"Bad Day at Black Rock" director John Sturges' first period horse opera, "Escape from Fort Bravo," takes place during American Civil War at a remote cavalry stockade doubling as a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp. Of course, the plot concerns an escape attempt by the Confederates and they take advantage of inside help. The Frank Fenton screenplay based on a story by Philip Rock and actor Michael Pate is rather formulaic stuff right up to its cavalry ex machine ending. Nevertheless, the dialogue with its philosophical ramblings about life, death, and love surpasses the usual oater.<br /><br />Lensed by Robert Surtees in Death Valley as well as locations in Gallup, New Mexico and at the Ray Corrigan Ranch in California, this western boasts striking scenery that Sturges puts to great use during the last half-hour when the Indians launch an attack on our stranding group of heroes. Indeed, this was the first time that Sturges and Surtees paired up. Later, they worked together on "The Law and Jake Wade," "The Satan Bug," and "The Hallelujah Trail." "Escape from Fort Bravo" has an isolated look thanks to these arid looking locales that heightens its authenticity. Sturges makes great use of the landscape, especially during the climactic Indian attack and does a splendid job of setting up the attack. William Holden heads up a solid cast including Eleanor Parker, John Forsythe, William Demarest, William Campbell, Richard Anderson, Polly Bergen, John Lupton, Carl Benton Reid and Glenn Strange.<br /><br />The film opens with a foreword. In 1863, while the War Between the States still raged, a large group of Confederate prisoners were held in a sun baked stockade at Fort Bravo, Arizona Territory. Captor and captivethese men in blue and grayeyed each other with hatred. In the wilderness around them, a common enemy eye them bothdeadly Mescalero Indians. Afterward, in a series of long shots, we see a horseman in a blue cavalry uniform with a man in gray tagging behind him on a rope. Bob Bailey (John Lupton) has tried to escape, but U.S. Cavalry Captain Roper (William Holden of "Golden Boy") has recaptured him. He takes him back to Fort Bravo and few are happy to see him return with the prisoner.<br /><br />The situation at the outset promises a compelling tale. Fort Commandant Colonel Owens (Carl Benton Reid) sums it up when he explains to Roper that the POWs outnumber the guards at an outpost in the middle of nowhere infested with hordes of bloodthirsty Mescalero Indians watching their every move. Owens makes explicit his sentiments about Roper. "When I see you soldiering, Roper," Owens observes, "I'm glad we're in the same army." Nevertheless, adds Owens, "I use to have a full regiment now I've got one troop. I've got as many Confederate prisoners as I have men." Roper understands their predicament. "Colonel, I don't know whose going to win this war, the North or the South, but we're here to hold this country for one of them, even if we have to arm those Reb prisoners." Owens wonders about his fitness for command. Roper observes, "This is a hard country to stay alive in colonel, much less to stay young." "Escape from Fort Bravo" documents the enormous lengths that the Confederates go to so they can escape. After Roper buries a cavalry detail wiped out in the desert by the Indians, he has a stagecoach skid into his camp. Indians had been chasing the coach and a woman, Carla Forrester (Eleanor Parker of "Detective Story"), in the coach wields a derringer, and kills an Indian. Carla explains that she was heading to Fort Bravo to attend Alice Owens marriage. Alice (Polly Bergen of "Arena") plans to wed U.S. Cavalry Lieutenant Beecher (Richard Anderson of "Macho Callahan"). In truth, Carla has come to Fort Bravo to help her lover, Confederate Captain John Marsh (John Forsythe of "Destination Tokyo"), and handful of soldiers, including Bob Bailey (John Lupton of "Julius Caesar"), Sergeant Campbell (William Demarest of "All Through the Night") and Cabot Young (William Campbell of "Backlash") escape. After Alice's wedding, a general store owner, Watson (Howard McNear of "The Andy Griffith Show"), will smuggle the Confederates out of Fort Bravo in his wagon.<br /><br />Matters grow complicated, however, when Carla begins to reciprocate the love of the man that she is supposed to distract. Roper shows Carla his roses and bares his heart to her. He wants to marry her and she loses control of herself and joins the Confederates in Watson's wagon. The following day, Roper and a small patrol light out after the Confederates. Roper catches up with the cowardly Bailey at a nearby town. Bailey learned about the Mescalero Indians on the warpath and decided to await Roper's arrival. Roper takes Bailey with him and they recapture the Confederates. No sooner has Roper caught them than the Indians come breathing down their collective necks. Roper and company outrun the Indians and take refuge in a wash surrounding by mountains. Our heroes blast away at the Indians until the redskins retreat to the heights and surround Roper and company with lances. The Indians use the lances to aim their arrows and they unleash dozens of arrows.<br /><br />The resolution to our heroes being cornered by the Indians is the cavalry appears at the last minute. Right up until the cavalry arrives, "Escape from Fort Bravo" looks pretty bleak. Sturges direction is competent enough in the dialogue scenes where the exposition and philosophical notions are crisply and effectively delivered. The bulk of the humor comes from the byplay between the older Demarest and younger Campbell. Jeff Alexander's music is nothing special, though the theme song is vibrant. The final set-piece where our heroes are pinned down by the Mescaleros is exciting stuff. Holden is appropriately gruff at the hard-bitten Roper and Parker is easy on the eyes. You can tell when the filmmakers are on location and when they are using a studio. Nevertheless, this is a very good western drama.