Ambush at Tomahawk Gap

When the story begins, a group of men have just been released from prison and the local sheriff chases them out of town. It seems they were involved in a robbery five years ago and now that they are out of prison, the men want to track down the hidden money. One of the men is not actually part of the gang (John Hodiak) but was convicted of the crime nonetheless...mostly because the gang members said nothing to help free him. Not surprisingly there are a few hard feelings and the guy feels he, too, is entitled to the money.

There are some problems getting the money. First, it's buried in a long abandoned ghost town. Second, and more importantly, it's on Apache land and the tribe is not especially friendly! Third, there is no one...no one to root for in the film.

This is a fair western. It has a few problems apart from having nothing but unlikable characters, such as how stupidly the Apache braves fight...they couldn't have been this dumb in real life! They seem to enjoy riding up on their horses just to be shot! Also, there's a character played by John Qualen that is just bizarre and his motivations and actions make little sense. Overall, a decent and watchable western but one that isn't particularly great or necessary to watch.

Four released convicts go back to the ghost town of Tomahawk Gap searching for the Army payroll they stole several years earlier. Not only did they have trouble finding the money, but they had to deal with a horde of mean, bloodthirsty indians and a couple of conniving white men intent on getting the money or themselves. Typical western with plenty of gunplay, horses, and action.

Ambush At Tomahawk Gap starts with four prisoners, John Derek, John Hodiak, Ray Teal, and David Brian all released from Yuma prison and out looking for the loot that was stashed by one of them before they were caught at the town of Tomahawk Gap. Only one of those prisoners is a ringer. John Hodiak was a total stranger and the other three made him a patsy so the real fourth guy could stash the loot. Only he got killed and Hodiak did his time in the joint.

You can understand why he wants in on the split. Only the Apaches are on the warpath and Tomahawk Gap is now a ghost town. If it's up to them no one's going to live long enough to spend any of it if they can find it.

This one is a crackerjack B western in which most of the cast is killed. The Apache attack is really staged well and ensemble cast gives some great performances.

As for the stolen money. There is an ironical twist in the end worthy of Alfred Hitchcock or Billy Wilder.

When four inmates (John Hodiak, David Brian, John Derek, Ray Teal) are released from Yuma Prison they work their way back to what is now the ghost town of Tomahawk Gap to recover the money from the robbery they pulled off years before. Hodiak, who was an innocent bystander in the original heist but was convicted along with the others, decides to cut himself in for a piece of the action since he served the time for a crime he didn't commit. However the road to Tomahawk Gap is not an easy one and the four must cross Apache Territory swarming with renegades to recover the stolen loot.

Directed by low budget veteran Fred Sears, who cut his teeth on the Durango Kid series at Columbia, the film doesn't spend time on meandering plot lines. Tomahawk Gap has a grittier feel than typical for the time period with little in the way of moralizing or romance. Sears definitely knew how to work with a budget and the sole focus of the movie is spent on the foursome recovering the stolen money. Hodiak receives top billing in this adult themed western, but it really is more of an ensemble cast and a pretty good one at that. By this time Hodiak had been relegated to secondary leads, larger support roles and ensemble work such as this. If Hodiak wasn't happy with the trajectory of his career you wouldn't know it by viewing this film. He comes off pitch perfect as a wrongly convicted man whose only compass in life is being paid back for his years behind bars.

Worthwhile medium budget programmer with good production values and a clever ending. Recommended for those who like their Westerns thin on drama and heavy on action.

And also thanks to the producer Wallace mc Donald, because if the producer had been Sam Katzman, believe me, the result would not have been the same on screen. This is a gritty western, very surprising for such a bland director. Fred Sears gave us all kinds of films; all kinds: westerns, war, crime, comedy, dramas and only EARTH VS FLYING SAUCERS is the most famous, because of Ray Harryhausen special effects. So, back to this one, yes, this is a pretty solid movie, showing a scheme rarely seen before and after, a scheme where there is not good or villains, only men fighting for their own interests. My favorite from Fred Sears.