University of Virginia Library

'Undefeated': Civil War
Enemies Turned Comrades

By Steve Wells
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Andrew V. McLaglen has for
some time been one of Hollywood's
leading "action" directors. His
name has become synonymous with
massive fist fights, gun battles, and
rough n tough characters that can
only be played by John Wayne.

This pair's latest effort is, to
nobody's surprise, a sock-it-to-'em
flick called "The Undefeated."
Although standard fare, it's an
often entertaining movie that
should be placed in the same league
with its McLaglen-Wayne predecessors.

"The Undefeated" benefits from
an intriguing premise. Mr. Wayne is
a Union colonel who turns in his
resignation at the end of the Civil
War and, with his men and adopted
Cherokee son, drives three thousand
horses to revolution-torn
Mexico to sell to Maximilian. Rock
Hudson (complete with moustache
and long sideburns) is a Confederate
colonel who, refusing to accept
defeat, leads his family and friends
to Mexico where he plans to make
the Confederacy rise again.

Forced To Unite

Inevitably, the two men meet.
Although each has his different
beliefs, they are forced to unite as
Americans in order to survive the
Juarez Revolution, of which they
find themselves in the middle.

At first it appears that Mr.
McLaglen is going to deal seriously
with the attitudes that prevailed in
the two camps immediately after
the Civil War. It is one of the film's
failings that the examination is not
very deep and the dispositions of
both armies are extremely inconsistent.

Fast Action

If you can overlook this and a
few other faults (which isn't difficult
to do), you'll probably enjoy
"The Undefeated." The action is
neither profound nor particularly
original, but it is fast. Mr. McLaglen
has the ability to give palatability
to what is, in actuality, tired
material.

The dialogue in James Lee
Barrett's screenplay is typical western
- or should I say typical John
Wayne? The Duke has his usual
share of humorous quips that fit his
familiar character. Unfortunately,
we have the feeling throughout that
Mr. Barrett and Mr. McLaglen were
not quite sure whether to approach
their subject comically or dramatically.
This lack of commitment is
one of the film's serious drawbacks.

Mr. Wayne portrays himself
(who else?) with the natural screen
presence we have come to expect of
him. Mr. Hudson gives a polished
performance as the Southern gentleman-turned-fighter
without offering
much insight into the character.
The two stars are well-supported by
a cast that ranges from Tony
Aguilar as one of Juarez' soldiers to
pro-footballers Roman Gabriel and
Merlin Olson in their movie debuts.

Succeeds Within Limitations

Aside from the fact that it might
be about fifteen minutes too long.
"The Undefeated" pretty much
succeeds within its rigid but self-imposed
limitations. It should do
well with the public and perhaps
even with the critics, assuming they
learned their lesson from "The
Green Berets" and this time review
the movie and not the war. Go
expecting a lot of horses, a lot of
guns, and a lot of fists and you
should be satisfied.

(Now at the Barracks Road)