Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Konterr Brilliant and touching

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

classicsoncall I couldn't help thinking that this was just an OK Cavalry Western, and by the looks of it, a lot of folks here on IMDb are of the same opinion. It certainly had potential with the stellar principals and fine support from some of the better movie Western character actors of the era. The one who stood out for me was Richard Harris as Confederate Captain Ben Tyreen, continuously holding his men in line whenever circumstances arose to challenge Major Amos Dundee's (Charlton Heston) command of the ragtag Cavalry bunch. Taking out his own man O.W. Hadley (Warren Oates) for desertion could have been a turning point in the story, but the principled Captain managed to defuse an insurrection, even with Hadley's brother (L.Q. Jones) as part of the mix.Primarily a director of TV Western episodes (The Rifleman, Zane Grey Theater, The Westerner) prior to getting his big break with a major studio release, perhaps it was the big budget and not knowing what to do with it that caused Sam Peckinpah some problems with this film. It was 1971's "Straw Dogs" that got me first in tune with what a director's impact on a picture could be, so I keep that in mind whenever a film calls for violence. That was certainly a different kind of movie than "Major Dundee", though it does show a progression in the way Peckinpah developed his craft and instinct for people in intense situations.In this film, things seem to meander along, even though the original goal was to rescue three young siblings from an Apache band led by Sierra Charriba (Michael Pate). Once that's accomplished in totally underwhelming fashion, Dundee's soldiers confront a garrison of French soldiers in Mexico and manage to take on the Apaches once again. But for all of the build-up concerning the warrior leader, he's dispatched rather unceremoniously by bugler Ryan (Michael Anderson, Jr.), while a final confrontation with the French forces sort of dissipates on it's own when additional Union forces arrive on the scene. A final confrontation that's teased throughout the story between Dundee and Tyreen is also a wasted opportunity. Tyreen is dispatched during the final assault, leaving Dundee with a hollow triumph that one could hardly call a victory.

Leofwine_draca MAJOR DUNDEE is one of Sam Peckinpah's earlier westerns, made before he developed his reputation for epic violence and slow-motion action. This one's basically Charlton Heston vs. Native Americans, as it follows the veteran Hollywood star as he assembles a team of ne'er-do-wells before sending them off to take care of a raiding party. Much of the narrative is about the journey towards the final pay-off, and a huge and sprawling cast serve to hold the viewer's interest; Richard Harris is particularly well cast as possibly the antithesis of Heston's character, both on and off the screen. There isn't a wealth of action but the film is quite watchable if no classic.

Petri Pelkonen Major Dundee leads a group to Mexico to destroy a band of Apaches.His group contains of Army regulars, Confederate prisoners and Indian scouts.The prisoners' group is led by Benjamin Tyreen, Dundee's former friend and rival.Major Dundee from 1965 is a Sam Peckinpah movie.This is not the best of the director.But the actors do all great work.Charlton Heston plays the part of Major Amos Dundee.Richard Harris is Captain Benjamin Tyreen.Jim Hutton portrays Lieutenant Graham.James Coburn does the role of Samuel Potts.Michael Anderson Jr. is Trooper Tim Ryan.Senta Berger plays the part of Teresa Santiago.Brock Peters plays Aesop.The western guy Ben Johnson portrays Sergeant Chillum.Then there are some of the Peckinpah regulars, with Warren Oates playing O.W. Hadley, R.G. Armstrong playing Reverend Dahlstrom and L.Q. Jones playing Arthur Hadley.Slim Pickens is Wiley who likes the booze.Dub Taylor plays Benjamin Priam.Although not the finest of Peckinpah, the movie has its moments.Like the scene where Dundee is wounded by an Indian arrow after taking a swim with Teresa.And the friction between Dundee and Tyreen is captivating to watch.All the Peckinpah fans should get a kick out of this movie.

moonspinner55 In the 1860s, in the final months of the Civil War, a Calvary Major gets five days to recruit a ragtag army to thwart the looting, bloodthirsty Apache Indians near Mexico. Picking his men from imprisoned Confederates, horse thieves, drunks, 'Negroes', and assorted volunteers, Charlton Heston's Dundee never cracks a smile, seldom stops chewing on his sideways cigar, and faces an automatic adversary in Richard Harris' Captain Tyreen, who was to be hanged for murder. Hard to know who to sympathize with here--this band of (mostly racist) soldiers are about as welcoming to us as are the marauding Apaches--and director/co-screenwriter Sam Peckinpah doesn't create genuine characters as much as he does western non-archetypes. Overlong and saddled with derivative elements (particularly in Peckinpah's flaccid direction, which show a definite influence from Stanley Kubrick), the film hasn't the humor or verve needed to carry us along on such an arduous journey. Casting is awfully dull (or, as in Harris' case, improbable) and the pacing only livens up for the large-scale sequences. *1/2 (based on the 2005 restored version) from ****