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Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

An Exercise In Nonsense

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

I couldn't help thinking that this was just an OK Cavalry Western, and by the looks of it, a lot of folks here on IMDb are of the same opinion. It certainly had potential with the stellar principals and fine support from some of the better movie Western character actors of the era. The one who stood out for me was Richard Harris as Confederate Captain Ben Tyreen, continuously holding his men in line whenever circumstances arose to challenge Major Amos Dundee's (Charlton Heston) command of the ragtag Cavalry bunch. Taking out his own man O.W. Hadley (Warren Oates) for desertion could have been a turning point in the story, but the principled Captain managed to defuse an insurrection, even with Hadley's brother (L.Q. Jones) as part of the mix.Primarily a director of TV Western episodes (The Rifleman, Zane Grey Theater, The Westerner) prior to getting his big break with a major studio release, perhaps it was the big budget and not knowing what to do with it that caused Sam Peckinpah some problems with this film. It was 1971's "Straw Dogs" that got me first in tune with what a director's impact on a picture could be, so I keep that in mind whenever a film calls for violence. That was certainly a different kind of movie than "Major Dundee", though it does show a progression in the way Peckinpah developed his craft and instinct for people in intense situations.In this film, things seem to meander along, even though the original goal was to rescue three young siblings from an Apache band led by Sierra Charriba (Michael Pate). Once that's accomplished in totally underwhelming fashion, Dundee's soldiers confront a garrison of French soldiers in Mexico and manage to take on the Apaches once again. But for all of the build-up concerning the warrior leader, he's dispatched rather unceremoniously by bugler Ryan (Michael Anderson, Jr.), while a final confrontation with the French forces sort of dissipates on it's own when additional Union forces arrive on the scene. A final confrontation that's teased throughout the story between Dundee and Tyreen is also a wasted opportunity. Tyreen is dispatched during the final assault, leaving Dundee with a hollow triumph that one could hardly call a victory.

MAJOR DUNDEE is one of Sam Peckinpah's earlier westerns, made before he developed his reputation for epic violence and slow-motion action. This one's basically Charlton Heston vs. Native Americans, as it follows the veteran Hollywood star as he assembles a team of ne'er-do-wells before sending them off to take care of a raiding party. Much of the narrative is about the journey towards the final pay-off, and a huge and sprawling cast serve to hold the viewer's interest; Richard Harris is particularly well cast as possibly the antithesis of Heston's character, both on and off the screen. There isn't a wealth of action but the film is quite watchable if no classic.

In the last years of Civil War, Apache warriors led by Sierra Charriba started raiding New Mexico. On Oct 31, 1864, a company of the 5th US Calvalry was massacred. The sole survivor returns with relief led by Major Dundee (Charlton Heston). Sam Potts (James Coburn) is his one-armed scout. Dundee recruits Confederate prisoners for the fight. At first, Confederate Captain Tyreen (Richard Harris) holds an old grudge against his former friend and refuses to join. However he faces the hangman and does a deal to lead his men. The mix bag of Confederates, US Cavalry, Negroes and Apache scout are on the hunt for the renegade Apaches. When the Apaches ambush them, they lose many men and most of their supplies. Dundee leads his men in a raid on French forces in Mexico.The troubled production may have affected the final product. The first half is simple enough. I find it interesting that the movie is diving into the split between North and South by including Negro troops. It's a bit too much and a little fake about the whole situation. The Apaches are shortchanged as characters. Then Dundee attacks the French in a highly questionable action. It starts as slightly fake to something unrealistic. Peckinpah does have an eye for action and that is the best part of the movie. The story feels too messy. The actors are bogged down by too many things. There's no need for Dundee and Tyreen to know each other from before. While I like the action, the story is a convoluted mess.

I grew up watching westerns, and saw this one every now and then on TV. Heston played one of my great heroes; a Federal Army Officer commanding a regiment squarely situated with Lincoln's United States, and under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant. He is out in the west, has men of honor under his command, save for the occasional horse thief and rebel.It's a tale of obsession. With Melville as the inspiration and Peckinpah helming the project, how could it go wrong?Well, as the historians on the commentary track reminded me, market forces were at work back at the studio. And so it was that what could have been a historic film about tracking down an Apache war-band, was turned into an overlong film involving a love interest and Imperial French guards.Oh boy.For the most part it's exceptionally staged. The only foible is the story itself. The main plot gets resolved in act two, and so the story falters there. The story also meanders with the love interest, and what started out as a plot driven story regarding justice and revenge in the never-ending struggle between the natives and the white-man, turns into an elongated adventure regarding the life and times of Major Amos Charles Dundee. Instead of a Melville like tale, we get a brief chronology of an army officer as went to resolve one issue, but stirred up others in the process. Huh.So, can we castigate it as a bad film? It's a tough call. I think it's better to say that the film started out on an almost misleading note, but promised on the title; a film about Major Dundee. We get the sense that the film is going to stay on one topic, one plot, one story, but winds up embracing a ton of others.For all that there is a lot of symbolism and deep stuff operating here. We examine Dundee's command decisions and his command detachment to pursue a single minded goal. Note Harris's change in shirts as Heston's character flirts with debauchery. Note the change in landscape as Heston and his forces pursue their goal. Note the uniforms and comment on contemporary social upheavals of the time (as was noted on the commentary track, but yes, I spotted it before it was pointed out).That's not all, there's also a coming of age tale here, as well as a romance (however retrofitted, and I'll go ahead and say it, I don't care how beautiful the Austrian actress is, and she is stunning, her role and tale do not belong).All in all it is an entertaining tale, and the ever sly mind might see the climatic finale as Peckinpah's comment on what power got us embroiled in conflicts involving US forces fighting native contingents. Ring any bells? That could be reading too much into it, but based on what I know about the director, I don't find it too far off the mark.It's almost an ingenious film. It's almost a classic. One could even call it a flawed classic. View it for what it's worth. If it seems somewhat odd, then keep what I told you in mind.