La poursuite des tuniques bleues

The Civil War may be ending, but not for Captain George Hamilton (as Dorrit Bentley), a handsome Confederate prisoner. "This war will never be over," Hamilton states, "Whether we like it or not, we'll fight this war for the next hundred years!" After a Union officer maliciously orders a Southern soldier killed, Mr. Hamilton leads his Rebels on an escape to Mexico, although everyone knows the captured men will soon be granted amnesty. For good measure, Hamilton kidnaps beautiful blonde Inger Stevens (as Emily Biddle), the fiancée of steadfast Major Glenn Ford (as Charles Wolcott), who leads the pursuit for Hamilton and his men.

This film starts out surprisingly well, with some nice action from director Phil Karlson and the crew. Unfortunately, it unravels into mediocrity. Though Mr. Ford is top-billed, and has one good scene, the film stars Hamilton. His "anti-hero" characterization is weakly scripted - the main thrust seems to be: let's see long it takes until Ms. Stevens gets raped.

The violated Stevens (from "The Farmer's Daughter"), bugle boy Paul Peterson (from "The Donna Reed Show"), and wacky Max Baer Jr. (from "The Beverly Hillbillies") are recognizable from their TV roles. The latter two actors perform embarrassingly bad last scenes. Also interesting in the cast are handsome young Harrison Ford and Harry Dean Stanton, in early roles. Hamilton's group is hunk-heavy, with Todd Armstrong (as Pru), Duke Hobbie (as Lonnie), James Davidson (as Mo), Charlie Briggs (as Kettlinger), and Craig Curtis (as Bagnef) really beefing up the Confederacy. Its eclectic cast is the main reason to take "A Time for Killing".

***** A Time for Killing (8/15/67) Phil Karlson ~ George Hamilton, Glenn Ford, Inger Stevens, Paul Peterson

If only for it's unusual cast, this Civil War western revenge saga merits watching one time. Unfortunately, there isn't a great deal more about it to recommend as it is uneven and unsatisfying for the most part. Stevens plays a missionary (complete with bleached-out blonde hair and '60's eyeliner) who's visiting her beau Ford at a cavalry outpost where he's holding Confederate Captain Hamilton and others prisoner. Soon after she leaves, Hamilton and a cache of his men revolt and escape. They capture Stevens and kick off a chase across the desert to Mexico with Ford in pursuit. Of main interest is the oddball cast which includes Ford (who, at 51, sure was dragging his feet in marrying Stevens!), Hamilton (his tan completely in place and with his helmet hair and come 'n go accent, a very unlikely Confederate prisoner of war!), Baer, jr (giving quite possibly the worst performance ever captured on film as a lunatic soldier who giggles when killing and fights incessantly with everyone), Armstrong (trading in his sword and sandals), Stanton (long-time character actor who appeared in many cult favorites), Peterson (fourth-billed former child star who has little to do but represent innocence) and Harrison J. Ford (hardly onscreen as a heavily side-burned Union soldier.) The film starts out with an incongruent theme song which is abruptly cut short by the action of the plot. This sets up a consistent pattern of odd music cuts and choppy editing (the music in this film is FAR too over-emphatic and insistent, not to mention repetitive.) There are some okay action sequences and some decent scenery and occasional periods of dramatic interest. They are often undone, however, by some really bad supporting cast members and awkward writing and direction. There's a Union officer with a thick New York accent, a pair of nitwit, supposedly amusing, but actually deadly unfunny soldiers who keep interrupting the drama with their awful shtick and then a passel of chatty cantina whores. The all time worst acting honor, though, goes to Baer, jr who is so relentlessly bad that it actually hurts to watch him. He's a lunkheaded, unbalanced giant whose penchant for violence is not as shocking as it is annoying. The actor claims that playing on "The Beverly Hillbillies" type-cast him, but he seems here to be unable to play anything better. The "comic" relief in the film (which couldn't be any less amusing) is at great odds with the rather visceral violence and cruelty of the rest of the film. It's all put together so amateurishly and with so little regard for nuance or real feelings that it hardly matters. Thus the opportunity to see some name/cult actors in a tough little western remains the primary attraction.

This has always been one of my favorite Civil War flicks, along with Shenandoah, and Journey To Shiloh. Very gritty, exciting movie! However, I would never buy it unless it's released in the "wide screen" format, since much of the movie is invisible, due to the unacceptable use "pan and scan". Here's my vote for a DVD Wide Screen release.

Despite his advancing age, Glenn Ford made a number of westerns during this period, this one being one of his weakest. It does have an eccentric cast, most notably George Hamilton, who doesn't fit at well here. It's not that he can't act, but his look and demeanor come off a bit too "nice" for a character who should be meaner and grittier. Oddly, he has much more screen time than Ford, though maybe that's for the best since Ford seems a bit bored and uninterested in the little we see of him. It's not like the script is inspired or anything, giving us weak characters, unfunny comic relief (despite some brutality shown or implied several times), and even offensive racial stereotypes. Not to mention an underwhelming ending that at the same time feels unfinished. The production quality is also surprisingly cheap and sloppy at times, not just with some incredibly bad editing, but with obvious post-production shots and sequences shot in a studio instead of outdoors on location. Probably wasn't the inspiration for the movie "The Hunting Party" made several years later, but who knows.

A Time For Killing takes place in the southwestern territory of Arizona just days before the Civil War is to end. Several southern prisoners are held captive in an army stockade commanded by Emile Meyer. The prisoners could probably just sit things out and go home. But George Hamilton the commanding officer among the prisoners has an agenda all his own. The time and setting are similar to the 1953 William Holden film Escape from Fort Bravo and the Sam Peckinpaugh flawed classic Major Dundee which had come out a couple years earlier.

Hamilton's from the Deep South, the part that General Sherman has just ravaged. So Hamilton figures he's got some payback coming and after escaping he kidnaps Indian missionary Inger Stevens who is the betrothed of second in command Glenn Ford and does a little ravaging of his own. To give Ford a little personal incentive to come after him so he can kill some more Yankees. This mind you is after the escaping Confederates kill a dispatch rider bringing news of Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

With the Civil War so close to an end it would have taken one charismatic leader to have kept those Confederates in line for this crazy mission. And George Hamilton is too nice to really be convincing in the part of a revenge seeking southerner. It's the main flaw of A Time For Killing.

These are not John Ford type cavalrymen. You've got some real lowlife specimens on both sides Timothy Carey on the Union side and Max Baer, Jr. on the Confederate. Both are really into combat and killing, Baer who one remembers as the amiable dunce Jethro Bodine in The Beverly Hillbillies really surprises you with his role. In a small part as a Union lieutenant is Harrison Ford years ahead of his first big break in American Graffiti.

Dick Miller and Kay E. Kuter play a pair of Union soldiers who aren't exactly the greatest of patriots. Their characters are for comic relief, but in the grim proceedings of A Time For Killing, their comedy while not bad is definitely out of place.

A Time For Killing had some potential, but in the end I think the plot situation is really ridiculous and wastes a lot of talented people.