Originally Posted by
feudist
Ulzana's Raid
1972 movie about an Apache leaving the reservation leading a raiding party. The Cavalry is notified and sets out to kill or capture the hostiles.
A vicious battle of wits ensues between the Cavalry scouts and the renegades, who murder everyone they encounter along their way. The Apache use torture, mutilation and spared (but brutalized) captives to provoke and split the Cavalry detail.
Bleak, nihilistic and unrelentingly grim it's the best and most accurate Cavalry vs Indians movie ever made. The details are spot on, from the concern about overexerting the horses and the way the soldiers uniforms don't quite match, to the discussion of the motivations for the Apache's behavior. The Cavalry Apache scout(Jorge Luke in a breakout performance) is casually brutal, from the way he manhandles his horse to the way he explains the purpose and benefits of torture.
Bruce Davison plays the green Lieutenant in charge of the raid, fresh from the East and the son of a preacher who is shocked and enraged by the aftermath of the Apaches.
Burt Lancaster stars playing the Chief Cavalry scout to grizzled perfection, noting that hating the Apaches "Won't make you happy, but it sure won't make you lonely". He doesn't hate them, because it would be like hating the desert for not having water. It's enough that he fears them.
The film is not for the faint of heart, and could not be made today without an NC-17 or X-for-violence rating. The horrifying images and violence hurt. Unlike the cartoonish stuff we see nowadays.
Of course it goes without saying that the portrayal of the Apaches, while accurate and evenhanded, would not pass any Wokeness test.
Not to be missed.