ChikPapa Very disappointed :(

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Spikeopath The Charge at Feather River is directed by Gordon Douglas and written by James R. Webb. It stars Guy Madison, Frank Lovejoy, Helen Westcott, Vera Miles, Dick Wesson, Onslow Stevens, Steve Brodie, Neville Brand and James Brown. Filmed in Natural Vision-3-Dimension and WarnerColor, music is by Max Steiner and cinematography by J. Peverell Marley. The Guardhouse Brigade. Wonderful. It's the sort of Western you watched as a kid and it made you fall in love with the genre. It has it all, the standard Cowboys versus Indians action to keep the youngsters amused, and quality characterisations for the knowing adults to acknowledge. Plot would become very familiar over the years, where a bunch of reprobates, here they are the bad boys of the army guardhouse, are trained up and sent on a suicide mission. The mission here is to rescue two white sisters who were captured by the Cheyenne years ago. The group dynamic positively bubbles with tension as men who fought on opposite sides of the Civil War are tasked with performing as one force. There's also a heated rivalry between two men because of a woman, and naturally there's some loose cannons in the group. Things further pick up when the two ladies are rescued and the group has to try and make it back to the fort with the whole Cheyenne tribe on their tail. The elder sister is grateful to be rescued, the younger one not so much since she has converted to the Cheyenne way and is set to marry Chief Thunder Hawk. Thus the group dynamic goes up a couple of more notches on the stove as the younger sister does all she can to sabotage the mission, while the elder frets about how society will treat her once her past comes to light, and of course there's an attraction between her and the alpha male. Yet the romantic thread is superbly written, really mature and never cloying. There's some requisite humour that works very well, the action is very well staged by the wily Douglas and Madison makes for a good leader of men. While having Brand and Brodie in support playing ornery dudes is perfect casting. It's a very satisfying Oater, it's not hard to see why it was a big hit at the box office. Oh for sure the 3-D gimmick would have been a big draw, especially since there's plenty of scenes made for 3-D nirvana in the picture. However, this is strong enough to stand on its own 2-D feet, a throwback to a great decade of Westerns. It also has a Steiner musical score and Marley's super photography around the California locations. Think what would happen if you mixed The Searchers and Major Dundee together, added in some Dirty Dozen like conflicts, and then sprinkled on some seasoning of Audie Murphy like Westerns, and you then get an idea of the type of film on offer here. Recommended to Western buffs. 8/10

TankGuy A few years after the Civil war, veteran Miles Archer(GUY MADISON)is summoned to Fort Bellows by lieutenant Colonel Kilrain(FAY ROOPE)where he is asked to go on a mission to rescue two white women taken captive by a tribe of Cheyenne Indians years before. Miles reluctantly agrees, but as the Colonel cannot spare soldiers, Miles must take a group of misfits, troublemakers and drunks along on his mission. Once the men have been trained and armed, Miles leads them on their mission, days later the men reach the Cheyenne village and rescue the women without attracting any attention and begin their journey back to the fort.However,one of the women ,Jennie(VERA MILES),has been brainwashed and was going to marry the Cheyenne chief Thunderhawk,so tries to thwart the group's efforts any way she can and this is the last thing they need after Thunderhawk finds out that the women have gone and sets out after the group in hot pursuit with every warrior he has got...Throughout the 1950s,all the prominent and most successful film studios jumped on the 3D bandwagon in order to cash in on a craze, that in it's day, was highly revolutionary and way ahead of it's time.Westerns were especially popular in 3D and THE CHARGE AT FEATHER RIVER is one such example, I can only say that audiences must have loved this film when they saw it in the cinema all those years ago because even watching it in 2D it looks extremely impressive. The action sequences are both magnificent and highly exhilarating, the first shootout among the rocky crags of a brutal, blistering desert in which a small force of Indians come charging at the group was brilliant, this sequence was shot amazingly and the gunshots were ear shattering, just how they should be. The second shootout in which Sergeant Baker and Ryan shoot it out with a smaller group of Indians was just as exciting. The climatic battle at Feather river was certainty riveting, it was fantastic and tremendously intense, again it was briskly shot in the most nail biting way and the stunts the Indians performed as they were shot off their Horses sent adrenaline charging through my body,look out for one excellent shot of an Indian getting killed and falling to the ground with his face falling right in front of the camera,i was also awestruck by the shots of hoards upon hoards of arrows and spears flying right into the middle of the screen. I was completely blown away by the realism of the action scenes, for example men screaming in agony as they are stabbed and hit by arrows and spears and also shots of bloody wounds. Two factors which made the film stand out compared to other westerns. An incredible scene which I will forever remember this film for is the scene in which Sergeant Baker and Ryan are menaced by a Rattlesnake whilst hiding from the Indians and baker, not wanting to jeopardise their position, spits Tobacco at the Rattlesnake to get rid of it.I can't imagine what audiences watching this film in 3D back in 1953 must have thought of this scene but I thought it was both terrific and impressive. The scene in which Jennie shoots Johnny, her brother, in the arm but then falls over a cliff to her death was quite chilling and powerful and shot in a strong, taut way. The sequence in which the men are lowered down the cliff face was absolutely superb and really tense and the shots of the charging Indians in the final battle were absolutely rollicking.I thought the script was great and I loved the storyline as it's the typical "Guys on a mission" premise which I love and really appeals to me.Guy Madison was great as Miles Archer, I thought he was really cool in a way, a giant compared with today's leading men, he's just as awesome in American westerns like this as he is in Spaghetti westerns.As said the script was great but there are a few minor plot holes,however,nothing that ruined the film. It's also brilliantly directed and paced and never really drags or gets boring, one other very small gripe I had was that the comic relief scenes between the two guys bickering over the alcohol canteen got a little monotonous, but again didn't in the way of the film.The two studios who made the greatest and most entertaining westerns in the 1950s Hollywood were Universal and Warner brothers, who made this film.Yes,THE CHARGE AT FEATHER RIVER is a wholly satisfying, enjoyable and spectacular western adventure made all the more impressive by the State-Of-The-Art 3D camera-work and thrilling action scenes. This excellent film hasn't been on British TV in a long time(today was the first time I saw it in the listings, apart from TCM),for this, I owe my gratitude to 5USA for showing it this afternoon.9/10.

Brad Smalley If you haven't seen this movie as part of some Saturday afternoon matinée or aired on The Western Channel, you're really not missing much. Its the same ol' Injun bad...White Man good...Cavalry save day dreck that made the American Western such a box office success during the 40's and 50's, and such a throwaway genre in recent years. Still, Charge at Feather River remains slightly more enjoyable than most, and honestly if it ever arrives on DVD, its one Ill no doubt add to my western collection.The movie's most attractive aspect would have to be the gorgeous Helen Westcott (if you don't believe me, check out Abbot and Costello meet Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde. She's stunning!) and Vera Miles of Psycho fame.The movie is also notable to film geeks for its 3D presentation and the origin of the famous "Wilhelm Scream" that can be heard in all the Star Wars and Indianna Jones movies, as well as several other big Hollywood productions. You know when you hear it.

maddutchy I can remember seeing this movie when I was very young and several times on TV since then. I have always liked it. I have noticed on the print shown on local TV that one scene has reversed film. It is the one where they are hiding behind the rock outcrop(it looks like Vasquez Rocks near Los Angeles) watching the Indians ride by. If you look carefully, you will notice that suddenly all the soldiers are left-handed! It is only a short segment and I have to admit that it took me years to notice it.As far as history goes, there were often expeditions to rescue white captives from the Indians. The direct connection for the final battle scene is the Battle of Beecher's Island. In that action, a group of volunteer scouts equipped with repeating carbines (Spencer carbines not Winchesters) were surprised by the Indians and retreated to an island and held off several charges. In the last charge, they killed Roman Nose, one of the more famous Indian Chiefs. I have no idea if the writer of the script had this in mind but it does fit fairly well.There are several Guy Madison movies that I hope come out on DVD someday and this is one of them.