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Two brothers who are not the best friends because they were fighting on different sides during the Civil War have to cooperate in order to defend themselves against an attack of indians.

The Last Outpost is Civil war drama with traditional western elements such as the injuns, highlighting divided loyalties and the moral challenges of wartime. A gold shipment stolen by the Rebs is thrown in there, but when the injuns hit the town all the entertaining display of drama, impersonation, bravado and cat and mouse between grey and blue before takes a back seat and the opposing sides got to work together. Que: impressive battle scenes. An icing on a cake, if you ask me.

Ronald Reagan shows some charm as the Confederate officer who shows that he has some principles when he tries to stop the injuns from joining forces with the North. That plan goes haywire when Geronimo is captured and thrown in the town jail. If they don't release him, the town will become a cemetery. Rhonda Fleming adds some glamour as Reagan's former girlfriend and Bruce Bennett plays Reagan's brother who is on the Northside.

After the end of the Civil War, Sergeant Matt Blake is leading a small band of cavalry soldiers through Apache territory to deliver a shipment of guns to a fort a few days away, along with Corbin (Baynes Barron), who has been arrested for his plans to sell the guns to Indians.

Along the way Blake and his men are waylaid by a group of men led by former Southern officer Captain Sam Prescott (Frank Gerstle). Prescott and his men, including Keith Williams (Eastwood), are Southerners who resent the Yankee cavalry soldiers, but they all have a much bigger problem dealing with Apache Indians. The two groups agree to work together to get to the safety of the fort.

The Apaches soon show up in the area with a woman they've kidnapped, Teresa (Margita Dean), and use her as a distraction to steal the group's horses. The men find themselves having to walk to the fort along with Teresa, their only protection being the rifles that the Indians still want.

Ambush at Cimarron Pass gets blasted as dull, middling and lousy - personally, I didn't find it lousy or dull as the dialogue is intelligent, involving and drives the plot - yes, it's middling at times and even talky, but the premise is good, it just needed some injection of more energy and drive in the plot and maybe a better direction, though that is adequate as it is. Having said that, it kept my attention, had adequate amount of tension, drama, a spurt of action here and there, and it's well acted with interesting characters.

Funny that Clint Eastwood, who plays a Yankee hating Johnny Reb, says this is "the lousiest Western ever made". I found it fairly enjoyable and involving - I had rather watch this than the dull and dismal the Unforgiven (1992).

A cavalry unit rides into a Comanche trap. If the patrol leaders cannot find a way out, they will all surely perish. Fortunately, a sympathetic Comanche woman brought up in a missionary helps them locate a secret passage which allows them to escape and get help.

However, when she dies they are left vulnerable until they meet a survivor, the daughter of the dead missionary leader, who helps them reach the pass - but danger looms ...

War Party is a solid b-western with a neat balance between characterisation, suspense and action - the latter comes sporadically but surely, and it is well-staged amidst the mountainous regions. Plenty of tension is found, there's even a little humour when an injun called wooden face who is obsessed with cigars appears. It's really well-mounted in such a compact space with the injuns portrayed as smart foes and not just targets!

Camerawork is superb, the outdoors suitably breathtaking and claustrophobic. Nicely performed by Don "Red" Barry, who is determined to deliver the message to the cavalry patrol at the other side. The other players offer great support.