zardoz-13 Robert Taylor's second western, director Sam Wood's final film "Ambush," finds him on the right side of the law after playing the eponymous outlaw in "Billy the Kid" (1941). Taylor is cast as rugged, left-handed, Army scout Ward Kinsman in this black & white MGM horse opera about the desperate search for a woman captured by the Apaches. "Ambush" is a stark looking oater with some good visual effects for its day. Scenarist Marguerite Roberts' adaptation of Luke Short's short story is frankly adult for its day. The primary plot concerns the Army's search for Mary Carlyle and the pursuit of a dangerous Apache chieftain Diablito (Charles Stevens of "The Black Pirate") who took Mary hostage.The daring opening gambit finds Kinsman and another Army Scout Frank Holly (John McIntire of "Backlash") trying to escape from a band of Apaches. They stampede their horses and hide among the rocks while the mounted warriors swarm in pursuit of their horses. The main party of braves vanishes into a narrow pass, and our heroes challenge three warriors, blow all of them off their horses, and steal those horses. Our heroes not only escape with their scalps but also their lives. Wood does a good job of staging this fracas. The next day they arrive at the cavalry fort. The fort turns out to be a hotbed of adultery as an cruel enlisted man Tom Conovan (Bruce Cowling of "Battleground") likes to beat his wife, Martha Conovan (Jean Hagen of "The Asphalt Jungle"), while she has an affair with Lieutenant Linus Delaney (Don Taylor of Stalag 17") who knows he is in trouble. Later, Conovan assaults Fort Commandant Major C.E. Breverly (Leon Ames of The Postman Always Rings Twice") with a pitchfork and punctures his lungs. As a result, Breverly turns over command of the fort to Captain Ben Lorrison (John Hodiak of "Lifeboat") who has warned Delaney of his adulterous ways. Somehow, Lorrison persuades Kinsman to scout for him as he sets out to capture Diablito and recover Mary Carlyle (Marta Mitrovich). Lorrison recruits an Apache prisoner to help him find Diablito, but Kinsman doesn't trust the brave. Predictably, the treacherous brave sneaks out of Lorrison's camp to warn Diablito, but Kinsman manages to kill him before he can alert the elusive Apache chieftain. Throughout this 89 minute western, Ann Duverall (Arlene Dahl of "Land Raiders"), is stuck at the army post where Lorrison romances her and later suggests a proposal of marriage. Kinsman takes a similar interest in Ann, but nothing happens between them. Tragically, Lorrison dies during a clever Apache ambush, which is no doubt the source of the film's title. The wily savages leave an obvious trail for Lorrison and his men to follow into the open flatlands, and these sagacious brave bury themselves just beneath the surface of the earth so that the troopers enter this crescent of warriors who burst from the ground and mow them down. Delaney and his men ride to the rescue, but they are too late to help Lorrison. The sneaky Diablito plays possum in the hope of catching Kinsman with his guard down, but our hero drills him three times, ultimately killing the chieftain."Ambush" is no great shakes, but it is an efficiently helmed oater with a strong cast and good performances.

rightwingisevil to me, this is one of the boring semi-western movies that never wowed me in the least. all the characters in this screenplay were all half baked without any clear background check, nor future development. r.t.'s performance was just okay since the weak storyline could not allow him to show more but a formulaic vague person, not even a great person at all. the storyline also made him become a lamer who didn't even know how to fight with both hands. the scene when he was knocked out in the stable without even had any chance to lay a fist against his opponent just further weakened his image in this quite lame film. the storyline involved a white woman who was caught by the injuns and her younger sister tried to rescue her also felt flat. too much scenes showed the chalvary, the early American army or marines, mounted on or off the horses, further distant the film away from a real "western" but somewhat early American military activities and they were just bored me to death. the lousy screenplay also created some no background build-up romances, the skin-deep affairs for one vague and shallow triangle romance and the other goofy, groundless sneaky relationship between a drunken soldier's wife and the soldier's immediate superior officer, that was also such a lame, pointless, going nowhere one that i could not care less. this is a very disappointing semi-western film that never gave any chance to any one in it to perform well or develop enough, but enough to become forgetful.

edwagreen The black and white cinematography does nothing for this dreary, very dull movie.In Mel Brooks's "Blazing Saddles," of 1974, it was stated that never in the history of motion pictures has the cavalry ever come late. Even being on time can't help save this mess of a film with choppy dialogue, and a story-line that could almost bring one to tears due to the complete lack of cohesion.Despite a wonderful cast, the film is largely done in by the writing. Diablito, the Apache renegade runs rampart causing death and destruction wherever he goes. Robert Taylor, as a guide joins the army in searching for this devil.At the fort, Don Taylor, an army man, is carrying on with the married Jean Hagen. Taylor, who was Susan Hayward's first husband in the memorable "I'll Cry Tomorrow," could have begun crying when this misery of a film came out. Arlene Dahl loves John Hodiak, but then Taylor comes on the scene.The film is cliché ridden. You will not be disappointed by the disappointed experienced by the women at film's end. You will just wonder why Sam Wood ever made such a film.

William Giesin I am of the opinion that "Ambush" comes off as a standard black and white horse opera for two reason. First off, as I was watching the film I couldn't help but wonder as to how much better of a film it could have been if it had been filmed in gorgeous Technocolor which would have emphasized the beautiful Monument Valley type of surroundings. Secondly, the film being a product of it's time (1949), was limited to the morality and the censorship that most assuredly was imposed on it. In other words, various organizations such as Catholic Legion Of Decency played a big part in what could be portrayed during the context of the film's plot and what was presented on the screen i.e., if any studio violated their code of ethics that appeared in the good old "Sunday Visitor", a Catholic publication, the Legion of Decency would give it a "C" for Condemned or a "MO" for Morally Objectionable to discourage patrons from going to theaters to see the film. The plot of this film has Lt. Linus Delaney (Don Taylor) falling for an enlisted man's wife Martha Conovan (Jean Hagen). The woman's husband Tom Conovan (Bruce Cowling) is an abusive drunk that continuously beats his wife and eventually becomes an army deserter. Rest assured that their is no hope for this star struck couple ever to find happiness! Obviously, there is only one way for a "taken" woman to get the other man....and that is for the out of luck husband or fiancé to die. Enter Captain Ben Lorrison (John Hodiak), a fool hardy Officer reminiscent of Henry Fonda in "Fort Apache". In other words, a man who will not listen to someone that has been there and knows what and when to do it as exemplified by a scout, Ward Kinsman (Robert Taylor). Taylor inadvertently falls for Hodiak's girl Ann Duverall (Arlene Dahl) but he has two things going for him that the other Taylor doesn't have; 1)Dahl is not married to Hodiak and 2)Hodiak is a prideful by the book officer and his stubbornness to attack the Indians when he has been heeded not to eventually gets him killed. Alas! Robert Taylor gets Dahl while Don Taylor and Jean Hagen sadly stare at each expressing a tearful, wordless "Goodbye" while humoring the good old Catholic Legion of Decency. I don't know about you guys out there...but I always looked at my good old Sunday Visitor to check out the movies I wanted to see, and I didn't let those darn old "Condemned" or "Morally Objectionable" get in my way of my entertainment.