Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

"Don't you hate the Apaches, Mr. McIntosh?" Lt. DeBuin
"Be like hatin' the desert because there ain't no water." McIntosh

Burt Lancaster, in my opinion one of the greatest of Hollywood's leading men, never forgot he was an actor.

Unlike so many famous actors who put in a paycheck performance every so often once they hit the big time, Burt demanded and got challenging, meaningful parts and transitioned into rich character portrayals in his later years.

One such character part Lancaster played is the crusty old Indian scout McIntosh in 1972's Ulzana's Raid, a story of one of the last battles of the Indian Wars.

McIntosh is a character that would be played by an accomplished character actor; a Slim Pickens, a Charley Grapewin, or a Jeff Corey in a traditional western - the hard-bitten saddle tramp that could spot Indian sign a mile off and track a horse by moonlight. Such characters are attached to the cavalry. They are not soldiers but scouts and therefore have a free way of speaking to the officers that borders on insubordination, much to the delight of the enlisted men who would never get away with speaking their minds like the scouts do.

The movie opens showing the horseback escape of Apache war chief Ulzana along with a small band of braves from the San Carlos Reservation.

Later, McIntosh and his sidekick the Apache scout Ke-Ni-Tay (Jorge Luke) question a pair of elderly Apaches who stayed on the reservation. Lancaster entices them with mounds of cigars then lights one up himself while Ke-Ni-Tay interprets. At the end of the interview McIntosh shortly says, "Tell them that half of what they say is lies and the other half ain't true." The two scouts walk out the door and the Indians fill their pockets with cigars carelessly left out on purpose by McIntosh.

Meanwhile, Ulzana and his band have been slaughtering white settlers as often as they can find them. The Apaches display considerable cunning in their methods, resorting to tricks on the one hand and mind-curdling brutality on the other.

Ulzana is playing chess with the cavalrymen; everything he does is done for a reason. He uncharacteristically spares a white woman after raping her and mutilating her face. McIntosh correctly states that Ulzana is dividing the troop; he knows the whites can't take the woman along and they can't leave her behind. Somebody has to take her back to the fort. As they advance further into the desert, Ulzana poisons a waterhole by killing a horse and leaving its carcass in the water. The violence is in your face and will shock many viewers. Several women are killed on-screen also and the unblinking camera of director Robert Aldrich never apologizes.

Violence and torture are the Apache way. When greenhorn troop leader Lieutenant DeBuin (Bruce Davison) questions Ke-Ni-Tay about this behavior, he simply answers, "that's the way they are." When asked if he would kill a man in the same fashion, Ke-Ni-Tay simply answers "yes."

Earlier, Lt. DeBuin had established himself as a Christian who thought the whites just needed a little more "Christian feeling" toward the Apaches. DeBuin is totally aghast at the realities of the Wild West that he never heard of back at the Point. He asks, "Why?" the Indian scout replies, "For power. When you kill a man, you take his power." From this point on, DeBuin hates the Apache with all the zeal his prior religious training can provide. He orders Ke-Ni-Tay (the only nearby Apache) to bury the mutilated body, showing his "Christian" attitude toward the Apaches was merely feel-good racism in disguise. When the Apaches kill McIntosh's horse, DeBuin gives him Ke-Ni-Tay's horse to ride. Wise to the ways of the Apaches, McIntosh gives Ke-Ni-Tay his Winchester rifle as earnest. Through small touches we see Lancaster befriend Ke-Ni-Tay; when he rolls a cigarette, he passes the Bull Durham bag to his friend.

The troop finally tracks Ulzana to a canyon where he makes his last stand. Ke-Ni-Tay, despite all the humiliation from DeBuin, proves instrumental in the closing battle with the renegade Apaches. By the end of the film, Lt. DeBuin has come to his senses and has a more even-handed attitude towards the Apache, just like McIntosh.

Ulzana's Raid benefits from an excellent script, by Alan Sharp that pulls no punches. Ulzana is depicted as a force of nature; like the sky or the earth. He is neither good nor bad; he just IS.

Director Robert Aldrich paints his characters as circumstances warrant; sometimes their actions are noble, other times they are cruel. Nobody is always good or always bad. Acting by Lancaster and Davison is impeccable with good work from the supporting cast, particularly Richard Jaeckel and Jorge Luke, as the Sergeant and the Indian Scout, respectively. Ulzana is a cipher acting out his communications in sign language, which his braves unerringly follow.

The film is available on DVD in Full Screen version. This is available for around $6.00 at your local store so I do not hesitate to recommend it for your viewing pleasure, as it is one of the better western films available.

For those who like Burt Lancaster in a gritty performance I also recommend Valdez is Coming and Go Tell the Spartans.

Happy viewing!




Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening