Ulzana's Raid
A young cavalry officer's ideals erode during a brutal pursuit that exposes the violence and prejudice embedded in frontier warfare.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- foreboding
- austere
- serious film night
- revisionist western marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Robert Aldrich's severe revisionist Western as an outstanding and underestimated film, praised for its uncompromising treatment of violence and its Vietnam-era allegory.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Critics explicitly connect the cavalry campaign and its violence to America's conduct in Vietnam.
Lieutenant DeBuin's compassionate assumptions are challenged by the victims encountered during the pursuit.
The raid's massacres, rape, looting, and the remains of victims make violence oppressive rather than triumphant.
DeBuin's unit relies on McIntosh and Ke-Ni-Tay to track Ulzana and understand the realities of the campaign.
Films like Ulzana's Raid, and why
The Wild Bunch
revisionist western violence, moral ambiguity, and a seasoned scout guiding inexperienced soldiers through frontier brutality
Soldier Blue
antiwar allegory, harsh frontier combat, and an unsentimental examination of cultural conflict
The Searchers
revisionist western perspective, racial tension, and psychologically corrosive violence
The Dirty Dozen
war-film intensity transposed to a historical frontier campaign, with tactical pursuit and moral disillusionment
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Aldrich
- Release Date
- 1972-10-27
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (166)
Cast
- Burt Lancaster
- Bruce Davison
- Jorge Luke
- Richard Jaeckel
- Joaquín Martínez
- Lloyd Bochner
- Karl Swenson
- Douglass Watson
- Dran Hamilton
- John Pearce
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Ulzana's Raid about?
- A young cavalry officer's ideals erode during a brutal pursuit that exposes the violence and prejudice embedded in frontier warfare.
- What is Ulzana's Raid like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Ulzana's Raid as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Ulzana's Raid violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Ulzana's Raid as graphic.
- What did critics think of Ulzana's Raid?
- Critics broadly regard Robert Aldrich's severe revisionist Western as an outstanding and underestimated film, praised for its uncompromising treatment of violence and its Vietnam-era allegory.
- Which films are like Ulzana's Raid?
- Films with a similar feel include The Wild Bunch, Soldier Blue, The Searchers, and The Dirty Dozen.
- How long is Ulzana's Raid?
- Ulzana's Raid runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Ulzana's Raid?
- In United States, Ulzana's Raid is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
