40 fusils manquent à l'appel

40 GUNS TO APACHE PASS (1966) was the last starring western for war hero-turned-western star Audie Murphy, who had ended his fruitful 15-year association with Universal Pictures the previous year. Released by Columbia Pictures, it turned out to be an unfitting send-off, undercut by an extremely low budget, a talky script, and an undistinguished no-name cast (aside from Murphy and screen vet Kenneth Tobey).

The plot might have made a good western had it been accorded a bigger budget and a stronger cast. A beleaguered Arizona cavalry division harassed by Cochise and his Apache warriors is expecting a shipment of repeating rifles, which could mean the difference between life and death for Apache Wells, an outpost housing the army and surviving settlers. The weapons become the object of less-than-intense conflict involving the Cavalry, the Indians and, later, a renegade group of army deserters. Murphy plays Captain Coburn, a no-nonsense type who romances a settler's daughter (Laraine Stephens) and agrees to take her two younger brothers (Michael Blodgett, Michael Burns) into the undermanned regiment after their father is killed in an attack. A display of cowardice by the youngest brother (Burns) has dire consequences, resulting in a meandering subplot requiring his redemption.

The production values here are far less polished than one would find in a typical TV western of the time, such as "Wagon Train" or "The Virginian." The no-name performers overact and are given reams of unnecessary dialogue in order to pad out the film's running time. Frequent narration tells us things we can see for ourselves. Most of the film was shot at ordinary-looking Southern California ranch locations. All this is especially disappointing given the participation of director William Witney, a one-time action specialist at Republic Pictures, who'd been directing for 30 years at this point.

Things pick up, however, in the film's final third when Corporal Bodine (Kenneth Tobey), a vengeful ex-sergeant with a grudge against Murphy, decides he has other plans for the 40 rifles and convinces four of the remaining soldiers from the escort to accompany him. Murphy, who'd been left for dead, has to get the rifles back while Burns, the cowardly brother, has to prove himself a man. This section of the film was shot in more remote California locations which actually pass for Arizona and features a larger band of Apaches on the prowl as Murphy undertakes a holding action, guarding a pass alone with a stack of fully loaded repeating rifles. Director Witney's considerable expertise kicks in during this stretch and gives a hint of what might have been. Composer Richard LaSalle pumps things up with a rousing, if clichéd, score

Audie Murphy only appeared in two more films, both little-seen. First was the international thriller, TRUNK TO CAIRO (1966), directed by future Cannon Films mogul Menahem Golan, while his final film was the Budd Boetticher western, A TIME FOR DYING (1969), which Murphy produced and appeared in briefly as Jesse James.

This joke of a movie -- with terrible acting, a thin plot and cheap production values -- at least gave me a laugh once when I badly needed one. For some unaccountable reason, they sent us this movie about the cavalry to see when we were serving in the actual 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) in Vietnam.

These guys couldn't shoot straight, except for the few times when a single shot felled multiple Indians, but they also could not be wounded, even when taking cover behind the flimsiest rail fence.

So little thought went into this movie that it deserves to be ranked among the worst of all time. However, I gave it a second star because of the laughs.

A fully-fledged ninety minutes approx action Western, fast moving, tense and excitement throughout its running time. Here Audie Murphy takes on Apaches led by their chief Cochise who are on the warpath in 1868 Arizona. As Murphy as US Army captain Coburn is assigned by his Colonel to a dangerous assignment : to get a shipment of forty rifles through Indian territory . As a group of volunteers (Kenneth Tobey , Michael Burns , Brubaker , Kenneth MacDonald.. ) is formed and all of them face off a lot of risks , assaults , attacks, ambushes, treason ... Along the way, captain Coburn : Murphy gets in trouble with his beautiful girlfriend : Loraine Stephens whose two brothers : Michael Burns, Kenneth MacDonald are volunteers in the perilous adventure. The West ablaze.. courage aflame ! He had to get the guns through the whole Apache nation ! He had to get the guns through ..if had to take on the whole Apache nation to do it ! Guns, guts ... Glory !

Typical Audie Murphy spectacle with usual ingredients as violent fights , go riding, ambushes , betrayals , thrills and cavalry charges. It contains slickness enough and crude vigour, though some scenes are failures. Audie Murphy is nice as the regular hero who struggles Indians as well as baddie soldiers . This so-so though passable Western has action enough with breathtaking attack scenes and riding pursuits across deserts and rocky landscapes . A nail-biting storyline allowed director William Witney to keep thrilling scenes at his own exciting and moving gallop. Resulting to be another usual Hollywood product but B-series. The flick bears remarkable resemblance to another Eddie Murphy/William Witney Cavalry Western titled "Rifles Apaches" 1964 with similar issue about confrontation between Apache Indians and soldiers, equally shot at the same outdoors, Rock Mountains, California, being well photographed by cameraman Jacques Marquette.

The motion picture was middlingly directed by William Witney . This prolific filmmaker Witney was a craftsman who worked a lot for Republic Pictures , the studio where he laboured for many years churching out a series of short budget westerns , many of them starred by singing cowboys as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry . Witney spent his entire career making serials and second-features, one of them this 40 Guns at Apache Pass, as well as Rifles Apaches. After WWII William Witney went on directing western films as Shadows of Tombstone , Heart of Rockies , Bells of Coronado , The painted stallion, The Lone ranger , Home in Oklahoma, On the Old spanish trail, High Time in Nevada , Gay Ranchero, Helldorado , Rex Ryder , Eyes of Texas , among others. In addition , his television work included some quite interesting episodes of successful series, such as : High Chaparral , Bonanza , Laramie , Zorro , The Virginian, Wagon Train and he followed working in cinema and was capable to make passable films in medium budgets as Santa Fe Passage , The Bonnie Parker story , Robur and Escaped from Devil Island . Rating : 5.5/10 . An acceptable and decent , at times, Western that will appeal to Audie Murphy fans.

40 Guns to Apache Pass is directed by William Witney and written by Willard and Mary Willingham. It stars Audie Murphy and Kenneth Tobey. Music is by Richard LaShelle and Jaques R. Marquette photographs it in Pathe Color with location work coming at Lovejoy Buttes, Red Rock Canyon and North Ranch in California.

The Apaches, led by Cochise (Michael Keep), are on the warpath and vowing to kill all whites they come across. Captain Bruce Coburn (Murphy) is in charge of leading homesteaders out of harms way. But there is unrest in the band of men under his charge and mutiny is afoot.

This was the last but one film Murphy made before retiring, you feel that he hoped this would be a fitting swan song to his career. It wasn't. Saddled with a weak script and surrounded by wooden supporting actors, Murphy alone can't make this lacklustre, cliché riddled, Western work. There's some nice scenery shot by Witney and Marquette, but with LaShelle scoring it like an episode of Scooby Doo the impact is lost. It would be easy to blame director Witney, a man more than capable of stringing together an action based movie, but asking him to try and make this particular screenplay stretch to over an hour and half was asking for the impossible.

3/10 for Murphy's manful efforts to carry such a low-budget, routine and forgettable piece.

I have ridden horses all my life and when you are out in the middle of nowhere and dismount, the last thing you do is turn your horse loose, you tie them up. In this movie, several times, people just dismount and leave the horse to wonder off. REALLY! How stupid! Gee, it's only thirty eight miles back to the fort, I don't have any water or food so I think I'll just turn O'l Buck loose. How unrealistic.

It's a good thing they're making a movie and the horses get breaks along with the actors or they would keel over dead from all that running. And after all that running, they don't sweat. Strange too they can be ridden all day and never seem to need to eat. Or poop.

Guns are LOUD. Yet no one ever flinches or even reacts to the noise. And rifles are discharged just inches from horse's heads and they don't even react. Either the horses are completely deaf, or those runs are really quiet.

I could go on. I can never understand why a movie producer or director will go to all the trouble and spend mucho dollars and end up with a film with so many obvious errors.