Watch Fort Apache For Free

Very well executed

The Worst Film Ever

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Released in 1948 and directed by John Ford, "Fort Apache" stars John Wayne as a veteran war captain who is challenged when Fort Apache is placed under the command of a naïve, glory hungry lieutenant colonel (Henry Fonda) who doesn't understand nor respect the local Natives. Shirley Temple plays the daughter of the new commander who becomes romantically interested in one of the officers (John Agar).How do you review an old Western like this when you can't stand B&W or old-fashioned scores and hokey antiquated songs, not to mention the incongruent campy elements and slapstick (non)humor Ford is known for? Basically you have to ignore all these factors and focus on the story and the actors. If you can do this, "Fort Apache" is worth checking out. Wayne was lean & mean at almost 41 (during shooting) and Temple was a seriously winsome cutie at almost 20. Amazingly, the film utilizes real Native Americans for the cast and the movie gets extra points for this and their respected portrayal. The film runs 128 minutes and was shot in Utah (e.g. Monument Valley & Arches), Arizona and California. The screenplay was written by Frank S. Nugent from a story by James Warner Bellah. GRADE: B-

This movie is one of Ford's best. Featuring an all-star cast, a great storyline and some wonderful cinematography, it's a home run.Wayne and Fonda are superb, butting heads with each other. Wayne, as the enlightened and honourable Captain York and Fonda as the mulish, stickler Lt. Colonel Thursday, whose desire to dominate the Native Americans leads him to behave without honour or respect.The supporting cast features the wonderful Victor Mclaren, Ward Bond and Pedro Armandariz as the hardbitten NCOs. Shirley Temple provides the romantic interest. Miguel Inclan plays a great Cocis.All in all, they combine to create a wonderful western. One which still looks good to this day.

One more of John Ford's epic westerns. The young and ambitious, Lt. Col. Owen Thursday (Henry Fonda) is appointed to a small army outpost close to one of the Indian reserves. Though crestfallen at first on being posted far from action, he decides to make his mark nonetheless. In his zest to prove himself, he disregards the advice of veterans like Capt. York (John Wayne) and sets off on a suicidal mission to attack the Apache.Thursday is a man who has visions of glory but does not have the patience to get there. He is too proud to mingle with his subordinates, maintains a stately kind of relations with other veterans and in keeping with his manner, forbids his daughter's (Shirley Temple) romance with a young, eligible officer. He might follow the rules by the book and place great importance on formalities but he lacks leadership qualities.The other soldiers are a stark contrast to Lt. Col. Thursday. They may appear and behave rough but they know to obey their superior. They respect him in spite of his flaws and do not question when he literally orders them to their deaths.It is one of the few old Westerns that do not show the Indians as savages. They are all for peace and talks; it is Thursday's misguided aggression that forces them to defend themselves.An all round good movie. It takes its time in developing the characters; it is almost like knowing more and more about a person as you spend more time with them. Wayne is in familiar territory as a man who knows the West like the back of his palm. Fonda is not a bad guy but a head-strong fool who manages to do more harm than a traditional villain; a role he simply nails. Shirley Temple is no longer the little girl from the 30's but boy has she bloomed. She is pretty, vivacious and steals every moment of her screen-time.No more words, just watch it.

An enjoyable Western. Henry Fonda is spot on as the martinet new commander of the remote post. John Wayne is, well, John Wayne. Shirley Temple was quite fetching, although her acting may have left a bit to be desired. As always John Ford's use of Monument Valley was awesome. It would have really been something in color, but he did return and do so in, I think, Red River. The large number of women on the post was a bit surprising to me, but war was carried out differently in those days. If the fort were overrun by Apaches, all of those women would slaughtered, and some likely tortured first. And our "Native American" friends knew a lot (a LOT) about torture. Real torture, not namby-pamby waterboarding. Apparently even then (1948) the "noble savage" myth carried a lot of currency. Whatever. Didn't care much for the ending speech by Wayne, although Ford did indulge in that on several occasions.Nonetheless, everyone should see this, and the other Ford/Wayne cavalry films.