Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

jacobs-greenwood Directed by Richard Thorpe, this Western features Lloyd Nolan as the man in black, William Lundigan as his incorruptible brother, Donna Reed, Anne Ayars, Connie Gilchrist, and Chill Wills as supporting players in the cast of this Ernest Haycox (story) and Maurice Geraghty treatment.The film begins with hanging Judge Keeley (George Watts) literally riding through town on the stagecoach to pass sentence on whomever the Marshal happens to have in the jail. It turns out the only man is Tom Folliard (Lundigan) who, after briefly hearing the charges and circumstances, the Judge releases for time served. Tom wasn't really involved in the stagecoach robbery his brother Trigger (Nolan) committed, but Trigger has yet to be caught. Not able to get his old job riding shotgun on the stagecoach, even though he's the fastest draw in these parts, Tom settles for a job as "the law" in a remote outpost that's constantly under attack from the Indians. Emory Parnell appears uncredited as Mr. Walters, the man who gives Tom the second chance.Tom arrives to find that former friends, SeZora Martinez (Gilchrist) and her almost 18 year old daughter Rosalia (Reed), are leaving the dangerous town, but convinces them to stay. He is assisted by other deputies (Grant Withers, Ray Teal, Fuzzy Knight, Trevor Bardette?) and also hires a local Mexican Cochee (Tito Renaldo) as a helper. Tom rides out to meet the stagecoach, which then arrives with several passengers who unload to rest their feet, and eat the Martinez's food, before they plan to continue on.The widow Constance Seldon (Ayars) turns everyone's head with her beauty, even Tom's who is watched by the jealous Rosalia and her mother, who love to make a match for her daughter. A sickly artist James Thorne (Miles Mander) and his wife (Gloria Holden) are also passengers. Just then, a cavalry officer Major Lowden (Frank Thomas) arrives to inform Tom of an Indian uprising; he's on his way to the fort to get help. Shortly thereafter, Trigger comes to the gate and is allowed by his brother Tom to enter as long as he gives up his guns, given the stagecoach's lock box. Tom stores Trigger's guns in the "safe" with the lock box.Tom then decides to go and see if he can figure out the cause of the Indian's agitation. While he's away, there are various discussions between Trigger, whom everyone distrusts, and the others including Ms. Seldon. Based upon a conversation between Constance and the Major at dinner, Trigger correctly surmises that Seldon's husband was not killed in action, but committed suicide. He then uses the artist's guns and suitcase tray to capture the other men and their guns.Meanwhile, Tom is rescuing 'Pike' Skelton (Wills) from the Indians. Trigger gets the lockbox and plans to take Constance as his hostage, willing or otherwise, before Tom arrives to foil his plan. The injured Skelton provides enough information for the men to determine that the stolen peace pipe Trigger had been flaunting is the reason for the Indians being on the warpath.Will the Major make it through to the fort in time for reinforcements, or will the Indians' subsequent raid on the small outpost prove fatal for all of its occupants? A great battle will determine the outcome, but not before there's a crucial vote to determine Trigger's fate.

Spikeopath Apache Trail is directed by Richard Thorpe and adapted to screenplay by Maurice Geraghty from a story by Ernest Haycox. It stars Lloyd Nolan, Donna Reed, William Lundigan, Ann Ayars, Connie Gilchrist and Chill Wills. Music is by Sol Kaplan and cinematography by Sidney Wagner.Ernest Haycox's "Stage Station" was put together as Apache Trail and ended up being a better than average "B" Western. Set essentially at the Tonto Valley Station, story finds Nolan and Lundigan as polar opposite brothers caught in the middle of the Apache's ire on account of Nolan's dastardly ways. Also at the station are a roll call of familiar 1940s Western characters, gruff men of honour, some lovely women causing sexual friction and a token Indian guy working for the whites.This small group of people will have to defend the Station (come Fort) against what seems like 300 Apache's; that is unless they agree to give up Nolan, who of course has "not" exactly endeared himself to the group during the siege. While there's naturally the "brother" angle hanging heavy in the air, something which almost detracts from the love triangle sub-plot as the "honest as apple pie" Reed (playing a Latino!) and "smoking hot but questionable in morals" Ayars conspire to put hero in waiting Lundigan in a choice situation.The production is a mixture of poor rear projection and stage work with gorgeous exterior location work (Tucson, Arizona), while the acting is exactly what it is, a group of actors either contracted to the studio, working for food or hopefully taking the first steps on the ladder to better opportunities. The photography is very nice, but the poor racist bravado of the era is not, while Thorpe's staging of action is indicative of his career in how he makes a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Accept it for the time it was made and this is a decent and enjoyable film. It was loosely remade in 1952 as Apache War Smoke, suffice to say that even then, ten years later, the material still didn't advance to anything out of the ordinary. 6/10

Alonzo Church Lloyd Nolan, cheerful black-hearted villain, shows up at his brother's stagecoach way-station, and menaces everybody there so he can get his hands on some loot. Will the denizens of the way-station force Lloyd outside the walls of the station, when justifiably irate Apaches march down the APACHE TRAIL to demand his hide? This is a pretty good (if somewhat set-bound) western, featuring a nice villain turn by Nolan (who really does pull off both his trademark everyman likability and hiss-able villainy) and a ridiculous hot-blooded Latina turn by Midwesterner Donna Reed. There's nothing especially different about this one -- but the careful, somewhat slow MGM pacing and the generally good level of acting keep the subplots moving along. If you like Westerns, you might miss the stunting and outdoor photography you might get in other films like this, but you'll probably like what you see.All in all, this is not a bad way to spend an hour and a half.

xerses13 APACHE TRAIL (1942) was Donna Reed's ninth role under her M.G.M. contract. As someone new at Culver City, Ms. Reed was put through her paces in a variety of roles, too learn the ropes. Here Donna is 'Rosalia Martinez' a immigrant with her Mother, recent from Spain and somehow stuck in the middle of the Arizona desert. Looking a bit too Middle-Western and with a unconvincing accent.The story has all the makings of the 'B' Westerns churned out over at REPUBLIC. Brothers at odds with each other, the good, William Lundigan, the bad, Lloyd Nolan, renegade and all around creep. Usual cast of supporting Actors including Chill Wills, Grant Withers and Connie Gilchrist, etc. Also thrown in, some 'dudes' from the East with a 'femme fa-tales', plus a attack by the Apaches on their lone outpost. Competently directed by Richard Thorpe too the level or the limits of his talents, that were perfectly suited for this effort. At 66" it will not tax the viewer.This was another of those thankless roles a rookie had to suffer through before making the grade and Stardom. I am sure that Ms. Reed's private thoughts were not that charitable when she first was given this assignment and the script. Though back then if you wanted to make it in the 'Studio System' you did what you were told. Ms. Reed proved not only a apt pupil but was good enough to play M.G.M. politics and soon would be getting more challenging roles. Her skills would finally be rewarded with the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) COLUMBIA.