AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

classicsoncall I wasn't expecting much from this Western, but I tell you what, it turned out to be a compelling and well written psychological study of two factions attempting to outdo each other in a harsh desert landscape with death a very real possibility for participants of both sides. The story follows a small Cavalry unit dispatched to capture and subdue a raiding war party led by the Apache Ulzana (Joaquin Martinez), whose band escaped from the San Carlos Reservation with stolen horses, and are now spreading death and destruction across the Arizona border landscape.For those of humanistic persuasion, the film places young Lieutenant Harry DeBuin (he's listed in the credits as Garnett, but that name was never mentioned in the story) in charge of the cavalry soldiers, intent on doing his professional duty, but all the while pondering the nature of Apache savagery and how one group of humans can be so vicious in dealing with another. I've read viewer comments stating that this theme makes an allegorical statement about the Vietnam War, but it seems the argument can be made in the present day in discussing radical terrorism and the atrocities of an entity like ISIS. Assigning some non-existent motivation to extremists removed from their very nature does a disservice to those who find themselves in opposition. When it's kill or be killed, it seems like all bets would be off.For me, the most intriguing character in the story turned out to be the cavalry scout Ke-Ni-Tay (Jorge Luke), who's discourse on power and how the Apache regards it, allows DeBuin to reevaluate his notions about the Indian way of fighting. Ke-Ni-Tay's advice is further reinforced by civilian guide McIntosh (Lancaster), who chides the young officer with - "You'd be well advised to stop hating and start thinking, Lieutenant, because you ain't doin' too well up to now." Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the story lies in the resolution, with Ke-Ni-Tay in the position of facing a final showdown with the Apache rival Ulzana. It's not an ending I expected in the tradition of your tried and true Western formulas, an outcome that could have gone either way depending on skill and circumstance combined. However in the movie version I saw on the Encore Western Channel, a scene described by reviewer 'documain-1' on this board which concerns the death of Ulzana's son wasn't part of my viewing. In fact, the writer makes note of many such discrepancies that undeniably affect one's understanding of the story as it unfolds, thereby recommending I add my name to the list of those seeking out a director's cut of the movie.

sol- An idealistic young officer teams up with an experienced scout to track down a group of murderous Apaches in this popular western drama written by 'Night Moves' screenwriter Alan Sharp and directed by Robert Aldrich. Burt Lancaster has the lead role of the old scout, Richard Jaeckel can be found among the supporting cast and the film is shot by Oscar winning DOP Joseph F. Biroc. With such strong talent both behind and in front of the camera, 'Ulzana's Raid' is a classy production and refreshingly grisly and graphically violent for a western of its era. The crux of the story though is the young officer's growing disillusionment with his quest and gradual realisation that some people out there are simply sadistic and evil - a character arc a little too trite and formulaic to click. Bruce Davison is a solid actor in general (very effective in 'Last Summer' and 'The Strawberry Statement' only a few years earlier) but he is simply grating as the young officer here, constantly preaching his religious beliefs and constantly asking rhetorical questions in a non-rhetorical way. He seems like a child at times with his apparent oblivion to evil existing in the world and frequent claims of good existing in everyone. The film almost makes up for this with a nice subplot involving Jorge Luke as an Apache helping Lancaster and Davison in their quest with some very pronounced internal dilemmas. Some apparently regard the film as a Vietnam War allegory, but it can be appreciated allegorical connections aside, even if it is hardly a flawless production.

eric262003 "Ulzana's Raid" is about a radical Apache named Ulzana (Joaquin Martinez) who departed from his reservation and is now on a mission to gain his freedom. But the American Army won't let him slip by that easily, in which they call upon a grizzled old scout named McIntosh (Burt Lancaster) to hunt him down. A platoon is in session to stop him and that's where a young, inexperienced military graduate, Christian idealist Lt. DeBuin (Bruce Davison) steps in to take charge. However, as he tries to be reasonable to the Natives, compared to the other white soldiers, his ways get progressively put to the test when he encounters Ulzana and his allies as they engage in a brutal battle.Back in the 1950's and the early 1960's when Western films were quite popular, Native people were the most viciously discriminated by the ever popular Hollywood machine. They were easily dismissed as semi-primitive, blood-thirsty savages, while the cowboys in their little white 10 gallon hats and their little brown steeds were represented as the good ol' boys. But by the 1970's when the Western genre was slowly fading out, it's ideals were much more heavily scrutinized. In the case of "Ulzana's Raid" we can carefully look at the movie with two contrary connections. The first being the topic of racism, which exists in this movie, and the other connection is that it relates to the the Vietnam War which was still in operation at the time.It should not surprise us that the Apache tribe is a subliminal decoy to the at the time nemesis the Viet Cong with their desire for violence and their similar desire to not be taken down by the American Army. This is no way a good versus evil story because when a war takes place it's a fight between the less of two evils. I'm not taking any sides here. As a Mohawk myself, I was very appalled by some of the despicable violent acts the Apache's did, but is only foretold in the epilogue when DeBuin's soldiers captured them, and the Army and the settlers who arbitrarily decided to interfere when they never should have to begin with. When you put these two factions together, blood will bestow upon their very souls.Now just to be fair the film does not at the same time completely demonetizes the Apache tribe while at the same time does not fully chastise the American Army. It's practically because of the shared experience McIntosh has been a part of both worlds. There was time when he once lived and adapted the lifestyles of the Native people; in fact he was once married to a Native woman. What's more is that unlike his troop, he does not have a full hatred towards Native people, he still knows all too well what they're capable of doing and fears them. But to DeBuin, they are easily handled, you get the vibes that Ulzana is not touched by the fact that he and his fellow defeated tribe that they are given a Christian burial.But even the Democratic DeBuin's motives was to appease the viewers that a peaceful solution can help overcome this dire situation. He even goes far as to treat the Apaches fairly as they raid houses and cause quite a commotion to the inhabitants, killing and annihilating them to the ground and raping the ladies with no signs of any kind of sympathy in their souls. Both factions can't seem to find any kind of humanity towards one another so neither adversaries are playing with kids gloves. It's an epic fight till one faction is completely expunged. The remaining two locked in the middle of all this carnage are the grizzled McIntosh and an Apache warrior named Ke-Ni-Tay (Jorge Luke) who was much depicted as an outsider drifting on with heartbreak and pain (Lancaster was very good at exhibiting that) as the film draws near a rather painful and uncompromising conclusion. Even though Alan Sharp's script is pure gold, the action sequences are something that we have all seen before, but the sensitivity that script conveys revises the scope of how Natives were portrayed.

SimonJack Of the many Native American nations, groups and tribes, the Apaches were among the most clever and fierce fighters. They raided with small bands among themselves and against any and all outsiders to gain goods. And they waged war in larger numbers at times with the Mexican government, U.S. Cavalry and other Indian groups. As with other American Indian groups, most movies and stories about the Apaches well into the late 20th century strayed far from the truth. Yet, history does record the almost barbaric savage behavior of some of the Apache groups in the 19th century American Southwest. "Ulzana's Raid" is a film set in the last years of the Apache Wars (1849-1886). Ulzana is the name of an Apache leader during that time, but he wasn't part of any insurrection and he died peacefully on the San Carlos reservation. So, his and other characters of this story are mostly fictitious. What this film does show is the brutality that was displayed at times by some of the Apaches, and some of the Apache culture that is considered barbaric by western culture. It also attests to the cunning, skill and strength of the Apache character in fighting and war. This is certainly one of the very best Westerns ever made that focuses on the cavalry and Indian confrontations. The acting, scenery and directing are all very good. The film gets its "R" rating from the several scenes, however short, that picture the graphic torture and mutilation of bodies. The plot is weak in places. It has some apparent lapses in story development between scenes. And the script is confusing in places, especially in the depiction of two of the characters. The first is Burt Lancaster as McIntosh. In early scenes at Fort Lowell (in present day Tucson, AZ) McIntosh describes the Apaches bitterly as ruthless barbarians out to kill and plunder. He seems clearly to hate the Indians. But, later in the film, he says he doesn't hate the Indians, but he does fear them. The second glaring incongruity of characters in the script is with Bruce Davison as Lt. Garnett DeBuin. He is only six months out of West Point and is given his first "battle" command. His father is a "man of the cloth." Early on DeBuin questions McIntosh and Apache scout Ke-Ni-Tay (played very well by Mexican actor Jorge Luke) about the Indians overall and the Apaches in particular. He is appalled at their brutality, yet he insists that the dead Apaches be buried. He wonders about White men misunderstanding and not knowing the Indians. Then, he says that he hates the Indians. At the start of the film, one senses that this young green Army officer will change his "naïve" views about the Apaches by the film's end. But the script doesn't play out that way, and instead, we have this conflicted character throughout. Toward the end, McIntosh utters a classic line after DeBuin has chastised some troopers for stabbing a dead Indian. "You don't want to think of the white man as being savage like the Apache," he says.