Cry Blood, Apache (1970)

User Rating:

2.0/10   

Director:

Jack Starrett

Writers:

Sean MacGregor (writer)
Harold Roberts (story)

Release Date:

September 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Revenge... Slow and fatal!

Plot:

Gang of sadistic cowboys let nothing stand in their way in their search for gold.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Independent Film

Cast

Jody McCrea	...	Pitcalin
Marie Gahva	...	Jemme (as Marie Gahua)
Dan Kemp	...	Vittorio
Robert Tessier	...	Two Card Charlie
Jack Starrett	...	The Deacon
Don Henley	...	Benji Dawson
Carolyn Stellar	...	Cochalla
Rick Nervick	...	Billy Dawson (as Rik Nervick)
Barbara Sanford	...	Mother
Carroll Kemp	...	Old Indian
Andy Anza	...	Crippled Indian
Joel McCrea	...	Pitcalin as an Older Man
Marcus Rudnick	...	Indian

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | USA:R

Company:

Bronco Films

Quotes:

[first lines]
Unnamed Man: [handing Pitcalin a flintlock rifle] Whatcha doin' with such an old timer, Mr Pitcalin?
Pitcalin as an Older Man: Well, it's an old friend.

Hero-less Western had some Potential

The major theme of Cry Blood Apache is the worthlessness of human life outside of civil society. This nihilistic tale takes place in the mythic old west, around the time of the goldrush, and is about as inaccurate as possible. Nevertheless, the story fermented some interesting ironies and a few fairly predictable but entertaining plot twists. Unfortunately, only the Native American characters are in any way sympathetic and even the Euro-American protagonist is more of a survivor than a hero.

Amoral cowboys rape, pillage and massacre a small Apache village, leaving two survivors, a raped woman and her vengeful brother. The woman becomes attached to the one cowboy who is decent toward her (McLure), but out there in the wild somewhere her brother awaits his opportunity to attain vengeance.

Cry Blood Apache is one of two films released by the late profilic b-movie director Jack Starrett (Dukes of Hazzard, First Blood, etc) in 1970. Starrett also managed to act in at least one film per year during the 1970s, including a memorable performance in Blazing Saddles. Although Starrett's directing is often heavily criticized in reviews of this film, I believe that the film's budget had much more to do with its generally poor reception than the directing did. The film was obviously rushed through production and some of the acting (including star McLure) left much to be desired. Lastly, Cry Blood Apache was made at a time when the hallmark of western films was exquisite and often lavish cinematography - and Cry Blood Apache has neither. Despite all of this, the method of storytelling and the story itself had some merit. Had the film been better-supported, it might have fared better.

Recommended for hardcore western addicts. Not recommended for others.