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...

This movie is one of Ford's best. Featuring an all-star cast, a great storyline and some wonderful cinematography, it's a home run.Wayne and Fonda are superb, butting heads with each other. Wayne, as the enlightened and honourable Captain York and Fonda as the mulish, stickler Lt. Colonel Thursday, whose desire to dominate the Native Americans leads him to behave without honour or respect.The supporting cast features the wonderful Victor Mclaren, Ward Bond and Pedro Armandariz as the hardbitten NCOs. Shirley Temple provides the romantic interest. Miguel Inclan plays a great Cocis.All in all, they combine to create a wonderful western. One which still looks good to this day.

Directed by John Ford (Stagecoach The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley, The Searchers, The Man Shot Liberty Valance), I found this film listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I hoped it would be worthy of this and the five stars critics gave it. Basically set after the American Civil War, highly respected veteran Captain Kirby York (John Wayne) is replacing the commander at Fort Apache, an isolated U.S. cavalry post. The soldiers however are surprised and disappointed that regiment command is given to Lieutenant Colonel Owen Thursday (Henry Fonda), a West Point graduate who lacks experience with the Indians and is incompetent, arrogant and egocentric. Thursday is a widower, accompanying him is his daughter Philadelphia (Shirley Temple), she becomes attracted to Second Lieutenant Michael Shannon O'Rourke (John Agar), son of Sergeant Major Michael O'Rourke (Ward Bond), but Thursday will not allow his daughter to see someone he does not consider a gentleman. There is unrest among the Indians, led by Chief Cochise (Miguel Inclan), and corruption from from Indian agent Silas Meacham (Grant Withers), Thursday is unable to deal with this, due to his interpretation of regulations and his arrogance, so the Indians rebel, and York is eventually relieved and replaced by Captain Sam Collingwood (George O'Brien). Young O'Rourke is spared from battle by York on Thursday's orders, the entire command are nearly wiped out, but a few soldiers escape back to the ridge where Captain York is positioned, Thursday also survives, but dies soon after returning, York and the rest of the detachment are spared by Cochise because he knows York is an honourable man. Lieutenant- Colonel Kirby York becomes commander after this, O'Rourke becomes Lieutenant and marries Philadelphia, a reporter asks about the painting "Thursday's Charge", York who is commanding a new campaign against the Apaches, and believing Thursday was a poor tactician and led a suicidal charge, says the painting is accurate and the soldiers will never be forgotten as long as the regiment lives. Also starring From Russia with Love's Pedro Armendáriz as Sergeant Beaufort, George O'Brien as Captain Sam Collingwood, Victor McLaglen as Sergeant Festus Mulcahy and Anna Lee as Mrs. Emily Collingwood. Wayne as usual gives a great noble performance, Fonda is cast against type but also does well, and supporting cast members Temple and Armendáriz are good also, I will admit I did not pay the fullest attention to all the chatty scenes, but I was hooked by the action with cowboys against Indians, guns banging all over the place and the great use of sweeping desert and mountain landscapes, it is overall a worthwhile western. Very good!

I'm going to begin with a criticism. The photography is very washed out in this film, which is a shame considering much of the exterior photography was done is some of the most spectacular locations in the American Southwest. Even more the shame that it wasn't photographed in Technicolor.Henry Fonda plays a commanding officer who exemplifies the meaning of pomposity. There's little question within the first 15 minutes of the film that Fonda's character is in for a comeuppance...the only real question is how.There's a good supporting cast here. Ward Bond has one of his better supporting roles with quite a bit of screen time as a sergeant. Shirley Temple does nicely as the daughter of Fonda's character' she does very nicely. This was John Agar's first film, and her he plays the romantic lead opposite Shirley Temple, and son of Ward Bond. Temple and Agar were actually married in real life at the time the film was made. Dick Foran is along, and even gets to sing. Miguel Inclan plays Cochise. Unfortunately, Victor McLaglen plays a sergeant here, and -- as usual -- offers little to the film. George O'Brien has a good role as a captain who seems -- for some reason -- to be on the wrong side of Fonda's character, although it appears they were once friends.The stunt work here is second rate. It is pretty clear that a couple of the Indians in some of the horseback segments must have been injured.This film is interesting because it portrays the Indians as being relatively honorable, and the commanding officer -- Fonda -- as being dishonorable. And, while Wayne is the "good guy" here, Fonda probably has more screen time, and I would class a the true star of the film...despite playing a rather despicable character.I guess my one big criticism of this film is that Henry Fonda's character seems rather one-dimensional. We don't really learn why he became what he was -- a truly unfit officer who led his men into the valley of death. I also didn't like the corn pone handed out by Wayne at the ending of the film.However, while not one of my favorite John Wayne films, it is quite good, and certainly worth a watch...though for me, just once.