Sorry, this movie sucks

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

If you enjoy a good old fashioned western that takes place mainly in the hot desert sun with a band of hostile Mescalero Indians hiding behind nearly every mountain top in pursuit of both sides of fighting Civil War troops, the north and the south troops, then this old fashioned western will be right up your alley.William Holden plays Captain Roper, a take ALL prisoners kind of game warden who refuses to let even one confederate soldier make his escape across the desert. The Union's Captain Roper's main adversary is Confederate Captain John Marsh who is played by John forsythe.Now what would a good western be without these two rival Captain's one representing the southern states and the other representing the northern states be if there wasn't a good looking damsel in distress to fight over? Yes, the damsel these two captains are fighting over is Carla Forester, played by Eleanor Parker.To summarize, the north is winning the Civil war so the southern troops are trying to escape from Fort Bravo (thus the title) but they have to travel through the hot and unforgiving desert and Captain Roper will chase anyone down, including the woman he is falling deep in love with, that being Carla Forester who is also on the run.Fifty (50) years ago I would have had nightmares after watching the Mescalero Indians striking fear in the troops as they tried to hold off the Indians in the desert. But now I just sit back and enjoy a good old fashioned western which I would classify this feature film in the category of "Good".I give the film a 6 out of 10 rating

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

In this Civil War Western, Union and Confederate soldiers fight not only each other but also the Indians. This is a good-looking if routine oater that starts slowly but is highlighted by a rugged Indian attack on soldiers trapped in a bunker. Holden is solid as the stalwart captain, although the role does not require him to flex his acting skills. Parker looks lovely as a woman torn between Yankee Holden and Rebel Forsythe. The supporting cast features future TV regulars Demarest, Anderson, and Bergen. It kind of looks like it could have been directed by John Ford, which is not surprising as he set the standard for Cavalry Westerns.

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!