Saw this movie at the cinema back in the late sixties, and was a bit surprised at Murphy's transition from white-hat hero to cynical, hard-bitten cavalry officer. But then, westerns were becoming a bit more realistic, and serious. The main thing I recall, apart from the irritating and totally unnecessary narration, was the copious amount of blood on show. Up to then nobody bled when they were shot, but here we have it, if not in bucketfuls, certainly in splatters. An early example is when new recruit Mike is struggling with an Apache atop a rock. His mouth and chin are absolutely dripping with the red stuff! Later when Coburn is shot by Bodine, is uniform blouse has a big red patch on it. Although he does seem to press his hand on a different area of his chest! It's not a bad story. Rogue soldiers looking to make a quick buck by selling guns to the Indians (Native Americans hadn't been invented yet!) Kenneth Tobey always had reliable villain credentials and some of the locations are striking, even if they are only a pale imitation of Monument Valley. As mentioned elsewhere, this type if movie was well past its sell-by date even when it was made. Murphy himself probably realised this since it was his last starring role
Review of 40 Guns to Apache Pass
