Stagecoach to Fury (D+ or 1/4 stars)
I am not wild about this B-movie Western titled 'Stagecoach to Fury' (an original story directed by William F. Claxton). Not wild, at all. I don't even care for the title, haha. So, the plot: a courageous cavalry officer (Forrest Tucker) organizes fellow stagecoach passengers against some evil Mexican outlaws while at a stagecoach stop. The only remotely unique aspect of this motion picture is that it employs a sort of character study of each passenger onboard via flashbacks.
Honestly, there's not much more to this movie than that. The black-&-white cinematography is okay, I suppose. It was even nominated for an Oscar in 1956. Why? I'm not quite sure; as there were plenty other b-&-w films that year with superior camerawork. The sets & costumes all look/feel basic (after all, the budget for this film was only $125,000). The sound design is sketchy. The action: blahhh. The aforementioned flashback sequences - while interesting in theory - are not well-executed in practice. If they're meant to generate any tension in the story, then that basically fails.
The performances (including Mari Blanchard) are only so-so. Perhaps the only laudable - and I use that word lightly - component to the film is Paul Dunlap's musical score. But that's simply not enough. 'Stagecoach to Fury' is just an underwhelming good guys vs. bad guys old-styled Western that simply doesn't make the grade. I would only recommend this film for die hard Western fans. Maybe they'll find something special in it that I couldn't.
Honestly, there's not much more to this movie than that. The black-&-white cinematography is okay, I suppose. It was even nominated for an Oscar in 1956. Why? I'm not quite sure; as there were plenty other b-&-w films that year with superior camerawork. The sets & costumes all look/feel basic (after all, the budget for this film was only $125,000). The sound design is sketchy. The action: blahhh. The aforementioned flashback sequences - while interesting in theory - are not well-executed in practice. If they're meant to generate any tension in the story, then that basically fails.
The performances (including Mari Blanchard) are only so-so. Perhaps the only laudable - and I use that word lightly - component to the film is Paul Dunlap's musical score. But that's simply not enough. 'Stagecoach to Fury' is just an underwhelming good guys vs. bad guys old-styled Western that simply doesn't make the grade. I would only recommend this film for die hard Western fans. Maybe they'll find something special in it that I couldn't.