User Reviews

Offbeat Western concerning about an aging scout named McIntosh (Burt Lancaster)and an idealist Cavalry Lt. (Bruce Davison)commanding a group of soldiers , booth of them join forces on their way to track down an Apache Chiricaua leader named Ulzana(Joaquin Martinez) escaped from reservation of San Carlos. The veteran along with an Apache scout (Jorge Luke) agree to help them to chase vicious Indians but learn that the rebel Apache chieftain is hunting them down.

This outlandish Western is based on mixture of modern violence and brooding dialog, is of real note. Lancaster plays perfectly a ready to retire veteran explorer trying to lead cavalry against marauding and cruel Indians. The last images when Lancaster-McIntosh stays below a cart being surrounded by brave Indians bear remarkable resemblance to frames regarding Gregory Peck from ¨Billy two hats¨ also by the same screenwriter Alan Sharp. Prestigious supporting cast as Lloyd Bochner as captain, Karl Swenson as tortured farmer and Richard Jaeckel as upright sergeant. Among some cavalry troopers appear secondaries as Jerry Gatlin, Richard Farnsworth and 'Nick Cravat' , Lancaster's usual partner. This gritty Western is ravishingly photographed in color by Joseph Biroc . Splendidly filmed on location in Nogales, Arizona and lands of : Coronado National Forest, Bureau of land of Management, State of Nevada, Department of Conservation and Resources, Division of the State Parks. It contains stirring musical score with Indian and military sounds by Frank DeVol , Aldrich's ordinary's musician. The talent for this vigorous Western that Aldrich shows is based on his powerful film-making that sustains interest and compels by careful concentration on the acting of Burt Lancaster. Robert Aldrich is a specialist on dramatic Western as ¨Veracruz¨, ¨Apache¨, ¨The last sunset¨ but also on Western with humor as ¨Four for Texas¨and ¨The Frisco kid¨. Rating : Very good, better than average and well worth seeing. This unusual Western enjoys recently elevated critical re-evaluation, though previously was considered as anti-Indian because they're brutally portrayed and being originally directed by Aldrich, a great expert in violent drama.

A small group of Apaches has just stolen some horses and left the reservation. Their number and immediate intentions are unclear to the commander of the nearest US Calvary outpost, but his youngest Lieutenant wishes to give them the benefit of the doubt according to his Christian philosophy.

The Calvary's scout is a grizzled, weather-beaten man played to perfection by Burt Lancaster. He knows exactly what the Apaches intentions are, and seems flabbergasted by the commander of the base for whom he serves. Nevertheless, he follows his orders all the while never missing a chance to foretell what will be the result of the Commander's delays.

The premise of this movie does follow the most cynical views that one people may hold for another, and there's no point in arguing their accuracy here. Different from many other films about Indian uprisings, at least this one attempts to explain the motives of the Apaches. To appreciate any film the premise must be "swallowed", but there are many who will not be able to keep it down long enough to enjoy the excellent writing, wonderful performances, and "not a frame viewed without purpose" editing and directing. I recommend this film completely and consider it an 8 out of 10, which I give to very few films.

Upon the first viewing this has become one of my favorite, if not my very favorite, western of all time. Not for the squeamish due to extreme violence to both people and animals.

Robert Aldrich was a director I much admired, directing some of my favorite films: Kiss Me Deadly (1955) – the quintessential Mike Hammer flick – Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964), The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967) and others. Now, after missing it for over thirty years, I can now add this one: as a truly realistic and accurate portrayal of what would have happened in one of many skirmishes during the Indian wars of the late nineteenth century.

This is a mature and sometimes grossly horrific account of what Apaches did to settlers and soldiers, and what soldiers did to Apaches. It pulls no punches in depicting how the marauding band of Apaches eviscerate the dead and play sport with the entrails of victims, how they rape and torture wives of settlers, how they torture the men slowly and most cruelly. But, it also shows how soldiers are driven to perform cowardly, and equally cruel acts when retaliating, in the name of justice.

And caught in the middle of this mayhem is young Lt. DeBruin (Bruce Davison) who's given the task of rounding up Ulzana (Joaquin Martinez) and his band of Apaches who left the reservation, stole some horses and began to lay a path of destruction and death across part of Arizona. Being fresh out from military college, he needs help; and so, the fort commander (Douglass Watson) sends the grizzled Army scout McIntosh (Burt Lancaster) along to provide necessary advice and guidance – together with a company of toughened army veterans kept in check by a weary sergeant (the ever competent Richard Jaeckel). Rounding out the 'posse' is the Apache army scout Ki-Ni-Tay (Jorge Luke) who provides the young DeBruin (and the viewer) with insight into the mind of the Apache.

The story resolves to a cat-and-mouse game between Ulzana and his pursuers, each trying to outguess and outmaneuver the other across and through the wide and desolate expanse of the Arizona hills and semi-desert. So, it's as much an entertainment as it is a lesson in the tactics necessary for the soldiers to gain the upper hand. There are some wonderful landscape shots that illustrate just how difficult the task was; and there are moments of sheer brilliance when Aldrich shows Ki-Ni-Tay's on-foot pursuit of one of Ulzana's band, a standout sequence of stealth and suspense.

Throughout all of this McIntosh brings his long experience to bear upon DeBruin's decisions, convincing the lieutenant to set the only trap that would fool Ulzana into making a mistake – McIntosh reiterating many times that "those who make the first mistake" will lose. All too true because things always go wrong with the best laid plans...

Once again, Lancaster shows the master's touch in this role: his crinkly eyes, lined face and quiet voice attesting to a man who's seen it all and who just wants to get a job done and survive another day. Which makes Davison almost perfect as the cherubic – almost angelic – faced neophyte who wants to do well but who also wants to change his world and make it better for all – including the Apache. Such irony...

The only jarring notes were the sometimes-quick cuts (which made me wonder if some scenes had been deleted); and the sometimes-peculiar music sound track that you have to listen to, to understand my point. Otherwise...

Not recommended for children as this film does contain some graphically awful scenes. For all adult fans of the western genre, however, I thoroughly recommend a viewing.

Stark and brutal, but completely lacking the melodramatic sturm und drang of most war movies, Ulzana's Raid plays out like it was another deadly day at the office for the participants. Produced as an allegory on the Vietnam War, Robert Aldrich and Burt Lancaster created a focused drama about the senselessness of hating your opponents and the absence of victory in ethnic conflicts. The participants and victimized settlers aren't so much dehumanized as they are inconsequential except to themselves.

Filmed in Nogales, Arizona and Nevada, the conflict is played out realistically with both sides shepherding their supplies of time, endurance, ammunition, and manpower. The location shots are beautifully laid out with an emphasis on depicting the strategic planning of the apache raiders and opposing troopers. Several scenes stand out in sharp contrast to most war movies. In one group of scenes, Aldrich follows a German family and their fate as the wife rides off with her child and a trooper escort, and the well-armed husband stays behind to defend their home. In another, the troop commander sends two soldiers after a wounded apache raider. In both cases, he turns conventional logic and sentiment on its head in honor of a grimmer reality. To my mind, this is one of the best war stories ever made and the DVD lays it out in full screen Technicolor.

Character actor Joaquin Martinez plays the title role in this pursuit-Western, a story of a fierce Apache war chief who flees a reservation with his comrades, determined to institute a reign of terror. A wet-behind-the-ears Cavalry officer, Lt. DeBuin (Bruce Davison), is put in charge of the pursuit, and while he will have the final say in military matters, he will also need to defer to the judgment of McIntosh (Burt Lancaster), the veteran Indian scout who will be used for tracking. Also along for the ride is an Indian named Ke-Ni-Tay (Jorge Luke), and DeBuin will have his doubts as to where Ke-Ni-Tays' loyalty lies.

Filmed against some beautiful countryside, this is an overlooked item on the resume of accomplished filmmaker Robert Aldrich, better known for such films as "Kiss Me Deadly", "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?", and "The Dirty Dozen". Some viewers may take exception to the portrayal of Indians in this narrative, as most of them are true savages, but director Robert Aldrich and screenwriter Alan Sharp ("Night Moves") make sure to drive home the point that there will be atrocities committed by both sides. The two parties are not really that different. Lending his expert advise and wisdom is McIntosh, who always has something interesting to say to the impassioned but somewhat naive DeBuin. Aldrich and Sharp pull no punches in terms of violence, which would cause them to lose some more audience members. And yet everything plays out with a refreshing lack of sentimentality. The Cavalry endures in their mission, despite the fact that these particular opponents always seem to be more than one step ahead of them.

The performances are first-rate, with Lancaster scoring in one of his most matter-of-fact, low key portrayals. Davison is just right in his part. Luke has some scene-stealing moments, especially when he says, "His wife, ugly. My wife, not so ugly." As played by Martinez, Ulzana remains something of an enigma; the character has few major scenes and not much dialogue to utter. Richard Jaeckel, Lloyd Bochner, Karl Swenson, John Pearce, and Richard Bull comprise an excellent supporting cast; among the Cavalrymen are Ted Markland, Nick Cravat, and Richard Farnsworth.

Designed as a Vietnam war allegory, the picture does have a clearly stated message warning against demonizing ones' opponents, and plays out in a reasonably realistic fashion. Recommended.

Seven out of 10.

Interesting Western, made when Bob Aldrich already was an established Hollywood-director. He had directed several Westerns, and well-known for his films, such as "Attack" and "Flight of the Phoenix". You can notice his experience when you watch this film. To make this picture Aldrich needed his big director-name, otherwise I think he couldn't dare to make "Ulzana's Raid" (althrough made during the New Hollywood-era).

This wasn't just another Western, it was a serious try to make a violent film with battle between the white and the native Americans, maybe with ambition to stay neutral or being distanced. The film didn't succeeded with that ambition but yet it wasn't a failure and it got a rather unique mood. Burt Lancaster was a good choice in the lead, but the character McIntosh isn't the type you learn to love from the first frame he enters the screen (and no classic Lancaster-type), and yet he is not an anti-hero. You never get to know him. This is a very experienced, but rather quiet character (anti-Lancaster). You don't get to know his right hand Ke-Ni-Tay neither, and none of their enemies or allied. I think this is perfect for the film.

Maybe the story could have been developed more. It is hardly one of the very strongest Western-movies I have seen, since it isn't a film that makes you feel a lot of different emotions such as Ford's, Hawks' or Leone's movies did, but still a very interesting film because it is original in many ways and that is reason enough to not miss it. A bold film, made in an interesting time.

Rating: 7 of 10.

The first issue on this film is the question, "Is the print I am looking at complete?" When Ulzana's Raid was scheduled as a late movie on network TV, I set the timer to capture it. After viewing it, I was stunned. I watched it several times, trying to savor every detail. I could see, however, that network TV had edited out some graphically violent scenes.

I purchased a home video version, but was disappointed. It had some of the graphic images restored, but some other scenes were missing from the purchased version that I had seen in the network TV version. For example, there is a scene between Lloyd Bochner and Douglass Watson, the post commander. Watson is listening to the oily Bochner attempting to weasel out of the detail to chase Ulzana. Watson is taking snuff during the scene, which is fascinating in its statement. It is a revolting exhibition, and it leaves you with the question of why anyone would do anything like that. Leaving it out of the film disturbs the balance, in that it is yet another example of the white man's questionable behavior. We already knew the Apaches were a little eccentric.

Also missing is the scene between Lloyd Bochner and Bruce Davison where Bochner is selling the young lieutenant on the notion that he recommended Davison for the mission instead of he himself weaseling out of it. The naive lieutenant is most grateful. This scene is important in that it emphasizes DeBuin's naiveté, and shows the integrity of at least one of the cavalry officers.

There is another scene deleted where McIntosh is reading from the Rukeyser's bible, and deriving obscure facts about the family that had been decimated by the Apaches. It was almost wistful in its statement of how the twists and turns of life depend on trifles.

And there is the question of Mrs. McIntosh. Aimee Eccles plays the part, a credited role, but she appears as no more than a shadow in the two versions of the film I saw. Is something missing here also? Ulzana's Raid is a carefully constructed mosaic, and it is terrible that a "director's cut" is not available.

Much of the commentary on this cult film addresses allegorical aspects, but I never got that from the film. I think it is more interesting to focus on Jorge Luke's character Ke-Ni-Tay. I have been able to identify Luke in a couple of films, most notably for me was Sunburn, wherein he plays a thug. He is evidently a veteran of the Mexican cinema, with 110 entries in the IMDb for his appearances. He handles this role with just the right touch.

From the outset, Ke-Ni-Tay is shown as the superior man in most ways. He is extraordinary in his job, and more than competent. He is also a philosopher and teacher. He tells the lieutenant why the Apaches torture and kill their captives. "You not know about power. In this land, man must have power. Each man who dies, the man who kills him, takes his power." He also explains why Ulzana left the agency. "Ulzana is at agency long time. His power is very thin. He had old smell in the nose. The smell of dog, of women, of children. Man with old smell in the nose is old man. Ulzana wants new smell. The smell of bullet. Pony running. For power!" Ke-Ni-Tay is also a joker. When asked by the lieutenant if he knows Ulzana, Ke-Ni-Tay says, "His wife is my wife's sister. His wife ugly. My wife, not so ugly."

Ke-Ni-Tay appears also to rate higher in the Apache pecking order as well. When Ulzana is finally cornered, and he realizes the raid is over, Ke-Ni-Tay confronts him with the death of Ulzana's son. Ulzana willingly submits to his own execution, and Ke-Ni-Tay performs the act with honor and respect, but without hesitation.

Ke-Ni-Tay is an honorable man. When asked by DeBuin if he will kill the lookout, he says, "Ke-Ni-Tay sign paper." There is no question he will follow through.

Ke-Ni-Tay is also a loving and loyal friend. His relationship with McIntosh goes way beyond a Lone Ranger and Tonto association. Their bond is shown subtly and beautifully by Director Aldrich, through looks and simple gestures. There are no words of sentiment between them, but their friendship is strong. Ke-Ni-Tay worries that the lieutenant will not ride back to help McIntosh. McIntosh rebukes the lieutenant for his implied insults to Ke-Ni-Tay simply because he is an Apache, as the lieutenant's hate for Apaches grows throughout the film. When asked if Ke-Ni-Tay can be trusted, McIntosh says simply but emphatically, "I trust him." At the end of the film, Lieutenant DeBuin is a wiser man than when he began his journey with Ke-Ni-Tay. As he leaves Ke-Ni-Tay to deal with the burial of Ulzana, DeBuin salutes him, with the simple address of "Scout," as he takes his leave.

Ke-Ni-Tay is one of the most fascinating characters in film. His character is carefully constructed and revealed, and his stature grows throughout. He is complex and heroic—a man one would be honored to know.

Ulzana's Raid is a cult film for sure. Look at the number of comments it has received here. This is a provocative and evocative masterpiece. Hopefully, this film will be restored to its original release. It deserves it.

The only reason I have not given this movie a "10" is that I might find something wrong with it on subsequent viewings. If anybody knows of this film being available widescreen, unedited, and not bootlegged, let me know where. My high definition TV does not forgive picture flaws. Otherwise I will be patient for a remaster. As someone who is an amateur historian of the Indian wars, I can tell you this is the most accurate dramatization of the campaign against the Apaches ever filmed. Accurate history is presented in the fact that the Apaches were the dominant tribe of the southwest {the Comanches in Texas might have been their rival}. Ask the Puebloes, who actually welcomed the white man, as a buffer against the Apache. The Apache dominated the southwest long before the Spanish ever showed up. Their spiritual philosophy of "taking a man's power" was shared by other warlike Indian tribes all the way to the east coast {see "Last of the Mohicans", Mann's version}. The film manages to also be great western drama as well as a history lesson.There is no moral judgment, only the way it was. The cast is superb.Lancaster, Davidson, The Hispanic Indian actors. Richard Jaeckel, and Karl Swenson {two workhorse character actors, who turned in performances of a lifetime}. All these guys plus director Aldrich and the writers knew they were working on something special. Even the PC edited version is worth seeing. A great Cavalry/Indian western, maybe the best!

"Ulzana's Raid" is a bit more modern in style than many westerns, as it's bloodier and is a bit more grim than most films in the genre. However, it's not all modern, as there is no trace of the changing attitudes towards the American Indian, as in this film the Apaches are pretty much scum. This tribe takes pleasure in torture, murder and rape--things you won't see in a more modern western...if they made them any more. I am not sure how true this depiction of this particular tribe is true as well as one soldier blowing out his brains after murdering a white woman to prevent them from capturing them. All I know is that this made for a rather depressing film.

Burt Lancaster plays a grizzled old scout. He is experienced in dealing with the Apache. Bruce Davison plays a VERY young and inexperienced Cavalry lieutenant who is in charge of a small expedition that is out to chased down and kill the Apache, Ulzana, and his raiding party. Much of the film consists of desert shots--with soldiers following Ulzana's trail. This is punctuated by period brutal scenes--brutal for 1972, though not all that brutal today.

I noticed that some of the reviewers really liked this film. I found it all to be a bit ponderous and you KNEW how the film would end--only exactly how it got there was in question. An okay western but not among Lancaster's better films.

By the way, although the film is rated R, it probably today would be rated PG-13 or perhaps even PG.

Apache renegade Ulzana goes on a murder raid, hot on his trail is a posse of cavalrymen. Led by the young and inexperienced Lt. Garnett DeBuin, the cavalrymen in order to survive and defeat Ulzana, must rely on the help of tough old scout McIntosh and his trusty Indian friend, Ke-Ni-Tay.

Directed masterfully by Robert Aldrich ("The Dirty Dozen" & "The Longest Yard"), Ulzana's Raid is just shy of being an uncompromising masterpiece. There is no pandering to political correctness here, this is showing the bitter hostility of the Indian War, torture and murderous inclination is the order of the day. The allegories to Vietnam are hard to ignore as our band of men are struggling out in the wilderness against Ulzana's hostile raiders, the sprawling mountainous landscape another tool to the already handily equipped Apache.

What lifts Ulzana's Raid high above many of its contemporaries is the on the money dialogue. A wonderfully complex script from Alan Sharp manages to make all the characters intriguing and deserving of further delving. The Apache are savage, and Aldrich doesn't flinch from showing this, but they are afforded respect, and crucially, understanding. This could quite easily have been a one sided blood letting exercise in Western folklore, but it isn't. The motives and attitudes of the white man party is there for all to scrutinise, with much attention to detail given as the many conversations bring rich and rewarding results to the discerning viewer. From the off it's evident that McIntosh & DeBuin have vastly different views of Ulzana's actions, but as the film moves forward - all manner of questions leap out, be it Christian values, racial hatred or merely imperialistic trust, all parties involved are hurtling towards the final reckoning.

Burt Lancaster is perfect as McIntosh, grizzled and carrying a frame made for such a rigorous terrain. Playing DeBuin is Bruce Davison, boyish charm fused expertly with unwanted bravado, while stealing the film is Jorge Luke as Ke-Ni-Tay. A performance of great depth that holds and binds the picture brilliantly. Sadly this film has been a victim of much interference over the years, (studio and Lancaster himself to blame), so much so there is thought to be about 6 cuts of the film out there in the home entertainment world. Thankfully we are now able to get a cut of the film that is almost complete, but still there remains to this day no definitive full cut of the film. German (the version I own) and Australian releases proclaim to have it uncut, but that's not accurate because there is still some three minutes missing from the very first cut of it - including a quite crucial sequence involving Sergeant and Trooper Miller (note at 49 minutes an intrusive quick cut from a night scene to a day scene) Still, it has to be said that even with 3 minutes chopped out of it, Ulzana's Raid is still a grim and brilliant piece of work. Showing the savagery from both sides of the fence, Aldrich and his team refuse to cop out and pander to formula. 9/10

Probably many of us had the question, good or bad? when finish watching the film. Aldrich was always fond on Indian problems, but in fact he never went to the roots of the problem. Ulzana seems to be a killer without mercy, the dialog between the officer and a recruited Indian left me also with the sensation that Ulzana and his followers were killers. However, some ambiguity was also left when Lancaster said to his officer that he was married to an Indian woman and that Apaches should be understood. The film was right indicating the intelligence of the movement of the Indians in their fight against the white army. As an entertainment the film is OK, but historically it is poor in general.

As you can see by a couple of comments already left, this movie is not "PC". In fact, I'd say it's a fantasy movie or, perhaps a political thriller? I find it funny that throughout the entire movie, the Natives are regarded as savages. The movie makes you believe that they were ALWAYS savages and the White Man had nothing to do with it. They don't go into the HORROR of reservation life or the events leading to the imprisonment of these natives. Genocide was committed in that time, but let's not talk about that. Let's make a movie glorifying the HUNT of a renegade group of Apaches trying to fight a war using the EXACT SAME tactics their enemy uses. Let's all enjoy and rate a movie that tells the TRUE stories of the Calvary slaughtering woman, children, old people and men. Let's rent a movie about the people and culture that no longer exist due to the U.S. policy to extinguish the Indian population while we enjoy a nice bowl of popcorn. I'm not buying the message that is being sent through this movie.

This is one of those movies that seems to have a lot more action than it does. It follows a young cavalry lieutenant, sent to bring a renegade Apache back to the reservation. Ulzana, reminiscent of Geronimo, leads a small band of Indians on a bloody raid of settlers homes. This is one of those rare movies that has a very methodical plot and very few illusions. Lancaster is pretty good as the tired veteran, and Bruce Davidson turns in a pretty good performance as an idealistic soldier whose views of the world are deeply shaken by what he sees.

Even more surprising is the portrayal of the Apaches. They're not menacingly evil subhumans as in some early westerns, but neither are they the always humane and sensitive pseudo flower children caricatures as in "Little Big Man" or "Dances With Wolves". They're extremely violent, ruthless, and cruel--however the movie doesn't set them up as necessarily the bad guys. They're just the adversary.

At one point Lancaster's character says "Hating the Apache is like hating the desert because there isn't any water in it." (Or something similar.) That line really sums up the movie in my view.

There isn't much black or white here, just two groups of men--and it is a masculine movie--using their stamina, wiles, and tactics in a game of cat and mouse. There are some violent scenes, but never gratuitous; the scenes can be unsettling, but its not really gruesome.

Well done.

Relentlessly tough and violent Western shows no sympathy for any side of the conflict, which may seem dubious, but rather emanates a quite nihilistic viewpoint.

Robert Aldrich's savage 1972 revenge western which as harrowing now as then - a band of Apaches's have left the reservation and gone on a killing spree - Young and idealistic Lt DeBuin(Bruce Davison) is put in charge of the calvary sent out to stop them - he is joined by wily,plain speaking scout McIntosh(a splendidly grizzeled Burt Lancaster) and his trusty Apache assistant Ki-No-Tay - the chase is on to stop Ulzana before he does too much killing.... DeBuin is from devout Christian stock and is appalled at the cruelty meted out to the Apache's victim's - he starts from a point that they are no different to himself but as the burnings,rapes and torture mount he begins to question how these men could have been made in God's image.

McIntosh is more sanguine about it - he respects the Apache but has no illusions about the way they operate - Aldrich doesn't shy away from the more grisly acts but its more than the usual Injun bashing - the point is made that if the white man treated them better then they woudn't feel the need to do these things - McIntosh is not so convinced and there is a factinating conversation between DeBuin and Ki-No-Tay about why the Apache kill and how others deaths give the killer power. Along the way DeBuin has his metal tested and has to make decisions that affect the life and deaths of both homesteaders and his troops - Davison is good in the role and Lancaster is excellent as the older,more experienced man who has seen it all before but knows what needs to be done - but still brings a warmth and humanity to the character.

Of course any search and destroy raiding party Western of the time can have endless Vietnam parallels - and the fine script leaves the film open to more than one interpretation. Fine stuff.

An idealistic young officer teams up with an experienced scout to track down a group of murderous Apaches in this popular western drama written by 'Night Moves' screenwriter Alan Sharp and directed by Robert Aldrich. Burt Lancaster has the lead role of the old scout, Richard Jaeckel can be found among the supporting cast and the film is shot by Oscar winning DOP Joseph F. Biroc. With such strong talent both behind and in front of the camera, 'Ulzana's Raid' is a classy production and refreshingly grisly and graphically violent for a western of its era. The crux of the story though is the young officer's growing disillusionment with his quest and gradual realisation that some people out there are simply sadistic and evil - a character arc a little too trite and formulaic to click. Bruce Davison is a solid actor in general (very effective in 'Last Summer' and 'The Strawberry Statement' only a few years earlier) but he is simply grating as the young officer here, constantly preaching his religious beliefs and constantly asking rhetorical questions in a non-rhetorical way. He seems like a child at times with his apparent oblivion to evil existing in the world and frequent claims of good existing in everyone. The film almost makes up for this with a nice subplot involving Jorge Luke as an Apache helping Lancaster and Davison in their quest with some very pronounced internal dilemmas. Some apparently regard the film as a Vietnam War allegory, but it can be appreciated allegorical connections aside, even if it is hardly a flawless production.

Seeing Ulzana's Raid now, almost thirty years later, makes one realize how much things have changed. More than a western, the film was commenting on much of what was happening at the time. I refer of course to the Vietnam war. The innocence of the lieutenant, the sympathy for the Apaches and their different culture, the conflicts among the whites and among the Apaches, all reverberated more at the time. Few movies today seem to deal with any content, much less political. American movies exist for thrills and business. The late sixties and early seventies were a great time for American movies: they allowed us to look at ourselves and engage in a larger debate. One can talk about Ulzana's Raid in ways that Exit Wounds or even Hannibal can't even approach. American films today are self-reverential. They are about movies, not about the world around them. I say this because I am afraid many people who see this film now won't appreciate the richness Aldrich and screenwriter Sharp bring to the film.

This early 70s revisionist western, made very much in the shadow of the conflict in southeast Asia, features first rate action sequences from director Robert Aldrich. Best scenes of the film for me were those in which the U. S. Cavalry and the Apaches try to outmaneuver and out think each other in a violent, harsh desert landscape in which, thanks to DP Joseph Biroc, the viewer is thoroughly immersed.

Also notable is a fine, late career Burt Lancaster performance as an aging, world weary scout and solid support from Bruce Davidson, looking and acting like Harry Carey Jr. (a good thing) as a callow lieutenant and Richard Jaeckel, an Aldrich veteran, as a very un callow sergeant.

Unfortunately, the strength of the battle sequences is somewhat vitiated by Alan Sharp's screenplay which is good when providing Lancaster and Jaeckel with wry, cynical one liners but has a regrettable tendency to engage in heavy handed, White versus Native American musings, particularly when the cavalry beds down for the night. And in a revisionist western it's more than a little off putting that Indian stereotypes have not been more fully revised. A movie made in 1972 should not have the whites conversing freely while the Apaches are mostly silent, shrieking or grunting. And casting Latinos to play them is not an advance in enlightenment over Jews and Italians.

Bottom line: It's no "Fort Apache", but it's a heck of a lot better than "Rio Grande". B minus.

The Old West was on the screen, but Vietnam was on the minds of the audience and possibly the filmmakers. Like other Westerns of the time, "Ulzana's Raid" pays little attention to traditional Western themes like rugged self-reliance, goodguy-badguy, or the Indian as Noble Savage or Rapacious Brute. It's not the first Western to try to portray Plains Indians with either sympathy or a degree of realism (Richard Widmark's roles in "The Last Wagon" and "Cheyenne Autumn" come to mind), but it makes an effort scarcely to be equaled before or since. Apache warrior Ulzana (Martinez), weary of his reservation, leads several young braves on a foray for "new smell," as Army scout Ke-Ni-Tay (Luke, in an understated, perfectly deadpan performance) describes it. "New smell" includes the smoke of rifle fire and burning homesteads. In pursuit is a cavalry detail led by a young lieutenant (Davison) and including Ke-Ni-Tay, a tough, skilled sergeant (Jaeckel) and tracker McIntosh (Lancaster). McIntosh, who is disgusted by white exploitation & abuse of the Indians but has no illusions about Ulzana's deadliness, brings nothing new to Westerns. It's Davison who stands out, giving us a mirror to look into as he portrays the lieutenant's struggle between his Christian idealism and the horrors of homesteaders mutilated by Ulzana. Ke-Ni-Tay, who of course has chosen to work for the Army, does little to champion the Apaches except to insist that only hard men can live in the desert. McIntosh stays calmly neutral toward the Apaches ("It's like hatin' the desert 'cause there ain't no water on it"), an attitude that the lieutenant first sees as callousness. But the lieutenant must also deal with the blind hate of his own men, some of whom are happy to mutilate the Apaches in revenge. Hate, training and routine keep the lieutenant from understanding the Apaches even enough to fight them. The story is outstandingly clever, with the outnumbered, poorly equipped Ulzana invincible because of his skill, speed and warcraft--until McIntosh, the sergeant and Ke-Ni-Tay teach the lieutenant to think ("The problem with fighting Apaches is predicting what they'll do next"). Sparse but intense action scenes keep the film from turning to sociological mush. The gore & torture are sparse, too, even by 1970s standards, but the terror & despair of the dying makes it far more frightening than the casual bloodbaths of the Tarantino age. The theme of soldiers too trapped in their own routine, contempt & hatred to understand their enemy was often revisited in the Vietnam movies that began to appear a few years later, including "Go Tell the Spartans" starring Lancaster in a similar role to McIntosh. It is a theme that will probably be picked up again in the decades after Iraq & the War on Terror. Neither side is glorified but all are humanized, even--perhaps especially--the fearsome Ulzana. If the lieutenant doesn't get happier, he certainly becomes wiser. So does the audience. It's debatable how effective this film is in depicting the "real" Old West, although the dialog between the Apache characters is all in the native language. But for anyone seeking an understanding of warfare from celluloid, "Ulzana's Raid" must be near the top of the list.

I remember seeing this movie as a kid and finding it truly repellent. I don't really care about the politics of the film, or as one yakking poster went on and on about how "unfair" the Indians were treated, blah blah blah.

Lancaster is wasted here...his part could have been played by anyone from Warren Oates to Simon Oakland. Doesn't matter. There is not one sympathetic or even interesting character, excepted perhaps Bruce Davison's. The Ulzana of the title isn't interesting, compelling or heroic no matter which "side" you might empathize with. You wish all the characters would just go to Hell.

The reality is that this is one boring film, punctuated by scenes that are disgusting and foul. It's beyond me how some might find this entertaining. Beware.

Some movies you have never heard of for good reason. Here is an example of a good reason.