A tough-talking street melodrama, both shocking and sorrowful, acted by Paul Newman and a huge cast with the kind of conviction that can’t be ignored (…). Fort Apache, the Bronx is an odd-shaped movie. There are unfortunate ellipses in the way it sees life in the South Bronx, unfortunate lines of dialogue and unfortunate sequences. But it’s also entertaining and very moving, which is not something you can say of most movies about the decline and fall of civilizations. — Vincent Canby, 1981.