utgard14 If you ever wanted to see John Wayne and Rock Hudson wear long sideburns, this is the movie for you. Duke plays a Yankee and Rock plays a Rebel in this post-Civil War western that finds both men coming into conflict with Mexican bandits and soldiers. Yeah. Watch to see how that happens. Supporting cast includes Jan-Michael Vincent, Merlin Olsen, Tony Aguilar, and so on. Certain elements of this, such as the hairstyles, are very much a product of the era in which this was made rather than historical accuracy. It reminds me of Bonanza in the '70s when Little Joe had long bushy sideburns because actor Michael Landon cared more about his personal style than that of his character. The curiosity factor of seeing Duke and Rock in a movie together might make it worth seeing for some. Really, though, it's pretty dull. The direction is pedestrian and uninteresting. It's watchable enough, particularly for fans of Wayne and Hudson. But beyond that it's nothing special.

zardoz-13 "Wild Geese" director Andrew V. McLaglen's "The Undefeated" marked a low point in John Wayne's cinematic career. James Lee Barrett's screenplay has an ending looks like something out of a John Huston heist caper because nobody wins in the end except the Mexican revolutionaries. Indeed, "The Undefeated" looks like a reconciliation fable as former Union troops and their tenacious Confederate adversaries find common ground and help each other out. Furthermore, the notion that each side--John Wayne's cowboys and Rock Hudson's unreconstructed rebels--would become friendly with each other seems improbable. After four years of fighting Johnny Rebs, no Yankee blue-coat would change their attitudes so quickly. The optimistic protagonists behave like everything will magically work out for them. Hudson's rebels dream that they can find sanctuary in Mexico and fight alongside Emperor Maximilian to oust Benito Juárez and his revolutionaries. Again, the lackluster ending where Wayne and company cave-in to the demands of the revolutionaries just doesn't reasonable.This routine but polished post-Civil War western opens with one final battle between the Blue and the Gray. No sooner have Colonel John Henry Thomas (John Wayne of "True Grit")and his troops triumphed in battle than he discovers that the war had concluded three days previously with General Lee's surrender. As it turns out, the Confederates already knew about Lee's historic surrender at Appomattox Court House and preferred to keep on fighting. This is about as realistic as "The Undefeated" gets, because everything afterward defies logic and credibility. Later, our hero in a ten-gallon hat changes his uniform for civilian clothes and several of his troops help him herd and sell horses for a living. Co-starring with Wayne for his first and only time, superstar Hollywood legend Rock Hudson plays a Confederate Colonel James Langdon. This proud southern plantation patriarch burns his mansion rather than hand it over to Yankee carpetbaggers. Langdon and his family and friends leave their home in Louisiana to head for Mexico to join the ranks of the Emperor Maximilian's army. They barely get Mexico soil beneath their hooves with a Federal patrol at their heels. Meantime, John Henry learns that the Emperor is willing to pay more for his 3000 horses than the U.S. Army, and he drives his horses to Mexico. Along the way, Thomas' men run into Langdon's caravan and help them fend off marauders. The confrontation between Wayne and the villains is pretty good. The photography is splendid, but the ending leaves much to be desired.

bebop63-1 Not the best nor most memorable of the Duke's films but watchable enough if only for the magnificent score and scenes of 3000 horses galloping across the plains (even though it didn't seem like there were that many). John Wayne plays a decent role of ex-Union officer John Henry Thomas, leading a large herd of newly caught horses to Mexico where he hopes to gain a profit from selling them to Emperor Maximilian, he exudes the same confidence and at times cocky manner that he played in other Westerns (like his Rooster Cogburn character in True Drit and GW McLintock in McLintock) . Rock Hudson is somehow miscast as Colonel Langdon of the Confederate Army who won't give up his command nor his uniform as he leads a passel of displaced southerners to Mexico at the invitation of aforementioned emperor where they hope to make a new life. For a man who has lost virtually everything he owns in the aftermath of the civil war, he seems to taking things casually and calmly, and doesn't even bat an eyelash of objection when his daughter falls in love with Blue Boy, the Cherokee Indian foster son of Thomas - weren't southerners biased towards Native Americans or non-whites in general? Roman Gabriel who plays Blue Boy is obviously uncomfortable in the role and doesn't seem to exert much more effort than following the director's orders. The climax and ending were a bit of a letdown, as I was expecting something more dramatic (and deadly), like stampeding the horses throughout the plaza and trampling the Mexicans. There are some funny and unforgettable moments though, like the repartee between Thomas and Langdon especially when they have a difference of political opinion, they just take turns swigging whiskey to settle arguments and of course the 4th of July party fisticuffs between the cowboys and the southerners (again, vaguely reminiscent of the mudfight scene in McLintock). And that's not even mentioning Thomas' witticisms in reply to uncertain situations like when asked why he shot the bandit leader "Conversation kinda dried up, ma'am."

doug-balch This movie is fun to watch and has a lot going for it. It's pretty lightweight, however, and has numerous flawsHere are the positives:I don't think this movie would work without John Wayne in the lead. He pretty much plays the standard Duke character. That's a good thing.Excellent fundamental storyline here, mostly employing the underused post-Civil War Mexico setting. This was in interesting and colorful time period, with French occupation troops, ex-Union soldiers turned cowboys, unrepentant Confederate soldiers, Indians, Mexican rebels and corrupt army purchasing agents. Nicely done.Solid location filming. Authentic locations i.e. they actually filmed in Mexico where it takes place.Some really nice segments with an enormous herd of horses on a long drive.Solid attempts at comic relief, even if most of it falls a little flat.Good supporting appearances by Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr. et.al.Now here's what keeps this movie from being better:Like most Wayne Westerns after "Liberty Valence", it feels too much like a poor imitation of a John Ford film. Heck, even Ford's formula was tired by then, and these movies copy it without his infusions of subtle intelligence, wit and heart.Rock Hudson simply does not pull his role off as a Confederate officer and Southern gentleman.The plot makes a lot of sense and works well for the first half of the movie, then falls off a cliff when Wayne and Hudson meet in the desert. There are a multitude of plot holes and implausibilities that aren't worth explaining.Wayne's typical jabs against politicians and government are dated, simplistic and annoying.Wayne's portrayal of Indians during this period is also annoying and simplistic (and make no mistake that these are Wayne's movies. McLaglen is just a glorified coffee boy). Indians are always the "good guys" whom Wayne's character respects. They in turn respect him. Apparently, Indians thought capitalist entrepreneurs were just great, it's Washington bureaucrats who were the problem. This is a patently absurd and condescending view. Worse, it's flat wrong. The only people who made any attempt to protect the rights of Indians were certain parts of the Army and federal government. Private capitalists ran roughshod over them.Female parts are under characterized, flat and gratuitous.Wayne's 62 years old here and looks 72, after just surviving lung cancer. Yet, at the end of the movie, he's proposing to a woman who looks like she's 40 years old tops and is discussing starting a family. Do we need this?????What are Los Angeles Ram football players Roman Gabriel and Merlin Olsen doing in this movie? Is Wayne trying to give back, since John Ford gave him his start as a prop guy when he was a football player at USC?