Ulzana's Raid

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.

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.

Apache renegade Ulzana goes on a murder raid, hot on his trail is a posse of cavalrymen. Led by the young and inexperienced Lt. Garnett DeBuin, the cavalrymen in order to survive and defeat Ulzana, must rely on the help of tough old scout McIntosh and his trusty Indian friend, Ke-Ni-Tay.

Directed masterfully by Robert Aldrich ("The Dirty Dozen" & "The Longest Yard"), Ulzana's Raid is just shy of being an uncompromising masterpiece. There is no pandering to political correctness here, this is showing the bitter hostility of the Indian War, torture and murderous inclination is the order of the day. The allegories to Vietnam are hard to ignore as our band of men are struggling out in the wilderness against Ulzana's hostile raiders, the sprawling mountainous landscape another tool to the already handily equipped Apache.

What lifts Ulzana's Raid high above many of its contemporaries is the on the money dialogue. A wonderfully complex script from Alan Sharp manages to make all the characters intriguing and deserving of further delving. The Apache are savage, and Aldrich doesn't flinch from showing this, but they are afforded respect, and crucially, understanding. This could quite easily have been a one sided blood letting exercise in Western folklore, but it isn't. The motives and attitudes of the white man party is there for all to scrutinise, with much attention to detail given as the many conversations bring rich and rewarding results to the discerning viewer. From the off it's evident that McIntosh & DeBuin have vastly different views of Ulzana's actions, but as the film moves forward - all manner of questions leap out, be it Christian values, racial hatred or merely imperialistic trust, all parties involved are hurtling towards the final reckoning.

Burt Lancaster is perfect as McIntosh, grizzled and carrying a frame made for such a rigorous terrain. Playing DeBuin is Bruce Davison, boyish charm fused expertly with unwanted bravado, while stealing the film is Jorge Luke as Ke-Ni-Tay. A performance of great depth that holds and binds the picture brilliantly. Sadly this film has been a victim of much interference over the years, (studio and Lancaster himself to blame), so much so there is thought to be about 6 cuts of the film out there in the home entertainment world. Thankfully we are now able to get a cut of the film that is almost complete, but still there remains to this day no definitive full cut of the film. German (the version I own) and Australian releases proclaim to have it uncut, but that's not accurate because there is still some three minutes missing from the very first cut of it - including a quite crucial sequence involving Sergeant and Trooper Miller (note at 49 minutes an intrusive quick cut from a night scene to a day scene) Still, it has to be said that even with 3 minutes chopped out of it, Ulzana's Raid is still a grim and brilliant piece of work. Showing the savagery from both sides of the fence, Aldrich and his team refuse to cop out and pander to formula. 9/10

Robert Aldrich was a director I much admired, directing some of my favorite films: Kiss Me Deadly (1955) – the quintessential Mike Hammer flick – Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964), The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967) and others. Now, after missing it for over thirty years, I can now add this one: as a truly realistic and accurate portrayal of what would have happened in one of many skirmishes during the Indian wars of the late nineteenth century.

This is a mature and sometimes grossly horrific account of what Apaches did to settlers and soldiers, and what soldiers did to Apaches. It pulls no punches in depicting how the marauding band of Apaches eviscerate the dead and play sport with the entrails of victims, how they rape and torture wives of settlers, how they torture the men slowly and most cruelly. But, it also shows how soldiers are driven to perform cowardly, and equally cruel acts when retaliating, in the name of justice.

And caught in the middle of this mayhem is young Lt. DeBruin (Bruce Davison) who's given the task of rounding up Ulzana (Joaquin Martinez) and his band of Apaches who left the reservation, stole some horses and began to lay a path of destruction and death across part of Arizona. Being fresh out from military college, he needs help; and so, the fort commander (Douglass Watson) sends the grizzled Army scout McIntosh (Burt Lancaster) along to provide necessary advice and guidance – together with a company of toughened army veterans kept in check by a weary sergeant (the ever competent Richard Jaeckel). Rounding out the 'posse' is the Apache army scout Ki-Ni-Tay (Jorge Luke) who provides the young DeBruin (and the viewer) with insight into the mind of the Apache.

The story resolves to a cat-and-mouse game between Ulzana and his pursuers, each trying to outguess and outmaneuver the other across and through the wide and desolate expanse of the Arizona hills and semi-desert. So, it's as much an entertainment as it is a lesson in the tactics necessary for the soldiers to gain the upper hand. There are some wonderful landscape shots that illustrate just how difficult the task was; and there are moments of sheer brilliance when Aldrich shows Ki-Ni-Tay's on-foot pursuit of one of Ulzana's band, a standout sequence of stealth and suspense.

Throughout all of this McIntosh brings his long experience to bear upon DeBruin's decisions, convincing the lieutenant to set the only trap that would fool Ulzana into making a mistake – McIntosh reiterating many times that "those who make the first mistake" will lose. All too true because things always go wrong with the best laid plans...

Once again, Lancaster shows the master's touch in this role: his crinkly eyes, lined face and quiet voice attesting to a man who's seen it all and who just wants to get a job done and survive another day. Which makes Davison almost perfect as the cherubic – almost angelic – faced neophyte who wants to do well but who also wants to change his world and make it better for all – including the Apache. Such irony...

The only jarring notes were the sometimes-quick cuts (which made me wonder if some scenes had been deleted); and the sometimes-peculiar music sound track that you have to listen to, to understand my point. Otherwise...

Not recommended for children as this film does contain some graphically awful scenes. For all adult fans of the western genre, however, I thoroughly recommend a viewing.

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.