You are here:

Gunsmoke: The Last Apache

Name: Gunsmoke: The Last Apache
Director: Charles Correll
Released: 1990
Duration: 94 min

Representation Score

1.1/10

Minimal

1990

PG-13

Director

Charles Correll

Runtime

94 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Gunsmoke: The Last Apache operates as a traditional Western that maintains established social and cultural hierarchies. The narrative centers around the ability to act of the dominant legal authority, particularly Matt Dillon. Although the film includes ethnic diversity through Apache characters, these roles are defined by their relationship to the protagonist's mission. This limits a deeper exploration of their lived experiences. The production does not intentionally challenge traditional gender roles or question the systemic power dynamics of the frontier era.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Gunsmoke: The Last Apache have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film follows traditional structures that assume everyone is straight and cisgender. There are no characters with diverse gender identities or stories that explore LGBTQ+ themes.

How does Gunsmoke: The Last Apache portray gender?

Limited

Female characters, such as the captive daughter, mainly serve as passive plot devices. The narrative emphasizes the leadership and capabilities of male figures.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Gunsmoke: The Last Apache?

Fair

Apache characters are included, but they are used primarily as bargaining chips in the plot. The story relies on well-known clichés about renegades versus lawmen.

How does Gunsmoke: The Last Apache represent religion and culture?

Limited

The story highlights the importance of frontier institutions like the military and law enforcement. It emphasizes the role of the US Marshal as a stabilizing force.

Does Gunsmoke: The Last Apache include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no visible or hidden disabilities incorporated into the characters' stories or themes.

Present on Screen

The film offers visible representation of ethnic diversity through the inclusion of Apache characters and actors.

Limited or Absent

The narrative relies on transactional depictions of indigenous people, using them as bargaining chips.
Female characters lack ability to act, serving mostly as passive recipients of conflict.
The film reinforces patriarchal structures and traditional Western clichés without critique.

Official Synopsis

James Arness rides again as Matt Dillon, the US Marshal he made popular in the 1955-75 TV series. In this movie he goes after a renegade Apache named Wolf who has taken his daughter captive. As a bargaining chip, Dillon helps two sons of Apache chief Geronimo out of the fort stockade and offers them in trade. Dillon is aided by an Army scout, Chalk Brighton.

How are these scores produced? →