Directed by Sam Peckinpah, 1965
The opening scenes of this, Peckinpah’s second major film, depict the aftermath of a bloody battle; a far cry from the almost gentle restraint we saw in the bloodiest moments of Ride the High Country, and making this bloodsoaked massacre even worse is the spirited struggles of the young boys being carted off by the Apache who done it, leaving the ignorant (me) to wonder what fate awaits them. It’s a promising start; promising all sorts of things as the film’s opening sequences go on. Heston’s character; the titular major of the Union, exudes a ferocity and menace; he has guts to spare, and his ambition and ego match that. Richard Harris, who plays his former friend (now a Confederate of high rank, and his prisoner), has his own menacing strength, whose hatred for his old friend is matched only by the love for his country and adherance to military standards. The relationship between both mn is one seething with a sense of betrayal and ideological conflict. There are scores of other characters; many of them introduced with careful attention to their characterizations, making for a promising ragtag group of scoundrels.
That’s part of the problem with this film. I am far from the first to say this, but what’s so bothersome about this movie is how little of what makes the opening scenes so fantastic; the ambiguity of characterizations, the sheer number of them, and the many many promises of a truly epic exploration of their morality and the consequences of their behavior is actually, in the end, never really reconciled. To be perfectly honest, the film constantly seems to trail off into other directions than what you would think it has intended. Is it a war epic? Is it a grizzly film of anti-heroics? A character study of two great, flawed men who are constantly at battle with one another? A treatise on the folly of the Civil War? The film tries to make room for so much; tries to be all of these things, but never really lives up to it...characters go undeveloped, themes get forgotten, and in the end, the thing it most wholly is...would probably be an action movie, and its nowhere near as brilliantly crafted as The Wild Bunch, or as a nasty, grimy portrayal of the American civil war that predates and surpasses that of Leone’s in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, or virtually any other movie about the Civil War for that matter.
As far as the performances of the actors go, they are almost irresponsibly magnificent. I say “irresponsibly” because performances of this caliber almost don’t belong in such a messy movie; messy movies like this are used to having great actors terribly miscast. I don’t really think this is quite the case...even Charleton Heston shines; I’d have to agree that this is probably his best performance, and the only false moments are the scenes which don’t really amount to much in the first place. My biggest complaint is probably Richard Harris. He’s a fantastic actor, and his performance a powerful and impressive piece of work...he just doesn’t seem like a Confederate soldier, which is important, because that is his lot. The supporting cast is without parallel...Ben Johnson, Warren Oates (of course; he has one of the film’s finest moments), Slim Pickens, L.Q. Jones and more...its an absolutely fantastic assembly, and at times they really do shine.
Its difficult to say much about this film; especially when you’re more used to films that don’t set the bar high for themselves...this is a case of a film setting itself to be great, and just fails miserably, and has only a few fragments of what could have been a great movie. And I think I can be counted among those who think the film fails. Its redeeming values are too few, too far between, and without consummation. What good scenes it has makes it worth watching several times, and the film has moments where it is absolutely elecric in its power and passion, and you can’t help think just how good the film could have been if Peckinpah had all his ducks in a row. As it is, it’s a highly schizophrenic film...one that swaggers from incredible assurance and competence, to an incoherant, doddering stumble. I still think its very interesting, though, and I hope that a second viewing will shed light on anything I missed. I have to give this film a 75.
If the film dissapointed me immensely; because I really had high hopes for it, the DVD doesn’t. The transfer is quite beyond criticism, and while the commentary isn’t very good marketting for the film, the usual Peckinpah roundtable discussion of Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle is highly informative. We also get a segment from Mike Siegel’s documentary on Peckinpah, entitled Passion and Poetry: The Ballad of Sam Peckinpah, focusing exclusively on this film abd featuring interviews with cast and crew members. To summarize, an informative disc with excellent presentation that is well worth dipping into even if you’re not keen on the film.
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