Major Dundee

After the breakthrough success of Ride the High Country(1962), Sam Peckinpah would embark on a journey to Mexico to film a story about an obsessed major on the tracks of some renegade Apaches. Sam Peckinpah was on his way to making a classic until the interference of producer, Jerry Bresler prevented this from happening. The film begins with a prologue describing the massacre that leads to Dundee's quest for revenge. The film focuses on the hostile relationship between Amos Dundee(Charlton Heston) and Ben Tyreen(Richard Harris). Once friends, but now enemies due to the Civil War are reluctant to join forces and go after the Apaches. Major Dundee(1965) has to rank with Greed(1925), Que Viva Mexico(1931), Metropolis(1927), and The Magnificent Ambersons(1942) as some of the most maligned films in motion picture history. Major Dundee(1965) is a good movie that might have been great. This is an example of producers putting their dirty greedy palms where they don't belong.

Enjoyed this film directed by Sam Peckinpah who also directed "Straw Dogs" in 1971 created a great story during the 1860's and at the end of the Civil War. Major Amos Dundee, (Charlton Heston) is a major who was in the Union Army and was disgraced and put in charge of a Confederate prison camp. However, Major Dundee is a Southerner and he also finds himself needing the help of Capt. Ben Tyreen, (Richard Harris) who is a Confedrate prisoner and the two of them fight like cats and dogs. Major Dundee has to catch Apaches who escaped to Mexico which is ruled by the French. This is a film dealing with fighting against Apache Indians and also the French and the Confederate and Union soldiers fighting with each other and still trying to carry out their individual missions. Samuel Potts, (James Coburn) gives an outstanding performance as an aid to Major Dundee and also has just one arm. This is a very interesting film with some romance and plenty of bow and arrows flying threw the air. Enjoy.