Wow! Such a good movie.

Fresh and Exciting

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

"Conquest of Cochise" is another low budget but competent little 70 minute western from the team of producer Sam Katzman and director William Castle. shot in glorious technicolor, it provides spectacular scenery under which the story unfolds.A piece of Mexican territory containing Tucson is sold by Mexico to the U.S. in 1853. Army Major Tom Burke (Robert Stack) is sent to the area to make peace with the Apache led by the notorious Cochise (John Hodiak). Burke, who has an eye for the ladies, takes an interest in the daughter of rich Mexican land owner Don Francisco De Cordova (Edward Coleman), Consuelo (Joy Page).Cochise is in favor of peace with the whites but his co-chief Takiwah (Steven Ritch) favors war with the white eye. Slick townsman Sam Maddock (Robert Griffen) who deals in arms, wants to keep the hostilities going. Consuelo's cousin Felipe (Rico Alaniz) whose wife was killed by the Apache, tries to kill Cochise when he comes for peace talks at Don Francisco's hosienda, but is stopped by Consuelo.Maddock supplies Felipe with a new repeating rifle. Still upset with the Apache, Felipe tries again to murder Cochise but kills his young wife by accident. Tukiwah again tries to convince Cochise to go to war bekieving that a soldier was the murderer. Cochise gives Burke four days to produce the real culprit. Meanwhile Cochise holds Consuelo hostage wher an attraction develops between her and Cochise.Cochise meanwhile, is having trouble keeping the Commanche under Chief Red Knife (Rodd Redwing) from going to war. Burke brings in Felipe as the killer with the understanding he will be tried by white man's law. Cochise again tries to make peace with the whites and the Commanche. However Red Knife takes Cochise prisoner and tortures him. Red Knife is about to put Cochise to the fire when.............................................................................................The movie, though it has an exciting finale, kind of drags in the middle. I was expecting that Cochise would have to fight Red Knife at some point or Burke vs. Red knife or Takiwah, but that didn't happen. Maddock's early demise was unexpected.This time Katzman and Castle had recognizable leads in Hodiak and Stack who perform competently. Joy Page makes a fetching pawn between the two leaders. Also in the cast are John Crawford as Capt. Lawson and real life Apache Charlie Stevens as one of the Apache chiefs.Just as an aside, the rifle shown appears to be a Winchester which didn"t come along until much later. As far as I know, the U.S. Army was still using single shot rifles at this time.

Sam Katzman formerly of Monogram Studios probably could not believe the budget he had with Columbia Pictures for Conquest Of Cochise. Color and location shooting. I can hear him saying I know I'm not at Monogram any more.This story about Cochise takes place as the USA has formally taken over the Gadsden Purchase in 1853, the last bit of continental USA that we acquired. The Mexicans sold it to us for a tidy sum, it was mostly desert and its largest city was a desert settlement that was called Tucson. But it did sit across a possible southern continental railway route and we bought it for that purpose.Now to enforce some law there because Cochise and his Chiracahua Apaches rule most of that bit of turf with Comanches occasionally raiding in there as well. That's what Major Robert Stack of the US Cavalry is sent there to do, make a treaty. Of course there are forces who don't want a treaty made. Nevertheless Stack goes to negotiate with Cochise who is played most impressively by John Hodiak. Broken Arrow which is set post Civil War has a lot of similarities and an actor who got great acclaim for playing Cochise. Jeff Chandler got an Oscar nomination for his performance. Broken Arrow got a far bigger budget than Conquest Of Cochise. Still what Hodiak did should have gotten more acclaim.Conquest Of Cochise was not a bad film and for a Sam Katzman production its positively Cleopatra like.

Agreeable but underrated B-movie about the famous Indian leader , being set on spectacular landscapes and attempts to adhere to historical facts concerning his life . History comes alive in color by Technicolor with passable actors and adequate action . 1853 an Army Major named Tom Burke (Robert Stack , future Elliot Ness in The untouchables) along with Capt. Bill Lawson (John Crawford) have been sent to Tucson to agree peace with the Indians. He is successful with Cochise (John Hodiak : Lifeboat , Battleground) , the Apache leader, but Cochise is unable to get the Comanches to make peace treaty . The Apaches then turn back a raid by the Comanches and white men rode into the hills to turn back the Apache tide . The cavalry officer tries to keep a lid on a volatile situation when Indian leader Cochise is being prodded into starting a warn . There is a man in Tucson that wishes the Indian war against the cavalry to go on and when a stray Army rifle is discovered and it murders Cochise's spouse, it appears the Apaches will break the peace treaty . Later on , the daughter (Joy Page who worked in Casablanca) of a Mexican wealthy owner is kidnapped by Indians and Cochise fall in love with her .There are wonderful outdoors shot on spectacular territory and it displays action , shootouts, violence and though sometimes is slow-moving , isn't tiring neither dreary , sustaining the interest for quite a while . The movie also portrays the sensitive side of the Native American character though is dramatically slack and some moments there's nothing left to maintain viewer involvement . The film states that there were thousands Apache warriors at war in Arizona, when in fact was in the entire state and never more than several hundred fighting the white settlers and the US Army at any one time . This Indian-on-the-warpath tale is based on historical character and real events : Cochise and and the Gadsden Purchase 1853 that just brought part of Mexico into the United States . The motion picture didn't obtain success and resulted to be mediocre at box office , in spite of the appropriate sets , glimmer cinematography in Technicolor by Freulich and atmospheric musical score ; being filmed on location in Santa Clarita, Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park California, USA .This low-budgeted motion picture was professionally directed by William Castle . He was an expert craftsman with some of the all-time great schlock names serving as the producer Sam Katzman and fondness for gimmicks as proved in his successful terror films such as House of haunted hill , The Tingler , Mr Sardonicus , Strait-jacked , Homicidal , Macabre and 13 Ghosts . Castle emulated Alfred Hitchcock , this included the practice of appearing in the trailers, and even making cameo appearances in his films . Furthermore , he made several Western such as 1955 Duel on the Mississippi , 1955 The Gun That Won the West ,1955 El Americano , 1954 Masterson of Kansas , 1954 The Law vs. Billy the Kid , 1954 Jesse James vs. the Daltons , 1954 Battle of Rogue River , 1953 Fort Ti , 1951 cave of outlaws. Rating : 5'5 . Acceptable and passable .

I saw this movie when it was new, back in 1953, and the only thing I remembered about it was the final reel in which Cochise (John Hodiak) is sentenced to suffer three tortures: (1) scalded by hot steam, (2) sliced with knife blades, and (3) burned by fire. Many years later I saw the movie again and, what do you know?, the only thing worth remembering about it is that final reel. Robert Stack makes a serviceable, though undistinguished, hero, and the color photography has that "brightness" so common in early 1950's movies.