6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A cavalry troop finds itself under constant attack by Indians
Starring: Joel McCrea, Forrest Tucker, Susan Cabot, John Russell (I), George N. NeiseWestern | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
1958’s “Fort Massacre” is a survival movie that’s disguised as a western, tracking the efforts of U.S. Cavalry officers as they experience environmental, native, and internal pressures during a trek through the southwest. Starring Joel McCrea, Forrest Tucker, and John Russell, the feature serves up a buffet of meaty performances dealing with escalations in violence and paranoia, periodically indulging the genre routine with battle scenes and horse chases through gorgeous New Mexico shooting locations.
"Fort Massacre" has an advantage, with the tale encountering limited interiors as the characters wander through the southwest, delivering plenty of blue skies and mountain ranges. Hues during the AVC encoded image (2.43:1 aspect ratio, with the main titles windowboxed) presentation experience a small degree of fade, but color remains with exterior travel and costumes, while skintones keep their period amplification. Detail is on the soft side, only really emerging through intense close-ups that survey weary men and iffy make-up work. Outdoor expanse is easily surveyed, and distances are retained. Source shows signs of wear and tear, displaying vertical scratches, debris, and speckling. Mild flicker is also detected.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix delivers a basic listening experience, keeping in line with era-specific production demands. Dialogue exchanges are clear and easy to follow, managing escalation with some comfort. More intense scenes of conflict tend to overwhelm the track, but it remains free of distortive extremes. Scoring is insistent throughout, and while it's not crisp, it's present, supporting as intended. Atmospherics are thick but acceptable. Hiss is detected, but not distracting.
There is no supplementary material on this disc.
"Fort Wilderness" is competent filmmaking, but never robust, laboring to fill 80 minutes with incident, slowly losing its potency as the story widens to incorporate Native American concerns (being a picture from the 1950s, indigenous folk aren't treated kindly, but the Red Face norm is downplayed to a certain degree). "Fort Massacre" isn't consistent, but it works in select moments, especially ones that trust the actors to express a level of suspicion that's meant to hold the entire effort together. Shoot-outs and chases are fine, but this type of story is best served as intimately as possible.
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