Apache (1954) User Reviews

`I fight alone'

[IlyaMauter · 7/10 · 19 May 2003]

Apache was the third feature Robert Aldrich directed. Before he worked as an assistant director to Jean Renoir, William Wellman, Lewis Milestone and even Charlie Chaplin and also made several episodes for TV films. He was invited to direct Apache by its co-producer and main star Burt Lancaster.

The Apache's particularity is that it doesn't enter the classic Western scheme of almost obligatory showing of the Indians as bad guys, thou the most illustrious example of this probably belong to John Ford's 1964 Cheyenne Autumn with which the legendary director bid a farewell to the genre. Also Apache's distinctiveness resides in the treatment that is given to the central theme of the Western genre, which is revenge.

Here the Indian rebellious warrior Massai, wonderfully played by Burt Lancaster is obsessively seeking revenge facing the enemy not only in a form of one person or a small group of people in accordance with traditional Western vengeance system, but in a form an entire society either Indian or White, a society that he considers his enemy and against which he courageously fights alone not looking for help from anyone till he meets an equally strong character Nalinle (Jean Peters), a woman who simply accepts him as he is ready to share all the difficulties of Massai's life and even to sacrifice her own life for the man she loves. From this point on as his affection for Nalinle increases, his desire to fight everything and everyone proportionally decreases resulting in his settling down looking for more peaceful existence, which is hardly possible due to the burden of his past deeds which weighs over him personified in a collective figure of the American authorities who unceasingly continue to hunt him down.

A weak, but also in many ways remarkable Western featuring convincing performances from Burt Lancaster and Jean Peters in a tale of self-sacrificing love and courageous but ultimately pointless fight for imaginary cause. 7/10

Burt Lancaster & Jean Peters as blue-eyed Apaches

[westerner357 · 6/10 · 31 July 2003]

If you can suspend disbelief that Burt Lancaster and Jean Peters are Apaches, then this isn't a bad western. If you can't, well then there's gonna be a lot of low ratings posted here.

In 1886, Geronimo and his braves surrender to the U.S. Calvary in New Mexico and are shipped off to Ft. Marion, Florida. All except one, an Apache named Massai (Burt Lancaster) who begins a one man war against the whites.

Massai escapes from the train that is shipping the Apaches back east and makes his way back to New Mexico. From there, he attacks wagons, soldiers, bridges etc., making life hard for the authorities. He kidnaps Nalinle (Jean Peters) and takes her up to the hills with him while Indian scouts John McIntire and Charles Bronson hunt them down.

Massai finds an isolated spot in the high country and starts to plant a small corn field from seed he got from a Cherokee farmer (Morris Ankrum). He also gets Peters pregnant with child.

The ending scene in Massai's little cornfield is pure Hollywood. The action scenes are tight as we see Lancaster jumping from rock to rock as he picks off at least 10 of the Indian scouts that have him surrounded. But then as Massai is wounded and runs into McIntire in the cornfield, disbelief occurs and the conclusion seems tacked on in order to make a happy ending out of it. You'll have to see it for yourself.

Still, it's entertaining enough as it is. It's based on a true incident and Lancaster at least brings some dignity to his role as the noble warrior turned farmer who wants to be left in peace. It could've turned out a lot worse.

I give it a 6 out of 10 for his performance alone.

Notable Western about a tough Apache warrior perfectly played by Burt Lancaster and masterfully directed by Robert Aldrich

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 12 February 2013]

This is an exciting and masterful movie by the great Robert Aldrich , at his first and the best Western . Many years later bloody fighting with the settlers in the American frontier and a bitter battle between the Apaches and the US cavalry in the struggle for the West , the chief Apache Gerónimo is obliged to undertake a humiliating defeat . But his warrior more radical and violent named Maasai (Burt Lancaster), renounces to accept rendition . Maasai refuses to surrender and takes on the relentless American cavalry (John McIntire , Charles Bronson) , attempting to get a step ahead of the perfectly trained troopers ,all of them have vowed to kill him . Meanwhile , he falls in love for a gorgeous Apache woman (Jean Peters) . And as his crusade will precipitate toward an epic final battle . Maasai to be realized that he must persevere , not only for his life , but also by the pride of all his Apache race . There really was a renegade Apache warrior called Massai, who was a bloodthirsty killer renowned for stealing, raping and murdering. He did indeed escape from a prison train bound for Florida and made his way back to his homeland.

This thoughtful picture is an excellent adaptation based on the novel by Paul J. Wellman titled ¨Bronco Apache¨ . This film is , along with "Devil'S Doorway" and " Broken Arrow", one of the few titles of great quality shot in the 1950s to praise the figure of the Red Skins against White Men . Interestingly , the screenwriter James R Webb and the director Robert Aldrich found the character Maasai of the original novel very aggressive , so they decided to join an Apache woman well performed by the wonderful Jean Peters who married Howard Hughes . Lancaster makes an unforgettable and top-notch interpretation as a two-fisted warrior named Maasai , transmitting all the fierceness , nobility and ubiquity of his particularly stubborn role as well as unfriendly . A top-drawer western , the third feature film of the great Aldrich , here directing a Western masterpiece and to confirm with another great movie : "Vera Cruz" . "Apache" is a thrilling and vibrant story to deal with the figure of a rebel Indian ; the own Aldrich did in 1972 another splendid film with this theme : "Ulzana's raid" also with Lancaster as starring . The good of the screenplay is presented to the American Indian with dignity , honour and understanding . This is an intelligent , top-of-the-range piece for its time that had the original tragic final re-shot, against Aldrich's wishes , to make it more happy . He later concluded that "if you shoot two endings, they will always use the other one, never yours".

In ¨Apache¨ Robert Aldrich gave a tense and brilliant direction , though was shot in 30 days . Aldrich began writing and directing for TV series in the early 1950s, and directed his first feature in 1953 (Big Leaguer ,1953). Soon thereafter he established his own production company and produced most of his own films, collaborating in the writing of many of them . Directed in a considerable plethora of genres but almost all of his films contained a subversive undertone . He was an expert on warlike (Dirty Dozen , The Angry Hills , Attack , Ten seconds to hell) and Western (The Frisko kid , Ulzana's raid, Apache , Veracruz , The last sunset) . ¨Apache¨ is a masterful film in all aspects , is among the best westerns of the cinema . Rating : Above average , it's a must see and a standout in its genre ; thus, this film was a commercial success .

A decent Western with fine performances.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 5 July 2015]

Burt Lancaster brings great dignity to the role of Massai, a fiercely proud Apache man who still thinks of himself as a warrior. Unwilling to be shipped off, along with other Indians, to Florida, he escapes his captors and makes life miserable for the white men in his midst. Eventually, he abducts a young woman, Nalinle (Jean Peters), and attempts to begin a life as a family man and a farmer. Meanwhile, Indian scouts such as Al Sieber (John McIntire) and Hondo (Charles Bronson) steadily track him down.

In some ways, "Apache" is a product of its time, with an assortment of white actors playing Indians. If people are able to suspend their disbelief, they'll find that the acting is generally good. While Massai is stubborn and not all that sympathetic, Lancaster takes the role seriously, stressing the Indian warriors' pride at all times. At the same time, the film is rather progressive for having an Indian character in a leading / heroic role.

Peters is appealing as the lady who helps to bring out more of his humanity. In addition to the robust McIntire and the typically low key Bronson, the very fine supporting cast includes John Dehner, Paul Guilfoyle (*not* the 'C.S.I.' co-star, but a different character actor), "High Noon" villain Ian MacDonald, Walter Sande, and Morris Ankrum.

The action is first rate, with rousing music by David Raksin and lush colour cinematography by Ernest Laszlo and Stanley Cortez. The "happy" ending doesn't feel all that convincing, but at least getting there is somewhat interesting, with efficient direction by Robert Aldrich helping to keep things watchable.

Six out of 10.

Never Give Up, Never Surrender

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 19 December 2005]

Burt Lancaster essays the second of his American Indian roles in Apache, the first being in Jim Thorpe - All American. As Jim Thorpe Lancaster plays a man who is living in the world the white man made for him. As Masai, the last Apache warrior, Lancaster is going to live on his terms.

In fact the real Masai was killed, but Hollywood wanted a happy ending. Ten years later Lancaster would have had Masai killed, but he didn't have the clout yet to override the studio.

In fact Burt's having trouble all around in this. He's not getting along with any of his fellow Indians either. Not getting along with Charles Bronson. But Bronson is viewed rightly so as the Pierre Laval of the Apaches. That's understandable.

But I think the most interesting scene is his meeting with Cherokee Morris Ankrum. Morris's wife acts more like a white house wife than a subservient squaw. That's something Lancaster is having trouble digesting. The Indians weren't real big on women's liberation.

But Jean Peters is your more traditional Indian female. She's going with her man no matter what. And Burt actually does humanize under her influence somewhat.

It may be the Apache has been beaten, but they won't be broken and that's the message that Lancaster wants to convey to his people.

In the great tradition of Broken Arrow and Fort Apache.

Aldrich adds an extra dimension.

[DukeEman · 7/10 · 30 November 2011]

Apart from Burt Lancaster's macho warrior performance, this movie is also saved by Robert Aldrich's direction. It's not brilliant in any sense, but pure enough to tell a story with some unique moments that give it his trade mark. Also the subject matter of an Indian being a hero was not common in the 1950s. It was a brave attempt to create empathy for the Indian Warrior, but it was not difficult because Burt Lancaster played it perfectly in a heroic campy style. I know, white folks playing Indigenous roles can sometimes put you off, but because of the time period it was made in, I decided to let it go and enjoy this Western romp because Lancaster is my all time favorite actors, and I was always interested in Aldrich as an accomplish director who had his own style that suited this film to perfection.

Lancaster as a rebellious Indian

[RIO-15 · 6/10 · 4 May 1999]

The movie tells the story of a rebellious apache who refuses to surrender with his chief Geronimo,and wages a one-man war against the U.S. cavalry.

Following movies like "Broken Arrow (1950)" this film takes the side of the Indian.Lancaster is again at his most athletic in the leading role,but he makes a rather unlikely Indian.The same could be said of Jean Peters,who nevertheless looks ravishing as Lancaster's squaw.It's anyway an entertaining movie.

Very good movie for its time

[SallySparta · 7/10 · 1 November 2006]

I grew up watching westerns so in turn love them dearly....they tie me in with a great childhood when things were simple and life was good in an unadulterated sense.

Burt Lancaster has always been a prominent actor and his talent is so very showing in this movie. Charles Bronson is also in the movie and comes across very well as a young actor who is later destined to be one of the greatest actors of our time. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie on a lazy Saturday afternoon and I highly recommend it for its soothing effects of a simple yesteryear long gone except in cinema.

It is a typical plot of indians being pushed out and destroyed by the Union Army with one stand out rebel.....hell bent with an anger created thru intense hate, yet capable of showing love towards the woman in his life.

Number 43

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 5 May 2013]

Apache is directed by Robert Aldrich and adapted to screenplay by James R. Webb from the novel "Broncho Apache" written by Paul Wellman. It stars Burt Lancaster, Jean Peters, John McIntire, John Dehner, Charles Bronson and Paul Guilfoyle. Music is by David Raksin and cinematography by Ernest Laszlo.

"This is the story of Massai, the last Apache warrior. It has been told and re-told until it has become one of the great legends of the Southwest. it began in 1886 with Geronimo's surrender."

Apache has problems, undoubtedly, from the casting of overtly bright eyed Americans in the principal Native American roles, to the shift into love story territory, and on to the studio enforced compromised ending, it's a mixed bag for sure. If you can get over these "issues" then there is still a lot to enjoy here.

You're not a warrior any more; you're just a whipped Injun.

Apache follows in the footsteps made by Broken Arrow and Devil's Doorway that saw a shift in how Native Americans were being represented on screen. The story of Massai (Lancaster) is a fascinating one, even if the movie doesn't quite be all that it can be. It shows him as a stoic and complex individual, fiercely determined in a last man standing type of way, while his confusion with the world he no longer understands - or cares to be part of - is expertly realised by Lancaster and Aldrich. One sequence has Massai walk through town observing the alien white man world at work, including Chinese folk busying themselves in a laundry, it's a smart piece of writing, proving that there is intelligence and points of worth in the story.

You are like a dying wolf biting at its own wounds.

Thankfully the film doesn't go too far the other way and paint Massai as a saint, we know what he is capable off, and he shows us his skills as a warrior as the story moves on. There's even a scene of major manhandling of Nalinle (Peters) that is uncomfortable viewing but actually integral to Massai's emotional state and how the story between the two unfolds. Here in is the problem, once Massai and Nalinle "fall" for each other the picture loses its edge, where even though Aldrich inserts some more action sequences, the grit, intelligence and narrative thrust has disappeared. This all leads to the ending, that as written originally should have seen a cold and dark finish along the lines of the brilliant Devil's Doorway. Instead we get something approaching cuteness and not as profound as the studio obviously thought it was.

The casting of Lancaster and Peters gives the film athletic muscularity and beauty (respectively), certainly in Lancaster's case he throws himself into a role he actively courted to take him onto another acting level (he co-produced it with Harold Hecht). It takes some getting used to, but they provide wholesome characterisations even if they never convince as Native Americans. Support work from McIntire and Dehner is strong, but unfortunately Bronson (here billed as Buchinsky) is short changed by a screenplay that doesn't enhance a very promising character. Raksin's score blends the usual Indian thrums with a love theme that is not dissimilar to the love theme used by Alex North for Spartacus six years later. While Laszlo's Technicolor photography is grade "A" stuff where the landscapes (a number of locations were used, primarily in California) form a telling part of the plotting.

Problems for sure here, and in truth it's the weakest Western made by the Aldrich/Lancaster pairing, but it has good strengths, it was a financial success and it's a story well worth being told. 7/10

Run To The Hills

[ShootingShark · 5/10 · 8 December 2006]

Following Geronimo's surrender, Massai is the last Apache warrior who refuses to bow down to the white man. Escaping from a prison train, he returns to his homeland in New Mexico, attacks the local fort and escapes into the hills with Nalinle, the squaw who loves him. But tribeless, homeless and pursued, how long can he survive ?

This is one of those rare fifties westerns which tries, within the traditions of the genre, to portray American Indian culture with accuracy and sympathy (see also Sam Fuller's Run Of The Arrow), and was the first of three great westerns made by Aldrich, Lancaster and producer Harold Hecht (the others being Vera Cruz and Ulzana's Raid). It has three fine performances; blue-eyed Lancaster is physically dazzling as the uncompromising Massai, who is noble, cruel, tireless in his quest for freedom, and tortured by the defeat of his people. Peters, little-known now but a major star in her day (and Mrs Howard Hughes), is terrific as the woman who understands Massai's conflict and loves him despite it. And McIntire (the sheriff in Psycho) is solid as the weary, hard-bitten tracker who has devoted his life to both understanding and defeating Apaches. Watch too for Bronson in a small role, billed here under his real name, Charles Buchinsky (he adopted his more famous moniker from 1955 onwards). Ernest Laszlo's photography of the California and Arizona scenery is fabulous, and Aldrich's trademark themes - machismo, independence and injustice - are all present and correct. This was his third movie and his first cowboy flick, and thematically is one of the most important westerns ever made.

An exciting Western with colorful action and a surprising ending...

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 8/10 · 4 August 1999]

It was only in his third film, "Apache," that Aldrich's assured grasp of genre and liberal sensibilities came to the fore in a sympathetic but never maudlin portrait of an Indian alienated from both white America and his own kind...

Based upon the Novel "Bronco Apache" by Paul I. Wellman, the film relates the story of the last Apache warrior Massai following Geronimo's surrender...

Declined to live on Government reservations, a real-brave Massai became a legend for waging a one-man war against the encroaching U.S. Army in the 1880s...

Lancaster stars as the menacing, stormy, inflamed warrior whose spirit is as high as the white snowy peak of his mountain... Massai came back from far away weary from a journey that no warrior had ever made before... He seems like a dying wolf biting at its own wounds... For him there is no place in his life for love... Love is for men who can walk without looking behind... For men who can live summer and winter in the same place... Every man, every Indian is his enemy...

Jean Peters looked radiant as the blue-eyes Nalinle who really knows there had never been a chief like Massai...

John McIntire combed the whole country searching for Massai... For him it takes two to call off a war... Massai must be in those mountains somewhere...

For Bronson, "Apache" marked the first of his numerous excursions into Indian territory...

Aldrich tried to offer an inspiring message, and his film was exciting filled with colorful action scenes, and a surprising ending...

Didactic Western.

[rmax304823 · 8 October 2011]

It's 1886 in New Mexico Territory. The Long Knives have captured Geronimo and the rest of the Apaches and herded them onto the reservation. They ship the warriors, including blue-eyed Burt Lancaster as Massai, to Florida to get rid of the trouble makers, but Burt escapes from the train. He manages to walk and steal rides from St. Louis back to New Mexico, encountering many strange people and customs, mostly played for laughs. From a Cherokee in Oklahoma, he picks up some seed corn, although he has no use for it because, after all, the Apache are hunters and gatherers, not farmers.

I don't want to get into too many plot details but some important points are made. One is that the soldiers who guard the train to Florida include what were called Colored Troops at the time. They're happy in their work. But once back on the reservation, Burt sees that the men are working in the fields exactly as we've seen slaves in other movies, swinging picks and plowing fields, and all under a white overseer. The White Eyes refer to the Indian men as "Bucks," in case we missed the analogy. They don't look like happy campers.

Betrayed by the Apache chief, Burt kidnaps the chief's daughter and takes her into the wilderness after a brief but destructive rampage. The daughter is blue-eyed Jean Peters, not bad looking, but Burt treats her the way the white overseer and chief bad guy -- John Dehner -- treats the Apache, like a slave. As they trek across mountains and valleys, Burt very sensibly rides the horse and makes her walk behind carrying the bed rolls. Not a peep out of her. She loves Burt and besides, she's an Apache.

At the end, Burt has learned to treat Peters as a human being instead of a pack animal. Surrounded by a horde of Long Knives, led this time by a good guy, John McIntire, he throws away his weapons and goes into his little hut to comfort his now-pregnant wife.

Burt has decided to abandon the role of warrior, grow the Cherokee corn and become an independent farmer, an equal to the whites. Better to adapt, like the Cherokee, than to die according to outmoded concepts.

Well, after all, the slaves themselves adapted, didn't they? Look how cheerfully they carry out their duties as members of the US Colored Troops. Why, it's a lesson for all of us. It's even a moral lesson about women's lib. Burt goes from knocking her about with a stick to cuddling her like the Dad in a 1950s television family series.

It's mostly a myth, of course. Traditions, even dangerous ones based on myth, don't die so readily. At the time of this movie's release, you could depend on being refused service in some Southern restaurants if you wore a beard, as I know. And in the Middle East, some Shiite and Sunni have been going at each other for more than a millennium. It's been a shorter time than that in Northern Ireland because the West is so terribly civilized.

As "The End" appears on the screen, and director Aldrich gives us a helicopter shot of Burt throwing away his rifle, we all get a warm glow. How nice that he's given up his warrior ways and decided to become a farmer, and how nice that he finally treats his wife like an equal. Geronimo himself wound up in a Wild West show. We're permitted to wonder what happened to Massai, the warrior turned worrier.

"Only a warrior chooses his place to die."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 22 April 2016]

I'm always curious about the casting of name actors in Native American roles. You had Chuck Connors as the title character in 1962's "Geronimo" and Paul Newman did a respectable job in 1967's "Hombre". The thing with me is, I don't have so much a problem with white actors cast as Indians, but more so in the fact that their celebrity serves as a distraction in watching the picture. That's the issue here as well, with Burt Lancaster in the role of Apache warrior Massai, most of the time I was watching Lancaster the actor while trying to pay attention to the story.

About the only thing that's historically accurate in this film is the capture of Massai the first time and his escape from the prison train. All the rest is poetic license taken for the sake of the story, so on that basis you'll have to judge for yourself. The real Massai virtually disappeared once he returned to New Mexico-Arizona Territory, raiding along the border and occasionally seeking refuge in Mexico. He kidnapped and married a Mescalero Apache girl and had six children with her. The idea presented in the movie that Massai could walk away from the Cavalry after killing a number of soldiers and scouts is plainly laughable, but Hollywood in the Fifties wouldn't have drawn an audience without a feel good ending.

The one thing the film does have going for it is the Indian dialog. There are some thoughtful conversations among the Native characters on screen, and one idea that intrigued me came from Santos (Paul Guilfoyle), father of Nalinle (Jean Peters). He stated that "even a hawk is an eagle among crows". I liked that imagery, it reminded me of a similar saying having to do with a one eyed man being king in the land of the blind.

The other thing that got my attention had to do with the egotistical and vicious bounty hunter Weddle (John Dehner). That time he walked into the trading post for supplies, one of the things he asked for was 'saleratus'. I couldn't let that one go and had to look it up. Wouldn't you know, he could have made things a whole lot easier by simply asking for baking soda.

Oh Sedona! Your hills deserved better

[frankf-10 · 3/10 · 1 April 2013]

I enjoyed cowboy movies when I was young, but after TV and Hollywood together beat the genre to death with over-exposure and triteness (to be supplanted by space operas, car chases/explosions and, now zombie/vampire adventures), I wasn't sorry to see westerns die their slow death... though an occasional decent one pops up now and agin. The silliness of the casting and the seemingly requisite neat, dry-cleaned look of every single soldier and saddle tramp, just gets in the way of anything special this movie might have had when first conceived.

What has me really puzzled about this movie is why Burt Lancaster would put himself in such a thing. It was, after all, a "Hecht-Lancaster Presentation," so, presumably, he would have had control over its creation. I guess Burt, an actor I have long admired, saw this as a step forward by adding some shades of gray to Hollywood's usual depiction of the Indian "savages." It is a bad movie, chock full of poorly-acted stereotypes, clichéd situations and unbelievable events. A few of my *favorites* - Burt, single-handed, turns over a wagon with two full-size bad guys in it. The almost virgin birth of his child: After doing almost everything allowable in a movie of this type (including clubbing the would-be girl friend), they finally get to romance and in the blink of an eye, she is pregnant, goes full term without a hint of a bulge and delivers her first child unassisted after about a 5 minute labor (while she is, seemingly, bed-ridden from having been tending the crops which are growing nicely in some of the driest soil ever photographed).

Speaking of the soil: I re-watched this warhorse of a flick (Why do folks here consider this a great Altman movie?) after many years because it is on a long list of films shot in or around Sedona, Arizona. I have visited Sedona twice. It's redrock towers are a sight to behold and it is clear why it was a favored location. Even now, with most of the beautiful hills adorned by dense necklaces of cute SW modern homes and condos, occupied by the upscale folk who can afford to live there, it still has much to beguile. If you visit, check out the local funky museum and, while taking in the old photos and wrangler gear, ponder what we have wrought. If you are like me, you may wonder why such transitions seem so tragically inevitable.

He just wanted to live free as an Apache.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 23 January 2021]

With the capture of Geronimo, it was only a matter of time before the Apaches were under the thumb of the white man, but one (Burt Lancaster as Massai) continued to fight, ending up on the lamb for desperately rejecting being sent to a reservation. He finds himself followed by Nalinle (Jean Peters), a Cherokee, and even though he somewhat abuses her in order to get her to stop following him, he can't help but falling in love with her and they desperately try to find a land to settle. But with the white man (John McIntire) on his trail (accompanied by the native Hondo, a young Charles Bronson), Massai needs to keep on run, difficult with Peters expecting a child.

The stunning color photography shows what happens when westerns went from black and white to color, how breathtaking they could be. This is one of the first to show natives as something other than savages, indicating that they fought for a reason, and freedom is certainly worth fighting for.

Even though he had played part native before as Jim Thorpe, Lancaster's looks don't feel truly native even with dark makeup. Peters succeeds a bit more, but their perfect spoken English (even with so called native terms) is also distracting. Even so, it's impossible to root against them because their cause is truly understandable, and this takes a far different look at the situation in a way that puts the bad guy hat on the soldiers and other hunters after them. Director Robert Aldrich really gives this a punch, and the muscular Lancaster, showing off his toned chest, is quite a sight for the eyes.

An Apache goes Rambo

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 17 January 2018]

RELEASED IN 1954 and directed by Robert Aldrich, "Apache" is based on the real-life story of Massai (Burt Lancaster), a Chiricahua Apache who was exiled with other Apaches to a reservation in Florida to be held with Geronimo and Chihuahua, but he escapes the train somewhere near St. Louis and travels 1200 miles back to the Mescalero Apache tribal area, conducting one-man raids near what is now the Arizona-New Mexican border. John McIntire plays the chief of scouts commissioned to capture Massai while Charles Bronson (Buchinsky) is on hand as an Apache scout. Jean Peters plays an Apache babe who, in real life, was Zanagoliche.

Massai actually escaped the prison train with a Tonkawa Native named Gray Lizard and they traveled the long journey back by foot together, eventually parting company in Southeastern Arizona. Gray Lizard is, unfortunately, completely omitted in the film.

To enjoy this movie you have to look past Lancaster in the lead role or, at least, imagine him to look more like a real Apache. But, keep this in mind: Since Massai is the sympathetic protagonist of the story the movie would've never been made in the early 50s without a known Hollywood star playing the role. Why? Simple: Producers needed to attract viewers in order for the film to make money. Actually, Lancaster isn't too unbelievable in the role, as long as you can disregard his blue eyes. Unfortunately babelicious Peters looks way too European to play an Apache squaw, even though they tried to hide it by darkening her skin. On the positive side, there are a lot of real Natives in peripheral roles.

The whole first act is great as Massai is a fish-out-of-water in the city of St. Louis. Unfortunately there are dull stretches in the second and third acts. Nevertheless, "Apache" was better than I thought it would be and inspired me to look up the real-life Massai. It was also a hit at the box office despite falling into relative obscurity since then. The score is surprisingly bearable for an old Western.

"Apache" made Native Americans (who aren't really 'native' since their ancestors emigrated from Asia) sympathetic characters in cinema, along with earlier Westerns, like "Buffalo Bill" (1944), "Fort Apache" (1948) and "Broken Arrow" (1950) and later Westerns, like "The Last Wagon" (1956), "A Man Called Horse" (1970) and "I Will Fight No More Forever" (1975).

THE FILM RUNS 1 hours & 31 minutes and was shot in California, Arizona and New Mexico. WRITERS: James R. Webb wrote the script based on Paul Wellman's novel.

GRADE: B-

Burt Lancaster - the grace of Astaire,the menace of Cagney.

[ianlouisiana · 7/10 · 5 March 2016]

Mr B.Lancaster was one of Hollywood's greatest athletes.He had the grace of Astaire,the menace of Cagney and the magnetism of Welles. From "The Killers" onwards,he grinned and grimaced,loping across the screen and hypnotising the camera. Arguably the zenith of his career was "The Crimson Pirate",with his performance as Masai in "Apache" approaching it,despite the film itself being inferior. This wasn't the movie Mr Aldrich set out top make,with studio bean - counters interfering with his vision,but it is arresting and intriguing nonetheless. External factors aside,Mr Lancaster manages to outpower the production with the sheer energy of his performance. In the days when First Nation actors were generally reduced to "rhubarbing" and riding around wearing huge headdresses it was quite common for big stars to display bronzed faces and torsos,look grim and speak pidgin English. Masai (Mr B.Lancaster) escapes from a train after the Apache surrender and takes a cold - eyed look at "civilised" white society which confirms his belief that he wants no part of it. He is only "tamed" by the love of a good woman (Miss J.Peters) who although she may not have turned him into a New Man,succeeds,by having his child,in turning him away from the path of conflict. A not particularly convincing ending shows him accepting the White Man's terms. Just occasionally Masai looks a bit pouty - but who's to blame him for that? Even in it'd flawed state,"Apache" is an interesting film hat helped to open the way to a more fair - minded treatment (at least in the movies) of First Nation people.

Ole Blue Eyes!

[bsmith5552 · 7/10 · 24 June 2019]

If you can accept stars Burt Lancaster and Jean Peters as blue eyed Apaches, then you may enjoy this movie. It is essentially a showcase for Lancaster's athletic prowess as he leaps over rocks and runs like a deer across the frontier.

The story opens in 1886 with the surrender in New Mexico of Geronimo (Monte Blue) and his warriors for shipment off to a reservation in Florida. Massai (Lancaster) is having none of this. He claims to be the last Apache warrior and acts accordingly. Al Sieber (John McIntyre) and his Apache scout Hondo (Charles Bronson) who had brought Geronimo in are now charged with capturing the rebellious Massai. Nalinle (Peters) professes her love for Massai and stands by him as he is captured.

Massai is shipped off to Florida with Geronimo but manages to escape from the train carrying them. Massai begins his cross country trek back to his homeland in New Mexico. Along the way he meets a Cherokee farmer named Dawson (Morris Ankrum) who shows Massai how the Indian has adapted to the ways of the white man. He gifts Massai with a sack of corn seeds. Although Massai is still an Apache warrior he brings the seeds back to New Mexico and shows them to Nalinle and her father Santos (Paul Guilfoyle). Perhaps there was something to what the Cherokee had told him.

Santos betrays Massai and he is again captured by Sieber. Massai believes that Nalinle has also betrayed him and vows to kill Santos and his daughter. Massai escapes once more and wages a personal war against the world. He starts by killing evil Indian Agent Weddle (John Dehner). He kidnaps Nalinle and plans to kill her. But she persists in her love for him and gradually he comes to love her and the two marry by Apache custom (i.e. no preacher).

Massai and Nalinle hide out in the mountains and she convinces him to plant the corn seeds. A crop of corn grows and Nalinle becomes pregnant. Massai anxiously awaits the birth of his off spring. But Sieber and Hondo pick up their trail and close in. Massai hides in the cornfield and Sieber goes in after him and...........................................................................................................................

Burt Lancaster had been an acrobat prior to his movie career and kept himself in good shape as witnessed by his running and jumping and excellent physique. Jean Peters , I believe, had been one of Howard Hughes "protoges". Charles Bronson was still acting under his real name of Buchinsky at this point. Walter Sande is along as Lt. Col. Beck the fort commander and Ian Mac Donald as Clagg, Weddie's partner.

Yes, there really was a Massai who wreaked havoc and eventually disappeared into Mexico.

Far from Aldrich's finest hour.

[MOscarbradley · 6/10 · 11 January 2019]

Once upon a time it was considered not only acceptable but positively common-place for white men to play Native Americans; why, even that handsome non-entity Jeff Chandler got an Oscar nomination for playing Cochise. In "Apache" it was the turn of Burt Lancaster to grow his hair, wear a bandana and speak in broken English and not only that but his 'squaw' was none other than Jean Peters. Such miscasting virtually kills Robert Aldrich's otherwise fine western about the last Apache to defy capture.

It's a handsome and reasonably intelligent picture that cries out for real Native Americans or at least actors who don't sound like Burt Lancaster. He may vaguely look like an Apache but there's nothing you can do to disguise that distinctive Lancaster voice. It's certainly not an offensive film and I'm sure everyone involved thought they were honoring their Apache hero but a film needs more than just good intentions. It may not be Lancaster's finest hour nor is it Aldrich's but then even second-rate Aldrich is far from negligible.

Embarrassing...

[meteorobs · 4 May 2002]

I just finished watching APACHE on TCM.. had to post this.. Strangely this was the first time I sat down and watched this film.. Not only was it was very difficult to believe Lancaster in the role of Native American, but seeing him say his lines.. it was embarrassing. They seemed forced and his heart didnt seem in it. Mr Lancaster could never possibly know what it would be like, feel like, etc etc, to be a "hunted Native American".. I'm am NO-part American Indian and I found this film pailful to watch and a painful reminder that:

For the most part Hollywood has NEVER portrayed Native Americans truthfully and honestly.. its either racist-biggoted or its tranparently condescending.

I'm a big fan of Burts and have loved most all he's done from The Killers to the The Train to The Swimmer.. but Ill have to excuse him for this flick as just a bad choice.. and a sign of those times. hopefully we are more enlightened in the 21st century.

Blue Indians

[JamesHitchcock · 6/10 · 28 October 2010]

Like "Broken Arrow", which came out four years earlier, "Apache" deals with the Apache Wars of the late nineteenth century and is loosely based on fact. It is, however, set at a rather later period of history than the earlier film. Geronimo, the last Apache chief to continue to resist the white settlement of the American South-West has finally been forced to surrender to the US Army. (Geronimo played a minor role in "Broken Arrow" as the main opponent of Cochise's peace treaty with the whites). Geronimo and his warriors are transported by train to a reservation in Florida. While they are passing through St Louis, however, one warrior, Massai, manages to escape and sets out to walk all the way to back his homeland.

Another similarity between this film and "Broken Arrow" is that both are made from a point of view sympathetic to Native Americans. Indeed, "Apache" goes further than the earlier film in this respect. In "Broken Arrow" the main Indian character, Cochise, and the main white character, Tom Jeffords, are both treated sympathetically and are given equal prominence. Here Massai is very much the most important character, more prominent than any of the white characters, none of whom are particularly sympathetic.

A key scene in the film comes when Massai, on his long trek back to the South-West, meets a Comanche farmer in Oklahoma. Hitherto Massai, like all Apaches, has seen himself as a proud hunter and warrior, scorning all those, be they whites or members of other Indian tribes, who earn a living by growing crops. Seeing, however, that the Comanche live in peace with their white neighbours, he reasons that a similar change of lifestyle could enable the Apache to do the same. Upon his arrival back in the Apache homelands, however, he discovers that the white settlers and the military have no intention of allowing him to live in peace, and he begins a one-man war against them.

As in "Broken Arrow" the main Indian characters, Massai and his wife Nalinle, are played by white actors, something which would today doubtless be condemned as politically incorrect but which in the fifties would have been regarded as quite acceptable. Burt Lancaster may have been attracted to the part by his liberal political convictions which were to become more important in his choice of roles later in his career. It must be said, however, that Lancaster is far less convincing as an Indian than Jeff Chandler had been in "Broken Arrow"; no attempt was made to hide the fact that both he and his co-star Jean Peters had blue eyes, something not normally associated with pure-bred Apaches. Another Indian character is played by a white actor, a young Charles Bronson in an early role. This was not, in fact, the first film in which Lancaster had played an American Indian; three years earlier he had played the title role in "Jim Thorpe- All American". Thorpe, however, although a member of the Sac and Fox nation, had European blood on both sides of his family, so Lancaster's looks were not such an issue in that film.

"Apache" is a frequently enjoyable Western adventure, but I would not rate it as highly as "Broken Arrow". Whereas "Broken Arrow" had tried to present a more balanced picture of life in the Old West than many traditional Westerns, which had simply portrayed Native Americans as bloodthirsty savages, "Apache" goes too far in the other direction, substituting for the old stereotype a new one of the American Indian as heroic noble savage. Burt Lancaster gets a chance to show off the athletic and acrobatic skills which were his stock-in-trade during the early part of his career, but this is not really one of his best performances or one of his best films. 6/10

Amazingly bad and silly

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 22 April 2008]

This film is just silly and not worth your time. One of the biggest reasons was the wretched decision to cast the 6' tall and blue-gray eyed Burt Lancaster as an American Indian!! Unfortunately, this silly miscasting was common in the 30s-50s, as the likes of Rock Hudson and Kent Smith also played Indians (among MANY others).

Now if you can ignore the silly and racially insensitive casting, you still probably will hate the film because of the horrible writing. The story is supposedly about a real-life Indian ("Massai"), but the story bears little similarity to him. The biggest problem is that Massai is a hero in the film, but according to IMDb he was not just a murderer but a rapist--hardly the stuff of heroes!! Also, the film ends in the most ridiculous fashion. After Massai shoots at least two of his people, only minutes later, those trying to subdue him just let him walk away--yet he just killed two people!!!! Even if you are sympathetic to his cause, why not disarm him or at least give him a strong scolding for the killings!?

If you can ignore the dumb casting, dumb mis-telling of Massai's life and dumb ending, can you enjoy the rest of the film? Well, no...you can't. That's because it purports to be a romance between Massai and Nalinle, it's about the least romantic pairing in film history! For his part, Massai treats Nalinle like dirt and she follows him like a whipped puppy. There is no love or chemistry. But to make it worse, I just wish the couple would have used a few pronouns!! Hearing Nalinle talking to Massai and referring to him as "Massai" (never YOU or even HE), it sounds like a kid in a school play trying to pretend (unconvincingly) that they are Indians.

Dull and dumb--hardly a glowing endorsement!!

First Western Filmed Through the Indian's Point of View

[andyevel6 · 9/10 · 16 November 2007]

There may be some criticism as to Lancaster and Peters with blue eyes and classic American features portraying Indians, but this was a box office hit in its day and is still worth watching today. This was the first movie that allowed audiences to see the world through the eyes of an Apache and that merits consideration when you select to see this film. It opened the road for other movies focused through the Indian's point of view, which are still being made today (and that includes Gibson's Apocalipto). Both Lancaster and his beautiful squaw, Jean Peters, give excellent performances, despite their blue eyes; which is another reason to watch this flick. It is very well done and the Indians come out as dignified people thanks to good acting. These two actors are definitely pros. They actually manage to act natural with difficult, though smart, dialog that was written to enhance the way Apaches talked at the end of the 19th Century. The screenplay is very interesting and based on the acclaimed novel "Bronco Apache". Look for Charles Bronson (billed as Bruchinsky) playing Peters' beau. Lots of action, too. Lancaster broke his leg when the film started shooting in October '53, but resumed shooting the following month. Peters was liked by cast and crew, but, like some members of the cast, developed an animosity toward the difficult Lancaster during the final days of shooting; which makes her performance the more outstanding because she had to play a squaw that is totally devoted to his character, Massai. The romantic part is quite subdued, but it had to do with the way it was written, and nothing more; which is fine, for Apache warriors had little time to devote to love. The film's ending was fine. But you be the judge of that.

Better Than Average Western - Apache

[arthur_tafero · 6/10 · 10 November 2020]

I like Burt Lancaster playing any role; even a blue-eyed Indian. And if Burt can pull that off, so can Jean Peters as another blue-eyed Indian. The American viewing public is just not smart enough to know that over 99% of Native Americans did not have blue eyes (just like the Chinese, where Native Americans came from). The plot is interesting and the direction by Aldrich is very good. But once again, Lancaster places himself in a very unlikely ending. After shooting up half of F troop, we are expected to believe that the rest of the soldiers will now let him and his lovely bride live in peace to raise corn. Well. if you suspend disbelief for two Indian lovers to have blue eyes each, I guess you can suspend the disbelief that the Army would let this guy live in peace. Sorry, once again for the spoiler, but I just reviewed two Lancaster films with highly unbelievable endings; Vera Cruz and this one. Both films were entertaining, however.

A tentative step for Aldrich that becomes a stumble.

[simonsayz-1 · 5/10 · 22 July 2008]

Aldrich's first Technicolor picture, as well as the first star-driven one, sees him feeling towards future greatness, but stumbling along the way. "Apache", produced by Lancaster himself, never overcomes the terrible casting of the title character. Six foot tall, blue-eyed and Nordic looking, Lancaster is about the most unrealistic Indian ever, and the terrible wig they equipped him with does not help much either. Watching him and Jean Peters in their make up is almost akin to watching minstrels in black-face. Lancaster can show off his great physicality and athletic skill but to very little avail. The story is often clumsy and suffers from severe pacing problems and at times incongruous editing. Clearly, Aldrich and his collaborators were not ready yet for the bigger things to come in the future, but the jump in sophistication from this rather crude picture to "Vera Cruz" later in the same year is still rather astonishing. "Apache" is a very minor genre entry, perfectly watchable but without any lasting contribution to the Western, even given its unusually (certainly at the time) friendly portrayal of the American Indian. Aldrich and Lancaster would reunite and return to the themes presented here with much bigger success later in their careers for "Ulzana's Raid."