Perhaps the only film henry fonda had to actually act in because he wasn't playing henry fonda... i didn't care for his role either ... i'm sure john ford made his gnash his teeth over and over to get this performance ... shirley temple was the best in this film ... its probably the only film she was in that i liked ... john wayne played john wayne very well...

Brilliant. Directed by John Ford, starring Henry Fonda and John Wayne - the quality is thus not surprising.Not your average western. Characters are developed, the Indians (and Cochise in particular) are multi-dimensional (and not necessarily the villains of the piece), and it is not simply a shoot-em-up. There is human drama, and even romance.Great script. Excellent performances from Henry Fonda and John Wayne. Beautiful setting and scenery.Excellent, timeless movie.

I haven't seen Fort Apache for 40 years and I was amazed by how well it wears.The film should not be dismissed as "just an old fashioned Western". It is the work of a genuine auteur: A classic (and, at the time, original) Fordian mix of action, folklore, humor, the family, the cavalry, the military code of honor, truth vs. myth, monument valley locations, memorable camera work, professional acting (John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and many of his "stock players" -- Victor McLaglen, Ward Bond, etc.), a dose of "irishness", and so on.Tastes have changed over the years, and our views of the period have undergone multiple revisions. But that should not subtract from the greatness of Fort Apache. The treatment of Indians, by the way, is very sympathetic (not the "savage Indians" vs. the "civilized whites" portrayal, common in other Westerns of the period).A final note: Because of his conservative politics and somewhat limited range of roles (he didn't do Hamlet), John Wayne has often been dismissed by the "cognizanti". In my view, his performance here is perfect. Overall, I would venture that he is a much better actor than that other star who built his reputation on Westerns: Clint Eastwood. (Of course, Eastwood has achieved well-deserved acclaim as a movie director).

I was looking forward to liking this film so it came as a disappointment that things just didn't work for me. "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" is one of my favorite westerns too. Shirley Temple never really made it on screen as an adult, regardless of how many times the system tried to use her. John Agar, her husband at the time (so I've read) was also lackluster so they matched on screen as well. We are all aware - or have been made aware - of John Ford's Irishness but in this case things got wildly out of hand. The humor was broad - extremely broad - and the "jokes" wore thin from the very beginning. What irritated me most, however, was the musical score. At the start of the film, already, with the magnificent vistas of Monument Valley, the score is overly forceful, staccato and as obtrusive as it is intrusive. The music is everywhere, even when it's not needed and spills off some scenes into others where it isn't even appropriate. It is consistently loud and impairs rather than aids what's on the screen. Someone should have edited the score!Curtis Stotlar