A Vingança de Ulzana

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.