Ulzana’s Raid

After losing his studio, Aldrich directed one of his most personal and finest works for Universal: "Ulzana’s Raid" is a radical reimagining of his earlier film "Apache" and a unique Western that, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, analyzes the genocide of the indigenous peoples of the United States with an impartial clarity that is as disturbing as it is enlightening. A group of Apache warriors flees the reservation, leaving a bloody trail of guerrilla warfare in their wake. A cavalry unit takes up the pursuit, and only the disillusioned army scout McIntosh (Burt Lancaster as Aldrich’s characteristic “voice of reason”) is capable of understanding both sides. Yet there is no common ground for understanding between the cultures—only destruction. Alan Sharp’s brilliantly incisive dialogue and Aldrich’s masterfully economical direction coalesce into a portrait of a hostile world that, for all its serene bitterness, is never without hope. (C.H.)