunately, what Captain Stanton doesn't quite appreciate is the fact that few things stir up greed more than newly discovered gold and because of that some people are willing to do anything to get their hands on it. So if that means starting up another war with the Apache then that is what some of these miners are perfectly willing to do. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a solid Western for the most part which had an underlying message about racism that was difficult to ignore. And although Audie Murphy performed adequately enough, the film itself lacked the necessary excitement to qualify as anything other than a grade-B movie overall and because of that I have rated it accordingly.

This is a serious-minded and sincere effort at presenting some of the difficult aspects of US-Native American relations in the old west, albeit through a Hollywood lens. It delivers above its low budget and features a remarkably lean script in a conventional style.

Massacres anywhere were extremely brutal in the 19th century and one is depicted in this film as is a Custer type of US army blunder. This movie is violent but it is depicted within the context of what actually happened in those days, and isn't gratuitous or exploitative.

Audie Murphy is very watchable with his undeniable screen presence and his strong war hero credentials. You know that he could really lead these soldiers to hell and back if necessary. In fact, he literally could. A love triangle is rather awkwardly shoe-horned into the movie featuring beautiful and soft spoken actress Linda Lawson (who is virtually forgotten nowadays). She is perfect as a compassionate activist endeavoring for progress on the frontier. Her gentle acting style works well against the believable controlled violence personality that Murphy was able to develop for all of his soldier roles.

Acting by the supporting cast is uniformly good and features the ultimate movie rabble-rouser L.Q Jones. Jones rouses a lot of rabble in this one.

This skillfully edited and filmed low budget movie is worth your viewing time.

Apache Rifles (1964)

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In the Arizona Territory in 1879, Captain Jeff Stanton takes command of a cavalry unit tasked with returning the Apaches to their reservation. The Mescaleros Apaches, led by chief Victorio, have left the reservation and openly attacked farmers,gold miners and settlers who trespassed on their lands. During a skirmish, Captain Stanton captures Red Hawk, the son of the chief, and uses him to bargain for a truce. Stanton promises to chief Victorio to see that gold miners and settlers are kept off Indian lands. However, some greedy townsfolk and disfranchised gold miners plot to break the uneasy truce. They murder the Indian agent and blame the Apaches. They complain to Washington D. C. about Captain Stanton's negotiated truce. Stanton is replaced by Colonel Perry who intends to use a heavy hand in subduing the Apaches.