Very disappointing Peckinpah western "classic" is not even near such.
Major Dundee (1965)
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Reviews Counted:29
Fresh:28
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.2/10
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for violence and some sensuality.
Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins
Genre: Westerns
Theatrical Release:Apr 8, 2005 Limited
Synopsis: Sam Peckinpah's dramatic tale of the west, and of revenge. A group of men follow Major Dundee, a officer in the Union Cavalry, down to Mexico to recapture some children kidnapped by Apaches.... Sam Peckinpah's dramatic tale of the west, and of revenge. A group of men follow Major Dundee, a officer in the Union Cavalry, down to Mexico to recapture some children kidnapped by Apaches. Their mission proves violent from start to finish, and filled with unexpected danger and adventure. [More]
Starring: Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton, James Coburn
Starring: Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton, James Coburn, Senta Berger, Brock Peters, Warren Oates, Slim Pickens, Ben Johnson
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Producer: Jerry Bresler
Screenwriter: Harry Julian Fink, Oscar Saul, Sam Peckinpah
Composer: Daniele Amfitheatrof
Studio: Columbia Pictures
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Reviews for Major Dundee
An offbeat and sometimes jumbled western adventure film sees Heston as a Union officer in charge of a jail in the Southwest.
Sam Peckinpah's crippled film plays best as a dry run for The Wild Bunch.
It's an ode to the unstable, explosive force that was Sam Peckinpah, as well as to the powerful studio system that crushed him and kept him down.
This restored version demonstrates is that while it remains an uneven work, it has flashes of brilliance as well as a general air of competence, even elegance in storytelling.
It's one of those flawed, fascinating films that are somehow more intriguing than many a smooth-cheeked blockbuster.
Major Dundee, not a great movie but a great star-driven, big budget 1965 studio western, is back in all its fractured glory and confidence.
It's richer and more interesting, partly because some motivations have been cleared up, partly because the music isn't a burden and partly because we now can see that this was all leading to the creation of a truly great film four years later.
The new Dundee plugs some of the story holes but, sadly, it's still a plodding affair that's low on plausible character motivation and compelling action scenes.
Testosterone Valhalla ... This newly restored version proves to be one of the most purely enjoyable, least thorny examples of [Peckinpah's] work.
The restored version becomes a near masterpiece--a most powerful but fragmented western of epic proportions.
Still a mess of great scenes sprinkled among some fairly monotonous action. But it's never completely dull.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
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