Review of Fort Apache (1948) by Tim H — 26 Jul 2008

This is a love story.

I discussed this in my review for The Professionals, but the Western genre really is more of a setting than it is a genre pic. Yes, there are Indian battles in this one, so I guess we have the cowboy v. Indian shootout that's all too custom for the Hollywood Western. But most of the movie doesn't have anything to do with dueling, bars, fist-fights or the like. This is a war love tale that tells of the ego of one man and how that ego destroys the lives of those around him. Maybe that's why I seem to be liking the Western genre...because it isn't actually a genre. It could be anything, but the setting determines the mood of the film. It's a very cool thing. I don't understand why people are afraid of this genre so much. (Even though I really can't begrudge them because I was heistant towards this genre as well.).

I love Henry Fonda. I still see him as that constantly moral individual, so I like to see him play a character with his head up his ass. He really plays dictator very well. Similarly, I'm used to seeing John Wayne with his head up his ass, so it was nice seeing him as the clearheaded one. These actors seem to come from very different camps, but they really do have a fantastic chemistry together. There is an underlying respect for each other hidden by a crippling hatred that both men carry for one another. It is an interesting dynamic. I would have loved to see these men resort to fisticuffs, but I think the verbal battles were just as powerful. After all, the conflict of these two men results in a slaughter around them, so I guess that could be more powerful than any fist fight that John Wayne would clearly win. I just like seeing fights. What?

A lot of the charm of this movie comes from the secondary characters. While the A-story is the conflict between Henry Fonda and John Wayne, the B-plot is the love story and all the people supporting that story. The O'Rourke family takes front and center in this story and although they have little to nothing to do with the end of the story, they represent the hatred that Fonda has for this entire base. The truly intresting dynamic can be found in Fonda's inner conflict. After all, O'Rourke is the model officer and described as the only truly ideal military man on the base. But when it comes to O'Rourke coming into Fonda's personal life, there's nothing doing. There's almost a venom to Fonda's feelings for O'Rourke that is terrifying. His eyes seem to want to tear the entire family apart. There's a bitterness that can be seen especially in the dance scene where tradition forces Fonda to dance with Mrs. O'Rourke. He has a disdain for the family and would tear them all apart if O'Rourke wasn't the best officer he had.

This is a movie of inner conflict. There are questions regarding selfishness and its consequences and what is good for the whole. It really is a fantastic movie. It might not be perfect, but it is definitely worth a lookover.