Tweekums 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.

badajoz-1 A good little movie that gives an extremely balanced view of the Indian wars in the US South West, eg bad whites, good whites, bad indians, good indians, but inevitable victory to the whites! Tightly directed, neatly scripted, quite well acted, good characters who stop short of cliché, and glorious technicolour with locations which will never be used again (Arches national park). Far better than some pretentious westerns that appeared in sixties and seventies (including some of Clint Eastwood's!). Also the sort of film that never gets made today - too cheap for cinemas and too expensive for TV! Watch for the number of extras as cavalrymen and indians, while it is clearcut and does not dwell on emotional claptrap like today's dark and dreary westerns made-for-TV!

Spikeopath The Battle at Apache Pass is directed by George Sherman and written by Gerald Drayson Adams. It stars Jeff Chandler, John Lund, Bruce Cowling, John Hudson, Susan Cabot, Jay Silverheels, Gregg Palmer and Jack Elam. Music is by Hans J. Salter and cinematography Charles P. Boyle. A Technicolor production, the location's for the shoot were at Moab, Utah, with Arches National Park, Colorado River, Courthouse Wash, Ida Gulch and Professor Valley forming the backdrops to the story.The film is a fictionalised account of The Bascom Affair of 1861 and the Battle of Apache Pass that occurred in 1862, the latter of which saw the Indians witness for the first time in the region an artillery attack by means of mountain howitzers. It deals in the events that led up to the battle and focuses on the in fighting between Chiricahua warriors Cochise and Geronimo.Although both Chandler and Silverheels reprise their character roles from Broken Arrow 1950, The Battle at Apache Pass takes place prior to the events depicted in the 1950 movie. As solid as they come story wise, and with beautiful Technicolor scenery, Sherman's film is only really let down by not having acting gravitas in the American roles. Messrs Lund, Cowling and Hudson are OK, but the material needed more assured performers to play off of the excellent Chandler. On the feminine side Cabot does the best with what little she is given to do, while Beverly Tyler, playing a pretty important character narratively speaking, is just a pretty tug-of-war prop device. However, it's easy to look away from the lack of dramatic worth in the acting because Sherman's action set ups are very good, with the actual battle of the title brilliantly constructed in a rock formed valley, featuring reams of extras, lots of war-fare and the thunder of howitzers filling the ears. While Boyle's (Horizon's West/Tomahawk) photography is sumptuous and a credit to the cinematographer's craft. Salter's score, tho, is only standard fare, with familiar Redskin strains for the Indians and drum beat military thrusts for the Cavalry sequences.A fine film to look at, with a more than interesting story driving it forward, it sadly, tho, needed more grit from a good portion of the cast. 6.5/10

BrianG George Sherman was an old hand at B westerns due to his long stint at Republic, where he specialized in them. His experience shows in this tight little Universal B western. John Lund and Jeff Chandler are stalwart as, respectively, a cavalry officer trying to avert an Indian war and Apache leader Cochise. The cast is filled with veteran character actors, which is always an asset, and the action scenes are extremely well handled. Altogether a tight, enjoyable little western. Recommended.