Indian Uprising (1952)

Sure he trusts us. About as far as I can throw a buffalo.

Out of Columbia Pictures, Indian Uprising is directed by Ray Nazarro, written by Richard Schayer & Kenneth Gamet and stars George Montgomery, Audrey Long, Robert Shayne, Carl Benton Reid, Miguel Inclan & Eugene Iglesias. It's shot on location at Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth in California and Sedona in Arizona (Ellis W. Carter on photography).

Arizona 1885 and Captain Chase McCloud (Montgomery) is desperately trying to keep the peace with the Geronimo (Inclan) led Apache. But the residents of Tuscon don't want peace, there's gold out on the Apache reservation, which is now deemed as sole Apache territory. So when a new commander comes to the base and McCloud is relieved of charge, the treaty is easily broken by the corrupt townsfolk who use underhand methods. Can McCloud avert all out war and restore peace with the now mistrusting Geronimo?.

Considering its low budget restrictions and a largely unknown cast, Indian Uprising is far better than it has right to be. Sure the story is nothing out the ordinary, and definitely the "lone white man trying to keep peace" theme has been done considerably better than this. But the pace is brisk, the scenery pleasant and there's enough action spread out during the 75 minutes to keep the Western fan happy. Thesp wise it's stock performances for stock characters, tho Montgomery does fit the part well physically. While a waterside fisticuff sequence is a particular highlight. Shot in something boldly called Super Cine Color, the print of the film sadly isn't up to much. Cloudy colour flits in and out and spotting too is a reoccurring issue. It's unlikely that anyone loves this film enough to re-master it.

Still the print issues aren't major enough to stop one from enjoying the film. Quickly forgotten once over, Indian Rising is, however, an enjoyable enough Oater to spend a part of the afternoon with. 6/10