As you watch "Southwest Passage", you can see that it was originally a 3D movie. All too often, folks strike at the camera with whips or pitchforks in a cheesy way to thrill the audience....a common cliche 3D filmmakers often put into their films.
When the story begins, three folks are running from the law. Soon one of them is shot and the remaining two (John Ireland and Joanne Dru) make their way to a caravan heading to California. The folks they meet up with turn out to be Cavalry folks escorting some Muslim men and their camels, as apparently the military is considering importing camels because of their ability to live in the desert. Unfortunately, while this seems like an interesting idea, the film seems to have forgotten this plot about midway through the film. The rest is mostly cliches...with the usual Indian attacks and and ending that really made little sense. It could have been worse...but should have been a lot better.