A Lack of Union in Fort Laramie
Maj. Seth Bradner (John Dehner) biggest concern at Fort Laramie is the constant troubles they have with the nearby Sioux Indians. But there is a new unrest starting to form with in the Fort's walls due to news reaching them of unrest between the north and the south. When an official war is declared between the north and south Maj. Bradner and the Cavalry men from the south resign and leave to return home to Virginia and their homes in the South. But their journey home is through Sioux territory and they end up being attacked. When a messenger managers to return news to the fort, Capt. James 'Jamie' Tenslip (Gregg Palmer) has to decide whether to help them.
If any movie producers stumble across this review I beg of you to remake "Revolt at Fort Laramie" but invest some serious money because the potential to be a fascinating western is clear to see. The set up of a fort where men having fought side by side suddenly find themselves divided by a civil war is loaded with potential. And in fairness at times "Revolt at Fort Laramie" manages to touch on the issues from the simmering tension between the North and South inside Fort Laramie to loyalty towards friends when they end up in trouble as well as the tough decisions faced by those who either out of patriotism or to try and prevent unrest within the Fort lead men into inevitable danger.
Unfortunately "Revolt at Fort Laramie" ends up one of those westerns from the mid 1950s which feels like it is part of a western movie factory line. As such, despite the interesting set up everything about this western is stereotypical be it the look, the characters or the action. Now that does mean that "Revolt at Fort Laramie" is still an entertaining watch for western fans yet at the same time the sort of movie you will struggle to remember any detail of by the time you watch another western.
What this all boils down to is that "Revolt at Fort Laramie" ends up just another 1950s western, the sort which for the most feels like it was made on the western movie production line. And in a way it is sad as the set up has a lot of potential to explore the tension when the civil war broke out but barely manages to dig beneath the surface.
