Ulzana's Raid

Oh my readers, yesterday I wrote a long, detailed and potentially insightful review of Dr. Strangelove, only to see it swallowed up by a hideous Blogger gaffe. As much as I'd love to review that venerable classic, for now I'll put it off for more exotic fare.

The Western genre was in full revisionist mode in 1972, when Robert Aldrich made Ulzana's Raid. This stark, brutal depiction of a minor Indian War is remarkably unique, avoiding pompous posturing for an honest depiction of a nasty time and place.

Apache Ulzana (Joaquin Martinez) escapes an Indian reservation with a handful of followers, and begins a reign of terror massacring settlers and cavalrymen. Shavetail Lieutenant DeBuin (Bruce Davison) is assigned to lead a company of cavalry troopers, including veteran scout MacIntire (Burt Lancaster), a friendly Apache (Jorge Luke) and a seasoned Sergeant (Richard Jaeckal) to track Ulzana down. The cavalry quickly uncovers Ulzana's atrocities, and the naively moral DeBuin clashes with his vengeful troopers.

Robert Aldrich's Vera Cruz (1954) was one of the earliest "revisionist" titles, a cynical shoot-'em-up that cast Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper as cold-blooded mercenaries embroiled in a Mexican civil war. Ulzana's Raid is even better, showing that neither side on the frontier held a monopoly on violence and cruelty. When DeBuin innocently asks how Apaches could be so cruel, he's told that it's just the way things are.

Ulzana's Raid is a real kick in the teeth to anyone expecting a traditional oater. At a time when Westerns generally depicted Indians as innocent proto-hippies (Little Big Man), Aldrich shows the Apache engaging in heinous atrocities: torture deaths, rape and mutilation. Nor does the cavalry come off well: In one of the strongest scenes, a cavalryman "saves" a woman from the Apache by shooting her. DeBuin's Christian pretensions are honest but foolish, as guerilla warfare drags everyone into the moral abyss. Aldrich and writer Alan Sharp aren't concerned with either side's "righteousness" when their conduct is so brutal.

Aldrich makes beautiful use of Southwestern locations, with striking photography courtesy of Joseph F. Biroc. Aldrich wisely keeps most of the actual violence off-screen; the bloody, burnt and mangled corpses are horrifying enough. The final battle, a protracted ambush in a canyon, is a wonderful set-piece, exciting and uniquely staged. The showdown with Ulzana, in particular, makes for a unique conclusion. The film flows at a wonderful pace, giving Sharp's sparse but effective script time to sketch the characters and conflicts in believable terms.

Burt Lancaster gives a strong performance, curbing his usual exuberance for a restrained, weather-beaten professional. Bruce Davison is superb, and Jorge Luke makes a strong impression as a loyal Apache scout. Richard Jaeckal (3:10 to Yuma) gets one of his best roles as a grizzled Sergeant.

Ulzana's Raid stands as Robert Aldrich's best film, and possibly the best Indian Western ever (save Devil's Doorway). Eschewing cliches, or an obnoxious revisionist message, Aldrich presents a strikingly frank and nihilistic view of the Old West.