FORT MASSACRE *

Surprisingly good and visually very attractive B-Movie Western from the mostly reliable Joseph Newman and shot in Cinemascope. A slightly over-the-hill Joel McCrea is the sergeant leading his Cavalry troop through hostile Indian territory and one savage attack after another. It's hardly John Ford but this is a much tougher picture than anything Ford might have given us; closer in tone to the cinema of Peckinpah with a decent script and good performances from its mostly male cast. It may not be a B-Movie classic but it's still a welcome addition to the Western genre.