Fort Apache
1948 · Movie · Approved · 128 min · ★ 7.0 · 95% critics
After a newly posted officer arrives at a remote frontier outpost, his rigid obsession with military rules puts him at odds with the people he leads. Believing he can win lasting glory, he pushes forward against advice and targets an Apache leader, escalating tensions while subordinates try to steer events another way.
Also known as War Party · Cavalry 1: Fort Apache
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Details
- Years
- 1948
- Release date
- 1948-05-21
- Language
- English
- Rated
- Approved
- Runtime
- 128 min
- Critic score
- 95/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.0/10 (409 votes)
- Budget
- $2,100,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy Fort Apache if you like classic Westerns focused on authority, duty, and clashes of attitude in a remote outpost, with Monument Valley flair and strong performances; Not for you if you want action right away or prefer modern, unproblematic portrayals in Westerns like The Searchers or She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.
Pros: sharp leadership drama; sympathetic Apache portrayal; memorable desert vistas | Cons: slow start; troubling period attitudes; tense character conflict
Themes
- apache nation
- colonel
- slaughter
- black and white
- military
- tortured to death
- american civil war
- 19th century
Cast & crew
John Wayne
as Capt. Kirby York
Henry Fonda
as Lt. Col. Owen Thursday
Shirley Temple
as Philadelphia Thursday
Pedro Armendáriz
as Sgt. Beaufort
Ward Bond
as Sgt. Maj. Michael O'Rourke
George O'Brien
as Capt. Sam Collingwood
Victor McLaglen
as Sgt. Festus Mulcahy
Anna Lee
as Mrs. Emily Collingwood
Irene Rich
as Mrs. Mary O'Rourke
Dick Foran
as Sgt. Quincannon
Directed by John Ford