Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- grim
- politically charged
- romantic
- historical drama night
- revisionist western marathon
What critics said
Critics recognize the film's forceful revisionist anti-racist and anti-war purpose but remain divided over its simplistic romance and exploitative graphic violence.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Cresta sympathizes with the Cheyenne while Honus gradually confronts the truth behind the cavalry's attack on the village.
Critics explicitly connected the film's depiction of the Sand Creek massacre to the My Lai massacre disclosed during the Vietnam War era.
The massacre sequences emphasize blood, dismemberment, immolation, decapitation, and impalement in visually excessive detail.
Honus's growing affection for Cresta conflicts with his disgust for her pro-Cheyenne, anti-American beliefs.
Films like Soldier Blue, and why
Little Big Man
revisionist western confronting military violence against indigenous peoples with an anti-establishment perspective
Ulzana's Raid
historically grounded western that exposes American military brutality and moral hypocrisy
The Outlaw Josey Wales
anti-war western combining frontier romance with a stark critique of American expansionism
The Wild Bunch
politically charged western using graphic violence to challenge conventional American frontier mythology
Movie Details
- Director
- Ralph Nelson
- Release Date
- 1970-08-12
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (234)
Cast
- Candice Bergen
- Peter Strauss
- Donald Pleasence
- John Anderson
- Jorge Rivero
- Dana Elcar
- Bob Carraway
- Martin West
- James Hampton
- Mort Mills
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, FlixFling, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Soldier Blue about?
- A duty-bound cavalry private and a Cheyenne-sympathetic survivor cross the frontier toward a military atrocity that shatters his patriotic certainty.
- What is Soldier Blue like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Soldier Blue as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Soldier Blue violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Soldier Blue as graphic.
- What did critics think of Soldier Blue?
- Critics recognize the film's forceful revisionist anti-racist and anti-war purpose but remain divided over its simplistic romance and exploitative graphic violence.
- Which films are like Soldier Blue?
- Films with a similar feel include Little Big Man, Ulzana's Raid, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and The Wild Bunch.
- How long is Soldier Blue?
- Soldier Blue runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch Soldier Blue?
- In United States, Soldier Blue streams on Amazon Prime Video, FlixFling, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel.
