In 1863 Confederate soldiers are prisoner at Fort Bravo, a Union fort out in Arizona, where Mescalero Apaches are waging a war to defend their land. The fort is not well-garrisoned because there isn't much chance of an escape from Fort Bravo given the Mescaleros and the inhospitable desert setting. The movie has some good actors in William Holden and Eleanor Parker, but the story in which their characters operate does not do much for the western genre. However, there are excellent action scenes when the actual escape takes place with Mescalero arrows raining down from the sky. An improbable dance for the fort's officers and ladies seemed like they felt as if they had to do this to give the film some unnecessary and out of place social context in which to balance out the rugged western landscape. And the nagging and preposterous romantic subplot between Holden and Eleanor Parker waters down the action considerably. Plus everyone was exceptionally well-dressed for the setting they're in makes the whole affair look even more dubious. They may have acted well enough but they didn't have enough desert dust on them. Good thing for the well-executed Apache arrow attack or this film would have been totally borderline.

For Every Good Thing in this Glossy Western there is something that keeps it from being a Fine Film. Although it is above Average. The Outdoor Sun Drenched Sprawl is Striking and the Sense of Open Space among Sharp Protruding Mountain Rocks is Excellent. Then there is an Outdoor Scene that is a Fake and Obvious Studio Set and it Releases the Viewer from any Suspension of Disbelief.It is an Attractive Color Movie that Draws Unneeded Attention to itself with Stiff Starched Ultra Clean Costumes and Salon Hair-Do's. Even the Confederate Prisoners are Groomed and Look Spiffy. There is some Sharp Dialog, mostly from Crusty William Demarest Sparring with a Youngster, but then there is the Clunky Banter between William Holden and the Immaculately Dressed Eleanor Parker that is at times Cringe-Worthy. "What makes you so sure of yourself?... The way you light a man's cigar."The Best Part of this Over Produced Western is the much Talked about Climax that has an Indian Attack with the Mescaleros using some Military Artillery Tactics and the Standoff is Staged just a bit Off Key and that Boosts the Movie to just Above Standard Stuff despite all the Effort from MGM to make this something Special. It was the Studio's Prissy Attitude and Obsession with Gloss and Sheen that has kept this in Unnoticed Unremarkable Territory.

I watched ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO with an open mind even though I'm no fan of Westerns . On paper it has a lot going for it starring William Holden , directed by John Sturges and cinematography by Robert Surtees all of whom rose to much greater prominence a few years later . The reality is however that even if the film does contain a lot of talent in front of and behind the camera if you don't like Westerns you won't be mad keen on this movie Set during the American Civil War the premise involves a Union officer played by Holden who has to escort a group of Confederate prisoners across hostile Indian territory where they have to team up to defend themselves against the Indian war party . This leads to a somewhat tricky moral point and one wonders what the point the film is making . Is it saying that the American Civil War was a mistake and North and South should have concentrated on taking the land of the Native Americans ? Of course cinematic convention dictates that the genre of the Western means we should always be cheering for the white man over the Indians but in that case it's difficult to argue against the point made in BLAZING SADDLES that the Western is an inherently and fundamentally racist genre That said from a technical viewpoint ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO is an impressive film and why it has a relatively high average vote on this website . The entire look of the film has a very rich and deep texture thanks to Surtees photography . Certainly if you watched this on its initial release in the 1950s you'd probably be used to constant film releases shot in black and white and then seeing this you'd be amazed by the possibilities of colour cinema . By a bitter irony though the good guys and the bad guys are painted in black and white with a very heavy and thick brush

Tough-as-nails Cavalry officer William Holden prepares to protect a fort full of Confederate prisoners of war against an impending Indian uprising, while the rebels plot their escape with the help of a visiting beauty.Escape From Fort Bravo looks great but it's too slow and ultimately forgettable. Splendid locations and photography only barely manages to help mask the fact that, despite a few very short bursts of action, nothing worthwhile happens for a very long time.Holden's character fails to illicit any emotions from the viewer in either way. He's neither likable enough or ruthless enough and just isn't very interesting, even when he tries to romance the girl. What could she possibly see in him?Things pick up in the fairly exciting final thirty minutes. By then it's a little to late.With Holden's considerable star-power, the great talent of director John Sturges, and the weight of MGM behind it, this should have been a lot better!