Gunsmoke – The Last Apache is the second in the series of made for TV Gunsmoke films that were made in the late eighties and through the early nineties by CBS. This one came out three years after the first TV movie, Gunsmoke – Return To Dodge.

James Arness is back in action once more as Marshal Matt Dillon, coming out of retirement once more. This time, the lawman heads on out to the ranch of an old flame, and flames are exactly what he finds when he shows up, just in time to find out that the place has been torched. That's not the only surprise in store for Dillon though – he soon learns that he fathered a daughter long ago and that she's been kidnapped by a rogue Apache Indian named Wolf (Joe Lara).

Dillon uses his head this time to try and figure out the best way to save the daughter he never knew he had. When it turns out that Geronimo (Joaquin Martinez), the Apache chief, has two sons locked up in the local stockade Dillon decides that he can use them for leverage against Wolf if he frees them, so that's exactly what he does. Things don't go as planned though, and Dillon's going to have to play his cards very carefully.

If this sounds like a slightly revamped version of John Ford's classic The Searchers starring John Wayne, well, you're on the right track. The John Wayne connection doesn't stop there though, this film was also shot in the Alamo Village in Texas, the same location where Wayne starred in his film, The Alamo. This film also plays off a bit from an episode of the original series entitled Matt's Love Story but we're filled in enough of the background here that prior knowledge of that particular episode isn't really needed. The writers have done a solid job of bringing even first time viewers up to speed with this self contained adventure.

Once again, we're treated to a fun and fast paced western that keeps the action moving along nicely with some doses of serious drama thrown in here and then for good measure. It's interesting to see Dillon's reaction to finding out about the daughter he never know he had and it's this reaction that makes his quest to save her all the more plausible.

Video:

This movie was originally made for TV so with that in mind, it shouldn't be surprising to find that it's presented in a fullframe presentation. For the most part, it looks pretty good too. There's some mild grain present and a little bit of edge enhancement but the color looks nice and there's a reasonably high level of detail present throughout. Quality on this release is pretty much the same as the other films in the series.