Nonureva Really Surprised!

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

zardoz-13 "Pony Soldier" director Joseph M. Newman's western "Fort Massacre" is a grim little Cavalry versus the Indians horse opera with genre veteran Joel McCrea as a seasoned sergeant with a hatred of all things Apache in particular and Indians in general. The performances are all fine, especially the Native Americans. They look like Indians. Meanwhile, character actors galore fill McCrea's ranks, such as Denver Pyle, Forrest Tucker, Anthony Caruso, John Russell, Robert Osterloh, and Rayford Barnes. Newman alternates between battle scenes and dialogue scenes with everybody complaining about Sergeant Vinson (Joel McCrea) and his feud with the Indians. It seems that his wife died at the hands of the Native Americans, but before Vinson's wife died, she shot his two sons. Newman doesn't let the plot loiter and the anti-Indian sentiments are as strong as those displayed by John Wayne in "The Searchers." If there is anything predictable about this blood, sweat, and bullets 'Lost Patrol" western, it is the hero's antipathy toward the Indians. Clocking in at a lean, 80 minutes with no time-outs for comic relief, "Fort Massacre" qualifies as an above-average oater with "Sergeants 3" lenser's Carl Guthrie's spectacular cinematography of scenic western locales in Utah and New Mexico. It is a wonder that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer let Newman keep certain scenes in this savage shoot'em up. My favorite line of dialogue occurs early in the action after the survivors bury their superior office and Sergeant Vinson refuses to read over his burial with the Bible. "If he needs our help to make it upstairs, he's in worse shape than he looks." Furthermore, it is also unusual to see all-around good-guy Joel McCrea playing such a grief-stricken soldier. For example, after they wipe out their adversaries, Sergeant Vinson doesn't relent when the final Apache exposes himself to him. Vinson refuses to show mercy and shoots the brave down like a dog to the chagrin of his men.

kenjha A cavalry troop navigates through a remote territory while trying to overcome repeated Indian attacks. This looks very much like the second feature on a B-movie double-bill. The plot is somewhat meandering and the characters are nothing more than stereotypes. The flat direction doesn't help matters. There is intermittent philosophical discussion, but much of the dialog is amateurish. For example, McCrea says something like this about his late wife: "She wasn't much to look at, but she was kind. She would catch a fly with her hands and release it outside the house. I would swat." Goldsmith wrote such hard-boiled yarns as "Detour" and "The Narrow Margin" but seems to be out of his element with this Western.

Stormy_Autumn I was given the opportunity to watch "Fort Massacre" (1958) meaning no one was home. It starred Joel McCrea (Sgt. Vinson), Forrest Tucker (Pvt. McGurney), John Russell (Pvt. Travis), Susan Cabot (Piute girl) & Francis McDonald (Old Piute man).Sgt. Vinson was a bitter soldier who would do anything to get even with any Indians because of the massacre of his wife & children. His revenge included taking his troops across forbidden tribal lands. In his hatred he wanted to commit murder even if it meant taking the lives of those in his command.This placed McCrea in a different type role...hard...cold...EXPENDABLE! If you like westerns give it a try, otherwise run...run...run to the east as fast as you can!!!

alexandre michel liberman (tmwest) This is quite a western, that reminds one more of war films like Robert Aldrich's "Attack"(1956). During practically the whole film we are in doubt if Sgt. Vinson (Joel McCrea) is placing his personal feelings of hatred for the Apaches, who killed his wife, above the interests of his military mission and his men. Pvt. Travis (John Russel) is a man totally undecided about what to do with his life and also how to judge Vinson, but he is aware of his shortcomings and we identify with him. Pvt McGurney (Forrest Tucker) does not have doubts about Vinson. To him he is willing to kill them all just to get even with the Apaches. Joseph M Newman directed some routine westerns like "Pony Soldier" and "Gunfight at Dodge City", but he did well with "Outcasts Of Poker Flat" and this film.