Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Fort Massacre Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 2, 2015

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” arrives in mid-step, delivering the basics in plot and characterization before it returns to a tale already in progress, identifying growing antagonisms among military officers forced to endure extended travel within enemy territory, underneath a boiling sun. The bulk of “Fort Massacre” inspects the crumbling of official duty, with subordinates beginning to question their commanding officer’s leadership abilities as a personal vendetta fogs concern for safety. There’s drama to appreciate, nicely expressed by the cast, who play up the theatricality of isolated conflict, with the screenplay prizes confessional moments, searching for an emotional angle.

Fort Massacre Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"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.

Fort Massacre Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Fort Massacre Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this disc.

Fort Massacre Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"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.