Totally acceptable Italian western utilizing many American character actors. My only gripes are the weirdly inappropriate score, and Indians who look suspiciously like Europeans. John Huston easily steals every scene as the Calvary General who doesn't mind sending Bekim Fehmiu and his band of misfits on a suicide mission. The desert scenery is exceptional, the acting passable, and the action strong. This film has some very sharp editing, thus eliminating scenes that would do little to move the story forward. It is also one of the least predictable westerns I have seen. Put this all together and you have a rarely viewed film, that deserves far more attention. - MERK
16 Reviews
A good but violent revenge western
NewEnglandPat25 May 2003
This cavalry-Indian western has a great veteran cast, an international flavor, beautiful scenery and plenty of action. An army captain discovers his wife tortured and murdered by Apaches and deserts but is later persuaded to train soldiers to undertake a seek-and-destroy mission against the Indians. Old antagonisms and resentments resurface as the special unit sets out on its mission, and there is as much fighting among the the soldiers as there is against the Apaches in this graphic, violent film. Bekim Fehmiu isn't bad in this adventure but his character is one-dimensional in his vengeance quest against the Indians. The film has beautiful western vistas, even if it was filmed in Europe and great character actors put the movie over the top in this wild but interesting film.
A Nixon Doctrine Spaghetti western with Rambo in buckskins...
Ramon_Rojo21 June 2004
What can I say about this film?
Well, it has to be first Nixon doctrine spaghetti western with a frustrated general complaining about the rules of engagement that prevent him launching a search-and-destroy mission on an Apache stronghold in Mexico (Hmmmm...substitute Apaches for the Vietcong and Mexico for Vietnam...) It even has a buckskin Rambo, that being Captain Kaleb, who wants to take out the entire Apache nation after his wife is murdered.
Well, this gets me to the movie. It is one of those movie that used to get made in the Sixties and Early Seventies where scores of actors are assembled in various stock roles, with a screenplay that has recycled every action movie convention without much spark or imagination. And then there's Bekim Fehmiu. I've seen more vivid performances from driftwood.
In short, it's one of those movies you watch on a Saturday afternoon, when nothing else is on and pay very little attention to it.
The only exception I would have to make it for Piero Piccioni's score. It's got that cheezy late sixties jazz thing going on (apologies to Dennis Miller..)
Other than that, it is nothing terribly memorable...
Well, it has to be first Nixon doctrine spaghetti western with a frustrated general complaining about the rules of engagement that prevent him launching a search-and-destroy mission on an Apache stronghold in Mexico (Hmmmm...substitute Apaches for the Vietcong and Mexico for Vietnam...) It even has a buckskin Rambo, that being Captain Kaleb, who wants to take out the entire Apache nation after his wife is murdered.
Well, this gets me to the movie. It is one of those movie that used to get made in the Sixties and Early Seventies where scores of actors are assembled in various stock roles, with a screenplay that has recycled every action movie convention without much spark or imagination. And then there's Bekim Fehmiu. I've seen more vivid performances from driftwood.
In short, it's one of those movies you watch on a Saturday afternoon, when nothing else is on and pay very little attention to it.
The only exception I would have to make it for Piero Piccioni's score. It's got that cheezy late sixties jazz thing going on (apologies to Dennis Miller..)
Other than that, it is nothing terribly memorable...
Competent copy of a familiar formula
Wizard-823 July 2000
What we have here is a rip-off of "The Dirty Dozen", though with more than 12 men, and set in the wild west. There was promise here that wasn't quite realized; we hardly get to know any of the characters, some of which could have been quite interesting given their backgrounds (an Afro-American, a Native American, a British army officer, etc.) The climatic action sequence is also a bit too short, and almost plays like they were running out of time and decided to bring in the action right there, and do it as quickly as possible.
Still, it's never boring, and it has a once in a lifetime cast that almost begs you to see it. You might want to wait until it's on TV, though - the boneheads at Paramount Video released this on EP speed, which doesn't make the picture quality any good.
Still, it's never boring, and it has a once in a lifetime cast that almost begs you to see it. You might want to wait until it's on TV, though - the boneheads at Paramount Video released this on EP speed, which doesn't make the picture quality any good.
Thrilling western shot in Almeria, Spain, about a group of soldiers carry out a raid against an Apache stronghold into Mexico
ma-cortes20 September 2020
An obscure but acclaimed Western by some reviewers and in Spaghetti style . It deals with a small group of soldiers assigned by a General : John Huston to a dangerous mission : to attack an Indian stronghold that Apaches set up in Mexican territory and eventually wipe them out . They are commanded by ex-captain Victor Kaleb : Bekin Fehmiu, an extremely bittered deserter who after his spouse's death due to what he thinks was army negligence is really unsettling, that's why he left the cavalry service seeking for vengeance. As nowadays he will pardoned and given reinstatement if he executes the risked assignment beyond the enemy lines. As the deserter captain commands a squadron of special forces on enemy territory throughout the Southwest wasteland to arrive in a location into Mexico country : Devil's backbone. The team is formed by several especialists of wide range as Machine Gun, dynamite, weapons , such as : Chuck Connors as a priest expert on explosives, a professional explorer as Slim Pickens, an Indian scout : Ricardo Montalban, a Major called Brown : Richard Crenna, a strong fighter and Afro-American : Woody Strode , a British Army captain: Ian Bannen, furthermore : Albert Salmi, Patrick Wayne, Jack Alderson and the young Lieutenant Brandon De Wilde. They must combat the nasty Indian leader, Apache chief Mangus Durango : Mimmo Palmara and his stronghold located just out the army's reach once passed the Mexican frontier. The deserter and his blood brigade !. They drenched the west with terror! A savage renegade and the chosen few... They followed him into Hell just for the chance to kill him!
Moving and spectacular Western with story and script by prestigious Claif Huffaker in "Dirty Dozen" style with assaults, noisy action, marauding Apache attacks, violence and gorgeous outdoors from Spain. Stars Bekim Fehmiu who creates especially a memorable role giving acceptable acting as a deserter captain who is given the amnesty in exchange for leading the misfit team, as the avenger Victor Kaleb is promoted again as an Army Captain, being offered the pardon and reinstatement in the cavalry if he agrees to command a special forces bunch. He is well accompanied by a great and large support cast with plenty of familiar faces playing the especially trained soldiers, such as Albert Salmi, Chuck Connors, Ricardo Montalban, Slim Pickens, Patrick Wayne, Richard Crenna, and John Huston as a stubborn General, adding other minor roles for Remo De Angelis, Fausto Tozzi and Mimmo Palmar as cruel Apache chief.
It contains at atmospheric cinematography by Aldo Tonti, though a perfect remastering being really necessary. Shot on location in El Torcal de Antequera, Malaga and Almeria, Andalucia, Spain and Lazio, Rome, Italy. As well as rousing and stirring musical score by Piero Piccioni. The motion picture well produced by Dino De Laurentiis was professionally directed by Burt Kennedy. He is mainly known for being writer in Budd Boetticher western fims. As Burt also directed a lot of Westerns as The good guys and the bad guys, The train robbers, The war wagon, More wild wild west, The rounders, Return of the Seven, The wild wild west revisited, The dynamite and the gold, Hannie Coulder, The Alamo 13 days to glory, and his two most successful westerns : Support you local gunfighter and Support you local sheriff. In addition, Kennedy directed others genres including films as Killer inside me, All the kind strangers, Trouble with spies, Big bad John, and Suburban commando. Rating 6/10. Acceptable and passable Western.
Moving and spectacular Western with story and script by prestigious Claif Huffaker in "Dirty Dozen" style with assaults, noisy action, marauding Apache attacks, violence and gorgeous outdoors from Spain. Stars Bekim Fehmiu who creates especially a memorable role giving acceptable acting as a deserter captain who is given the amnesty in exchange for leading the misfit team, as the avenger Victor Kaleb is promoted again as an Army Captain, being offered the pardon and reinstatement in the cavalry if he agrees to command a special forces bunch. He is well accompanied by a great and large support cast with plenty of familiar faces playing the especially trained soldiers, such as Albert Salmi, Chuck Connors, Ricardo Montalban, Slim Pickens, Patrick Wayne, Richard Crenna, and John Huston as a stubborn General, adding other minor roles for Remo De Angelis, Fausto Tozzi and Mimmo Palmar as cruel Apache chief.
It contains at atmospheric cinematography by Aldo Tonti, though a perfect remastering being really necessary. Shot on location in El Torcal de Antequera, Malaga and Almeria, Andalucia, Spain and Lazio, Rome, Italy. As well as rousing and stirring musical score by Piero Piccioni. The motion picture well produced by Dino De Laurentiis was professionally directed by Burt Kennedy. He is mainly known for being writer in Budd Boetticher western fims. As Burt also directed a lot of Westerns as The good guys and the bad guys, The train robbers, The war wagon, More wild wild west, The rounders, Return of the Seven, The wild wild west revisited, The dynamite and the gold, Hannie Coulder, The Alamo 13 days to glory, and his two most successful westerns : Support you local gunfighter and Support you local sheriff. In addition, Kennedy directed others genres including films as Killer inside me, All the kind strangers, Trouble with spies, Big bad John, and Suburban commando. Rating 6/10. Acceptable and passable Western.
Worth it for the look on the donkey's face
Bezenby21 October 2017
Look at that cast! I guess with that lot you'd need a different plot from your usual Spaghetti Western plot (anti-hero, corrupt businessmen, Mexicans) so here we instead get a Dirty Dozen set up
which is the plot of many an Italian war film.
This one starts off with our hero Captain Kaleb of the US army discovering that his wife has been raped and flayed by a bunch of Apaches. After putting her out of her misery, Kaleb goes nuts at his superior officer as they were supposed to be guarding the mission where his wife was working. After shooting his superior officer in the leg, Kaleb heads off for the wilderness to go rogue and kill loads of Apaches.
Two years later, General John Houston turns up and demands that they find Kaleb for a special mission (They haven't seen him in that time, but it takes about five minutes to find him!) and promises him a pardon if he'll take a team of men over the border and wipe out a certain Apache army that's been troubling the US – but who will make up this Dirty Dozen-or-so? There's Chuck Connors (explosives expert, smoking), Ricardo Montalban (Native Indian, overblown philosophy), Woody Strode (Engineering, punch ups), Slims Pickens (good ol' Southern hospitality, tobacco chewing), Ian Bannen (Sarcasm, full of Buckfast) and some other guys. They all do what a Dirty Unspecified Quantity always do – start training! This being the seventies and not the eighties, we get a fairly long training scene instead of a montage.
After all that crap, it's time to go on the mission, but wait, Kaleb's superior officer has something to tell them, and I'd love to tell you what that is, but just as he's about to speak the Mill Creek version of the film immediately cuts to the Dirty Group heading for their destination. Thanks Mill Creek! Thanks also for the bit where Kaleb tells the group to shut up and ride in silence when no one was talking.
As you'd expect from films like this, this lot don't get on very well and have a few punch ups on the way, and not everyone will make it to the epic battle at the end. In tone this plays out a lot more like an American Western than an Italian one (although it's as violent as an Italian one!), which means it wasn't quite as daft, although I loved that bit where they are hoisting a donkey up a cliff face when the Apaches ride by, causing everyone to dive for cover and leave the donkey hanging there, looking genuinely perplexed.
This one starts off with our hero Captain Kaleb of the US army discovering that his wife has been raped and flayed by a bunch of Apaches. After putting her out of her misery, Kaleb goes nuts at his superior officer as they were supposed to be guarding the mission where his wife was working. After shooting his superior officer in the leg, Kaleb heads off for the wilderness to go rogue and kill loads of Apaches.
Two years later, General John Houston turns up and demands that they find Kaleb for a special mission (They haven't seen him in that time, but it takes about five minutes to find him!) and promises him a pardon if he'll take a team of men over the border and wipe out a certain Apache army that's been troubling the US – but who will make up this Dirty Dozen-or-so? There's Chuck Connors (explosives expert, smoking), Ricardo Montalban (Native Indian, overblown philosophy), Woody Strode (Engineering, punch ups), Slims Pickens (good ol' Southern hospitality, tobacco chewing), Ian Bannen (Sarcasm, full of Buckfast) and some other guys. They all do what a Dirty Unspecified Quantity always do – start training! This being the seventies and not the eighties, we get a fairly long training scene instead of a montage.
After all that crap, it's time to go on the mission, but wait, Kaleb's superior officer has something to tell them, and I'd love to tell you what that is, but just as he's about to speak the Mill Creek version of the film immediately cuts to the Dirty Group heading for their destination. Thanks Mill Creek! Thanks also for the bit where Kaleb tells the group to shut up and ride in silence when no one was talking.
As you'd expect from films like this, this lot don't get on very well and have a few punch ups on the way, and not everyone will make it to the epic battle at the end. In tone this plays out a lot more like an American Western than an Italian one (although it's as violent as an Italian one!), which means it wasn't quite as daft, although I loved that bit where they are hoisting a donkey up a cliff face when the Apaches ride by, causing everyone to dive for cover and leave the donkey hanging there, looking genuinely perplexed.
Convincing spaghetti Western with superior international cast
adrianovasconcelos28 January 2021
One thing I like about THE DESERTER is that it pulls no punches. No political correctness here to take your eye off the prime considerations of survival and revenge.
Captain Viktor Kaleb, convincingly played by the largely unknown then Yugoslav actor Fekim Behmiu, finds his wife skinned and otherwise tortured by marauding Apaches, and he kills her to end her misery. After doing that, he returns to base only to be threatened with court martial by the unsympathetic and bureaucratic Major Brown (played by Crenna, in a largely thankless role as ineffective fort commander).
Kaleb decides to desert the army and go on on the path of revenge right in the heart of Apache territory.
By all accounts, Kaleb is more successful on his ace than Brown's entire troop of misfits that include a lieutenant blandly played by Brandon de Wilde (a child star in SHANE who lost luster as he grew older and sadly died at 30); a chaplain who is a dynamite expert (Chuck Connors, possibly in his most memorable supporting role after THE BIG COUNTRY); Jackson, the Afro-American who hates Kaleb for no particularly clear reasons; the extremely reliable British actor, Ian Bannen, as guest officer of the Imperial Majesty's Army; and Kaleb's only friends, Tattinger (played by the always interesting to watch Slim Pickens) and Natchai (Ricardo Montalban, with a superlative minimalist performance).
And then you get John Huston as Gen. Miles. Montalban and he steal the show. Miles sees the need to use the revenge-driven Kaleb to hit at Apache Chief Durango, who's weaving nefarious plans to overrun the fort from his hideout in Mexico. Behmiu, always accompanied by his trusted wolf, has no sense of humor: he is out to do a job, picks the men for it, and heads them across territory that CHATO'S LAND would seem inspired by, two years later.
Thus Gen. Miles gives Kaleb the mission to strike at Durango and his marauding braves. Kaleb picks a team of men that he knows will test and undermine his authority. He knows that he will have to prove himself and his leadership capacity every step of the way. He and his lone wolf will do it in a relentless atmosphere of desert sand, sun, sweaty men, struggle for survival. Everyone knows the odds are very much against.
THE DESERTER is no masterpiece but it has the great merit of never seeking the easy way out and it certainly avoids any type of hypocritical political correctness. These are human beings pushing against the elements and against a barbaric enemy. No quarter given, none taken. Even children are no saints here.
Footnote: I found it interesting to see Behmiu close the eyes of the lieutenant played by de Wilde. There is something premonitory about that scene: de Wilde would be killed in a car accident in Denver just over a year later.
Captain Viktor Kaleb, convincingly played by the largely unknown then Yugoslav actor Fekim Behmiu, finds his wife skinned and otherwise tortured by marauding Apaches, and he kills her to end her misery. After doing that, he returns to base only to be threatened with court martial by the unsympathetic and bureaucratic Major Brown (played by Crenna, in a largely thankless role as ineffective fort commander).
Kaleb decides to desert the army and go on on the path of revenge right in the heart of Apache territory.
By all accounts, Kaleb is more successful on his ace than Brown's entire troop of misfits that include a lieutenant blandly played by Brandon de Wilde (a child star in SHANE who lost luster as he grew older and sadly died at 30); a chaplain who is a dynamite expert (Chuck Connors, possibly in his most memorable supporting role after THE BIG COUNTRY); Jackson, the Afro-American who hates Kaleb for no particularly clear reasons; the extremely reliable British actor, Ian Bannen, as guest officer of the Imperial Majesty's Army; and Kaleb's only friends, Tattinger (played by the always interesting to watch Slim Pickens) and Natchai (Ricardo Montalban, with a superlative minimalist performance).
And then you get John Huston as Gen. Miles. Montalban and he steal the show. Miles sees the need to use the revenge-driven Kaleb to hit at Apache Chief Durango, who's weaving nefarious plans to overrun the fort from his hideout in Mexico. Behmiu, always accompanied by his trusted wolf, has no sense of humor: he is out to do a job, picks the men for it, and heads them across territory that CHATO'S LAND would seem inspired by, two years later.
Thus Gen. Miles gives Kaleb the mission to strike at Durango and his marauding braves. Kaleb picks a team of men that he knows will test and undermine his authority. He knows that he will have to prove himself and his leadership capacity every step of the way. He and his lone wolf will do it in a relentless atmosphere of desert sand, sun, sweaty men, struggle for survival. Everyone knows the odds are very much against.
THE DESERTER is no masterpiece but it has the great merit of never seeking the easy way out and it certainly avoids any type of hypocritical political correctness. These are human beings pushing against the elements and against a barbaric enemy. No quarter given, none taken. Even children are no saints here.
Footnote: I found it interesting to see Behmiu close the eyes of the lieutenant played by de Wilde. There is something premonitory about that scene: de Wilde would be killed in a car accident in Denver just over a year later.
His own private war
bkoganbing9 May 2020
One large cast of familiar players doesn't guarantee a good western. For the
star of The Deserter it was shot in Yugoslavia. I'm sure Bekim Fehniu appreciated that.
Because of what happened to his wife Fehmiu has been conducting his own private war with he Apaches. But John Huston playing General Nelson Miles has brought him back from his life as a deserter to offer him command of a mission with a picked group of 'volunteers' of his own choosing.
This is one nasty and brutal western with overtones of The Dirty Dozen. Iy's even got a British observer on the mission played by Ian Bannen.
I can say one thing. The real Nelson Miles wouldn't bein charge of something like this.
Because of what happened to his wife Fehmiu has been conducting his own private war with he Apaches. But John Huston playing General Nelson Miles has brought him back from his life as a deserter to offer him command of a mission with a picked group of 'volunteers' of his own choosing.
This is one nasty and brutal western with overtones of The Dirty Dozen. Iy's even got a British observer on the mission played by Ian Bannen.
I can say one thing. The real Nelson Miles wouldn't bein charge of something like this.
The Cost of Glory!!!
zardoz-1316 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
"Support Your Local Sheriff" director Burt Kennedy takes no time out for either comedy or romance in "The Deserter," a gritty, violent frontier fracas written by western novelist Claire Huffaker. Previously, Huffaker and Kennedy had teamed up on the superlative western heist caper "The War Wagon" (1967) co-starring John Wayne and Kurt Douglas. This time around Kennedy and Huffaker are dealing with the U. S. Cavalry and bloodthirsty renegade Apache savages on the warpath. "The Deserter" qualifies as one of those ensemble, military actioneers with a diverse bunch of hardcases selected because they are either prisoners or specialists who hurled into the breach to thwart a menacing villain and his army. Beautifully lensed by "Valachi Papers" cinematographer Aldo Toni, the brawling 100-minute "Magnificent Seven" meets "The Dirty Dozen" oater mixes and matches genres and ranks as a solid shoot'em up bolstered by a 'who's who' supporting cast of Hollywood veterans who were already western icons. You've got Chuck Connors of "The Rifleman" fame. You've got Patrick Wayne, the son of the biggest western star ever: John Wayne. You've got John Ford stock player Woody Strode of "Sergeant Rutledge" fame. You've got Brandon De Wilde of "Shane;" he was the little boy who chased after Alan Ladd in the final scene screaming "Shane!" Moreover, you're got Slim Pickens, Ricardo Montalban, Albert Salmi, Richard Crenna, John Huston, and Ian Bannen. This dusty oater is worth watching just to see these guys assembled against the savage Spanish scenery that substitutes splendidly for the American southwest. "War and Peace" producer Dino De Laurentiis has lavishly blown a fortune on this western. Although it has formidable production values, a first-rate supporting cast, strong direction, sharp editing, and memorable dialogue, the one and only weakness is the lead played by Bekim Fehmiu, whose biggest movie was "The Adventurers." Fehmiu is appropriately laconic, but he lacks charisma. You can believe him as a character because Huffaker and Kennedy have incorporated his non-native status in the storyline the same way Warner Brothers use to justify Australian actor Errol Flynn in their westerns. Indeed, a high percentage of people who sought American citizenship were immigrants during the 19th century. Last but not least, prolific Italian composer Piero Piccioni of "Contempt" has furnished an orchestral score reminiscent more of American composer Neal Hefti of "Duel at Diablo" than Ennio Morricone with its jazz-like melodies. The offbeat thing about "The Deserter" is that our indomitable hero must led a platoon of marauders deep into Mexico, basically violating international agreements between Mexico and America at the time, to exterminate an army of sadistic Indians that threaten not only the peace of white settlers but also innocent Native Americans! Talk about politically correct! Nevertheless, "The Deserter" is a thoroughly enjoyable western that piles on drama at the expense of humor. If you are watching the Mill Creek version, prepare yourself for a mangled viewing opportunity as the print is pretty butchered.
Burt Kennedy's best
hsequeira771 May 2022
This movie is ready for a reappraisal.
Written by Clair Huffaker and produced by Dino de Laurentis in 1970 it's clearly inspired by "men on a mission" films like "The Professionals" or "Dirty Dozen".
It's a tough and uncrompromising piece of work, without any of the comedy so commmon in Burt Kennedy's other movies, and all the better for it. Great cast and never mind some comments: Bekim Fehmiu os perfect in the lead role.
Well worth a watch. Unfortunately you can't find a decent copy on Blu Ray, DVD or online.
Burt Kennedy's best.
Written by Clair Huffaker and produced by Dino de Laurentis in 1970 it's clearly inspired by "men on a mission" films like "The Professionals" or "Dirty Dozen".
It's a tough and uncrompromising piece of work, without any of the comedy so commmon in Burt Kennedy's other movies, and all the better for it. Great cast and never mind some comments: Bekim Fehmiu os perfect in the lead role.
Well worth a watch. Unfortunately you can't find a decent copy on Blu Ray, DVD or online.
Burt Kennedy's best.
An Army Officer's Thirst for Revenge
Uriah432 August 2023
Distraught over finding his wife brutally tortured and left for dead by a roaming group of Apaches, a cavalry officer by the name of "Captain Victor Kaleb" (Bekim Fehmiu) blames his superior officer for not protecting her and, after shooting him during an argument, deserts his post and escapes into the desert. From that point on, he becomes a one-man army as he proceeds to hunt down and kill scores of Apaches in his thirst for revenge. Not surprisingly, this information is welcome news to the commander in charge of that particular area of the Southwest as his forces have had very limited success in stemming the Apache onslaught thus far. That being said, as the most senior commander in that area, "General Miles" (John Huston) takes it upon himself to offer Captain Kaleb a full pardon if he will help him defeat a large force of Apaches just south of the Rio Grande in Mexico. The problem is that Captain Kaleb will have to work with "Major Wade Brown" (Richard Crenna) in the process--and this is the same officer that he shot just prior to deserting. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film started off well enough but slowed down after the 30-minute mark before eventually picking up steam again in the last 20 minutes or so. On that note, while Bekim Fehmiu certainly performed well enough, I would have preferred to have seen more of Chuck Connors (as "Reynolds") and Ricardo Montalban ("Natchai") as they have clearly demonstrated their acting abilities in the past. But that's just me. Be that as it may, while I don't consider this to be a great Western by any means, it still managed to pass the time fairly well, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
Great Dirty Dozen style western
allan-stenhouse5 January 2004
Really loved this film when I saw it on BBC1 way back in 1981, when I was the grand old age of 11. One of those films I always wanted to see on TV again, but it has NEVER been repeated on UK TV. However, I managed to pick it up on second hand video from e-bay, and wondered how it would stand up today, over 20 years after I saw it. The verdict? Still great. True, it is dated in parts (Music, editing) but these are really minor complaints on the whole. The lead character is great; really ruthless and a true anti-hero. Some great supporting cast also; with some really unexpected moments. And it takes it's time getting to where it's going, which I feel a lot of todays films lack. In 'The Deserter', the characters are given time to breath, and it is not until well after the first hour that they inevitably start to die. This all leads up to an explosive last twenty mins, with some memorable scenes. If you love 'guys on a mission' movies, or westerns, see this little gem. Allan.
What a cast!!!!!!
ranwev23 March 2002
Chuck Conners,Albert Salmi,Woody Strode,Pat Wayne,Slim Pickens,Ricardo Montalban.Sound like a good show?How about throwing in a little Richard Crenna and John Huston.Mix it all together with international star Bekim Fehmiu and you have the "Deserter".You have seen it before and if you take time, you will see it again.A worthwhile oater that is very watchable(The gatling gun scene that has the cast looking right at you),and enjoyable.I have to agree w/previous comment of the film being too short and not getting to know the charactors very well(they were good and could have been great!).This however was a Dino de Laurentis production,and he doesn,t do westerns very well.Check it out anyway.
Epic Indian drama with many casualties and one renegade
clanciai15 August 2019
This is one of those rare aces of a good story told in Spartan eloquence all the way - perhaps the most admirable quality of the film is the very tense and clearcut dialog, where not one word fails to have effect. I loved this film from beginning to end and was mightily surprised by its epic splendour, since I had expected nothing but rather had had some misgivings about the killing of Indians. But this is a war story, it's about soldiers who are out there to kill and do nothing else, and although it's a spaghetti western and there are no cowboys at all, the soldiers are the more intrepid and sinister. Of course, you can't agree with the massacre of Indians, but you have to remember all through the movie that they killed and flayed his wife, and then there is the Indian boy in the end, turning the story into a very fountain of an endless wealth of food for afterthought. The story crowns them all in epic splendour making this film indeed one of the considerable westerns ever made.
One of the Best Westerns Ever
arjunkaul2 March 2013
I first saw this film on Television in the 80s. Seeing it even now, it still feels like an excellent film, thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable.
It has everything: a great story, solid acting, great action, good humour and just a totally badass feel.
The story revolves around an army officer who loses his wife to dacoit-apaches and then deserts the army to live in the wild. He is then recruited years later by general Miles to help them find and destroy Magnus Tanarngo an Apache warlord who is building a massive apache army to wrest control of the entire US Suoth West.
Great acting by Bekin Feihmu as Captain Kaleb. Captain Victor Kaleb is way more badass than Rambo or the Terminator.
General Miles is played by the great John Huston. Great supporting cast with Richard Crenna (who ironically played COlonel Trautman to Rambo) and Ricardo Montblan. More great performances from Chuck Connors as the dynamite wielding priest Chapman. Tattinger the scout is also great.
Good music as well. The soundtrack has a jazz feel with more primitive sounding percussion. Very unique.
Superb characterization and narrative. Never a dull moment in this film. If you like Westerns or Actin films, this is a must watch.
It has everything: a great story, solid acting, great action, good humour and just a totally badass feel.
The story revolves around an army officer who loses his wife to dacoit-apaches and then deserts the army to live in the wild. He is then recruited years later by general Miles to help them find and destroy Magnus Tanarngo an Apache warlord who is building a massive apache army to wrest control of the entire US Suoth West.
Great acting by Bekin Feihmu as Captain Kaleb. Captain Victor Kaleb is way more badass than Rambo or the Terminator.
General Miles is played by the great John Huston. Great supporting cast with Richard Crenna (who ironically played COlonel Trautman to Rambo) and Ricardo Montblan. More great performances from Chuck Connors as the dynamite wielding priest Chapman. Tattinger the scout is also great.
Good music as well. The soundtrack has a jazz feel with more primitive sounding percussion. Very unique.
Superb characterization and narrative. Never a dull moment in this film. If you like Westerns or Actin films, this is a must watch.
Hard to get excited over Bekim Fehmiu
Nozz14 May 2002
Bekim Fehmiu had got a lot of exposure in _The Adventurers_, so here's Hollywood wondering if it should keep him around as a leading man. He gets a good director and a dream cast of character actors to support him. And there's a line in the script to identify him as a Serb in case you need an explanation of his accent, but the line isn't necessary; his English is fine.
Still, the burden is too much for Bekim. The film is a particularly dark Western. Writer/directory Kennedy, whose other films display a lot of warmth and humor, has given the star little to work with but grief and righteous resentment. You wish the hero well, but he doesn't engage you, and Bekim can't draw the missing sparkle forth from his own personality... not for an American audience, anyway.
We're left with a B movie, a movie that can command your attention but not your love.
Still, the burden is too much for Bekim. The film is a particularly dark Western. Writer/directory Kennedy, whose other films display a lot of warmth and humor, has given the star little to work with but grief and righteous resentment. You wish the hero well, but he doesn't engage you, and Bekim can't draw the missing sparkle forth from his own personality... not for an American audience, anyway.
We're left with a B movie, a movie that can command your attention but not your love.
See also
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