Average Rating: 8.3/10
Reviews Counted: 13
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 0
No consensus yet.
Release Date: Mar 9, 1948 Wide
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 7,402
The first of John Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy", Fort Apache stars John Wayne as captain Kirby York and Henry Fonda as Custer clone Lt. Col. Owen Thursday. Resentful of his loss in rank and transfer to the West after serving gallantly in the Civil War, the vainglorious Thursday insists upon imposing rigid authority on rough-and-tumble Fort Apache. He is particularly anxious to do battle with the local Indians, despite York's admonitions that the trouble around the fort is being fomented not by the
Mar 9, 1948 Wide
Aug 15, 2006
Turner Home Entertainment
All Critics (17) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (1) | DVD (6)
Fascinating Western loaded with political and social commentary.
Inspired by the massacre of General Custer's Cavalry, John Ford's superb elegiac Western contrasts legal-rational authority (Henry Fonda) with charismatic type of authority (John Wayne) to an advantage.
One of John Ford's cavalry trilogy, and a near classic on its own. Wayne and Fonda are fine.
Darker and more complex than She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande, Fort Apache isn't just a romanticized story of Western heroes.
demonstrates that westerns weren't always one-sided and jingoistic.
Henry Fonda's stubborness reminds me of our occupant in the White House with his Iraq policy.
This one is a reworking of the Custer myth, in a film that over sentimentalizes Army life and chivalry.
The greatest of the "Cavalry" trilogy. Packed with great social commentary and amazing performances by Fonda, Wayne and Ward Bond. Fonda's final scene is one of the most powerful I've seen.
October 27, 2011Super Reviewer
The first part in John Ford's Cavalry Trilogy and it's a complete epic. It's hard to find any mistakes, potholes or dull spots; probably because they don't exist. This is a wonderful story with great characters, messages, and overall outlook concerning the west. Henry Fonda went against his usual personality and plays
September 1, 2010Super Reviewer
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