When Apache warrior Geronimo sees soldiers setting fire to their forts he believes that it is because his men have driven then out and it is time to force the remaining whites out of Apache territory too; he doesn't realise that they are heading back east because of the Civil War. Chief of the Chiricahau Apaches, Cochise believes in peace with the army and is friends with Major Kim Colton; the commanding officer of the local fort. The peace is doomed though when Neil Baylor arrives; he has been sent from Washington to oversee Indian Affairs and is determined that the Apaches will leave their land and move to a designated reservation
where there is nothing to hunt and the people would rely on government handouts. Baylor isn't going to wait for something to go wrong; he is duplicitous and promises Geronimo weapons if he will attack a trading post and leave evidence implicating the Chiricahau. Colton is convinced that it is a set up but while he is out searching for Geronimo newly arrived Lt. Bascom is persuaded to go out and capture Cochise. Cochise escapes and it isn't long before the whole Apache nation is on the warpath. By the time Colton returns it is too late to stop the conflict; his only hope is that he can evacuate his camp to Fort Sheridan
to do that they will have to get through Apache Pass where Cochise and Geronimo are waiting for them!
This was a surprisingly enjoyably film; from the title I assumed it would be about the 'heroic cavalry' fighting off the 'ferocious Apaches' but the majority of the Apaches were depicted as peaceful people and the villain of the story was very much Baylor the Indian Affairs man. It is a pity that most of the Indian characters were played by white actors but given the time that it was made it isn't a surprise. Jeff Chandler did a good job as the honourable Cochise as did John Hudson, who played Lt. Bascom; a man who didn't understand the Apache and believed in doing everything according to army regulations right down to wearing a cap that offered no protection from the burning New Mexico sun. There was plenty of exciting action leading up to the spectacular battle in the final scenes. It was good to see that this was filmed in the harsh but stunning terrain of New Mexico rather than somewhere in California like so mane westerns were. This might not be a classic with well known stars but I'd certainly recommend it to fans of the genre.
This was a surprisingly enjoyably film; from the title I assumed it would be about the 'heroic cavalry' fighting off the 'ferocious Apaches' but the majority of the Apaches were depicted as peaceful people and the villain of the story was very much Baylor the Indian Affairs man. It is a pity that most of the Indian characters were played by white actors but given the time that it was made it isn't a surprise. Jeff Chandler did a good job as the honourable Cochise as did John Hudson, who played Lt. Bascom; a man who didn't understand the Apache and believed in doing everything according to army regulations right down to wearing a cap that offered no protection from the burning New Mexico sun. There was plenty of exciting action leading up to the spectacular battle in the final scenes. It was good to see that this was filmed in the harsh but stunning terrain of New Mexico rather than somewhere in California like so mane westerns were. This might not be a classic with well known stars but I'd certainly recommend it to fans of the genre.