Major Dundee details the hunt for renegade Apaches but in truth the film is far more concerned with the conflicts that occur within the mismatched band of soldiers than with the resolution of their quest.
Union officers, black Union soldiers and a bunch of criminals, both civilian and confederate, make up the group, so it’s no surprise that things don’t run smoothly. Being a Peckinpah film there are no white hats or black hats here, with the characters displaying a complexity not often seen in westerns of the period.
As the obsessive Major Dundee, Charlton Heston is excellent, he’s arrogant and pigheaded but not without his softer side as displayed in the scenes with Senta Berger and the actor captures all that and more. Heston’s tendency to strike a pose for the camera just adds to Dundee’s egotism.
As the leader of the confederates, Richard Harris is far more flamboyant. A man out of time, with his sense of honour out on step with the war that has just ended, he constantly finds himself at odds with Dundee. Heston and Harris allegedly didn’t get along onset, but rather than detract from the film it just adds to the onscreen antagonism between the two.
James Coburn steals most of his scenes as the one armed scout Samuel Potts and Michael Anderson Jr. does a reasonable job as bugler/narrator Tim Ryan. Only Jim Hutton seems out of place, with his performance too comedic and his character too thinly drawn.
Many Peckinpah regulars are on hand to add a touch of class to the supporting cast with Ben, Warren, L.Q., R.G. and Slim (if you’re a Peckinpah fan you don’t need the surnames and if your not why not?) making the most of their screen time.
This extended version, while no director’s cut, is a vast improvement over the original butchered studio release adding a bit more complexity to Dundee and explaining the fate of the Indian scout. While I’m not 100% happy with the new score by Christopher Caliendo it’s also a vast improvement over the inappropriately bombastic original.
Major Dundee in this new version ranks as a flawed masterpiece and is essential viewing for western fans or anyone looking for a damn fine film to watch.
Horror and Western film buff, Marvel comic geek, music lover and occasional gamer. 