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.
