Victor Mature plays 'Jed Cooper', a Baby Huey-like trapper born on the frontier living with his two friends, a fatherly James Whitmore as 'Gus' and their Indian pal 'Mungo' (Pat Hogan). Being told by the local Indian tribe that they aren't welcome anymore and must move, Jed decides to sign up as a scout at an army fort and his mountain men friends reluctantly agree to follow.
Captain Riordon (Guy Madison) takes a liking to Jed and promises him a soldiers uniform once the mountain men are ready to become 'civilized'. The camp is led by the bloodthirsty Col. Frank Marston, (played with a loony glee by Robert Preston). Col. Marston recently lost a thousand men in a battle he wrongly led and is crazed with revenge looking to redeem himself. Ann Bancroft plays his wife, the only woman living at the fort. She's disappointed with her husband but stands by him regardless, until she meets Jed. She's attracted to his ruggedness but put off by his lack of proper civilized manners.
The Indian threat grows closer and Jed fights to find if he can become civilized and live a stable life or if he's just the hopeless savage everyone says he is.
Shot in Mexico! But you'd never guess, it looks just like Oregon. **SPOILERS** This movie can be summed up as: Victor Mature gets drunk, gets laid and then it snows. Snow in any western is always a plus. The real reason to watch this movie is for Victor Mature's drunkenly brazen man-child performance. If you've only seen Mature as a film noir straight man you'll be surprised at how great he is here as the uncouth but lovable frontiersman. He drinks and he laughs and he goofs, like a big kid just enjoying life. There's great sexual tension, and a little bit of fear, when Mature drunkenly stumbles into Bancroft's room. We know he does whatever he feels but he hasn't shown himself to be mean-spirited or violent. Her husband the Col. only has lust for killing, with no real honor. He's a stiff and a stickler, just about the exact opposite of Jed.
Overshadowed by Anthony Mann's other westerns, THE LAST FRONTIER is every bit as good, full of adult themes but without the cowboy heroics. A funny-type of western for the savage thinking man.
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