Perfect cast and a good story

The first must-see film of the year.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

The story is set during the Civil War. For some reason, a Union prisoner of war camp is set way, way out west around the territory of the Mescalero Apache (which is around Southern New Mexico, though they were a nomadic tribe). When some of the Southern soldiers escape, it's up to the tough-as-nails Captain (William Holden) to track them down...or die trying. The problem is that eventually, when he does find the POWs, they're ALL at the mercy of the landlords...the Mescalero...and apparently they DON'T like squatters!While in some ways the film is pretty decent, I really felt annoyed by much of the action. Again and again, the Mescalero warriors just rode around and around and around their horses...WAITING to be shot! They often didn't even fire back...just rode by as the soldier's shot at them! Only later did the Mescalero act with any sense of intelligence...which was kind of insulting AND stupid. The casting decisions in this film were a bit odd. While it seemed odd seeing William Demerest as a Confederate soldier, it seemed REALLY odd to see John Forsythe, with his lovely Northern accent!So is it worth seeing? Well, I'd put it in the category of 'Time Passer'...a film that is modestly entertaining but nothing more. Little about the movie excited me one way or the other.

For Every Good Thing in this Glossy Western there is something that keeps it from being a Fine Film. Although it is above Average. The Outdoor Sun Drenched Sprawl is Striking and the Sense of Open Space among Sharp Protruding Mountain Rocks is Excellent. Then there is an Outdoor Scene that is a Fake and Obvious Studio Set and it Releases the Viewer from any Suspension of Disbelief.It is an Attractive Color Movie that Draws Unneeded Attention to itself with Stiff Starched Ultra Clean Costumes and Salon Hair-Do's. Even the Confederate Prisoners are Groomed and Look Spiffy. There is some Sharp Dialog, mostly from Crusty William Demarest Sparring with a Youngster, but then there is the Clunky Banter between William Holden and the Immaculately Dressed Eleanor Parker that is at times Cringe-Worthy. "What makes you so sure of yourself?... The way you light a man's cigar."The Best Part of this Over Produced Western is the much Talked about Climax that has an Indian Attack with the Mescaleros using some Military Artillery Tactics and the Standoff is Staged just a bit Off Key and that Boosts the Movie to just Above Standard Stuff despite all the Effort from MGM to make this something Special. It was the Studio's Prissy Attitude and Obsession with Gloss and Sheen that has kept this in Unnoticed Unremarkable Territory.

William Holden excelled at Westerns ("The Wild Bunch", "Alvarez Kelly", "Streets of Laredo", "The Horse Soldiers" & "The Man From Colorado" to name a few), as he did in almost every film he was in. This film is no different. What makes it work is the complexity of the character Capt. Roper. This is a man who is as tough as nails, and makes Javert (From Les Miserables) seem like a normal person, the way he hunts down Confederate Prisoners like animals (Like he did with Bailey (John Lupton)). Yet, he does stuff like grow roses "Roper's Roses", and really hates his job. I love the relationship between him and Carla Forester (Eleanor Parker), who is very much his opposite. A Confederate Spy who is engaged to Capt. Marsh (John Forsythe), and breaks him out of the stockade, and goes with him, not because she wants to, but because of duty and obligation. Marsh, who is the other major character in the film, is a very interesting character, he seems to know that things will not work out the way he planned. Spoilers ahead. He knows that Carla really belongs to Roper, like when he had to snap at her to go with him when he and the other Confederate Soldiers escaped, and when after a fight, he told Roper that Carla fell in love with him, and she only did her duty (Helping them escape). Finally he died with a smile on his face when Bailey (The only Confederate soldier to survive),learned from Roper & Marsh how to be a hero, by escaping the Indians, and instead of running away, like he did earlier, he went back to the fort, and brought back the soldiers to save Roper, Carla, and Lt. Beecher (Richard Anderson). He also knew that Roper was the right person for Carla, because of his willingness to sacrifice himself for her and Beecher (When he went out to face the Indians alone, just before the Calvary showed up). This film deserves my highest praise 10/10

I don't know if many females watch westerns, especially those that are not on the main radar of well-known westerns like those by John Ford. As a horse lover who grew up riding either western or bareback on my grandparents' farm, I've always had an affinity for western films. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a good western, so that is how I came to watch Escape from Fort Bravo (1953).I chose this film in particular because I like to see William Holden when he was just hitting his stardom, and before his alcohol abuse had aged him prematurely and affected his magnetism. I also enjoy Eleanor Parker. Although her career never reached the peak of Holden's, she is a fine actress that always improves a film. It also has a strong supporting cast of familiar actors who had enduring careers on American television.The story has been described in many of the reviews already. My only addition is that the romantic elements aid this film to that of "A" western status. The romance ensures that Holden's vulnerability is truly exposed. Who would have guessed that this type of man would not only have a green thumb but also fall so deeply in love? That he would have a yearning for something bigger, something more in his life than being a power hungry soldier. If he was just the cruel, by-the-book captain, there would be no reason to care whether he survives the onslaught of the Indians. It would just be another North against the South picture with an unfeeling Union captain who one might hope would get caught in the crossfire of the attack.The costuming, location setting, and glorious color all support the romantic elements as well. The female costuming was beautiful and women of any status would have dressed well even if it was impractical for the desert. Women still dress impractically in most cultures today. Also, other than one breakdown as doom sets in, Parker was given few lines during the climactic gunfight and never begged to be taken away or distract Holden from his command. I think Sturges used Parker's character well, but he didn't let her get in the way of the main draw which was the action and adventure.I probably would have given up on the film if Holden had stayed in a perpetual bad mood and continued to incite the prisoners and even his fellow soldiers with his barbaric methods for wrangling in escapees. The romantic elements made him a character to care about with the dilemma around Holden and Parker adding to the suspense. The romance gives the film a bit of an epic feel and not just that of a western. I get the feeling that this was intentional and not just a byproduct of a sidebar romantic plot device. All of these things, including the score and the melancholy song sung by the rebel soldier, take this film up a notch and ensure its "A" western status.