Reviews (17)

Excellent post Civil War western
The Undefeated is an excellent western that teams John Wayne and Rock Hudson together for the first time. Set in the months after the Civil War, the story follows two groups as they venture into Mexico. One group led by Wayne's Colonel John Henry Thomas is driving 3,000 horses south to deliver to the forces of the French emperor, Maximillian. The other group is a wagon train of Confederate soldiers and their families who are moving to Mexico City under Maximillian's rule. Along the way, the two groups meet up and battle bandits, Juaristas, and even themselves. The action scenes are very well put together, especially the 4th of July fistfight and the bandit attack on the wagon train.

John Wayne and Rock Hudson are great as two rival leaders, one Union and one Confederate, who must work together if they are to survive in Mexico. Their relationship has several funny moments as they discuss their involvement during the war. The Duke's crew includes Ben Johnson as Short Grub, Dub Taylor as Mr. McCartney, Roman Gabriel as Blue Boy, and several other Duke regulars. The rest of the impressive cast includes Tony Aguilar, Bruce Cabot, Merlin Olsen, Edward Faulkner, Harry Carey JR, Marian McCargo, Lee Meriwether, Melissa Newman, and Big John Hamilton. It was great to see this on DVD which offers widescreen presentation, several theatrical trailers including The Comancheros and North to Alaska as well as two in Spanish and Portuguese. In the trailer, look for a scene of Blue Boy's fellow riders capturing Rock Hudson as he rides to Wayne's camp that did not make it to the final copy. This is an excellent post Civil War western that all Duke fans will love! Do not miss!

John Wayne and Rock Hudson togther for the first/only time
I have fond memories of this 1969 film because of the way that I first happened to see it. When my father was stationed in Japan we would have the opportunity every couple of months to go see a late show at the base theater. The movie to be screened was never announced; you just went and took your chances. One time it was "One More Time" (Peter Lawford plays Lord Sydney Pepper and Sammy Davis, Jr. was Charlie Salt) and another time it was "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" (I guessed the movie on the basis of the opening shot of the waves coming ashore). One night we went and the movie starts off with a bunch of Confederate soldiers waiting for attack and then along comes John Wayne leading a Union cavalry charge and we got to see "The Undefeated" weeks before its normal rotation to our theater.

Actually, John Wayne is not the best part of this film. The opening scenes deal with the end of the Civil War. Wayne plays Colonel John Henry Thomas, whose men have followed him from Texas to fight for the Union and are not sick of soldiering and ready to go home. The plan is that they are going to put together a herd of wild horses and sell them to representatives of the Mexican government, who are offering the best price. Of course, Mexico might be about to have its own Civil War. Meanwhile, the defeat of the Confederacy and the arrival of Northern carpetbaggers have convinced Colonel James Langdon (Rock Hudson) and his men that there is nothing left for them in the South. So his plan is to lead his men and their families to Mexico to serve in the military for the government of the Emperor Maximillian trying to hold onto power.

The two groups of former enemies meet along the way and after fighting Indians together achieve something of a rapprochement, mainly because Rock and the Duke are manly men and hit it off. They two big stars acting together, with Rock upstaging an amiable Duke at just about every opportunity. The idea of what expatriate Confederates during after the Civil War is an interesting one, but the script only deals with that as a means of setting up the rest of the film.

Of course since the former Confederates are traveling with women and the ex-Union soldiers only brought horses, the romantic subplots involve overlooking the minor past differences of the war that killed a half million Americans. Colonel Langdon's sister-in-law (Marian McCargo) grudgingly sparks to John Henry, despite the fact his unit was as Shiloh where her husband was killed. But it is hard to pay attention to any notion of a mature relationship when young Charlotte Langdon (Melissa Newman), the Colonel's daughter takes an interest in Blue Boy (L.A. Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel), John Henry's Cherokee Indian adopted son, which does not sit well with her beau, Lt. Bubba Wilkes (Michael Vincent before he was Jan-Michael Vincent, and I swear I did not make up that "Bubba" name).

Another NFL player, a then relatively unknown Merlin Olsen, plays Corporal Little George, a gentle giant for gets to fight for the honor of the Confederacy from time to time. You will also see former Miss America Lee Meriwether as Colonel Langdon's wife along with veteran character actors Ben Johnson as Short Grub, Harry Carey, Jr. as on of Thomas' riders, and Royal Dano as a dignified Confederate officer.

This is really a 3.5 star movie. It is not as good as I remember and there are all sorts of problematic elements to the film simply because "The Undefeated" is pretty much doing things by the numbers. There are no big surprises here once you know the players and it is simply a question of watching it all play out. In the end I round up simply because of the scenes between Wayne and Hudson, and that is without getting into the fascinating sub-text of the personification of American machismo acting opposite the biggest Hollywood star in the closet. I have seen some evidence that the Duke knew about Rock's secret, but there is nothing in the film to suggest it bothered him.

The Duke and the Rock Finally Together!
If you're a fan of either one of these late cinematic giants, you won't be disappointed by viewing this flick. Both Wayne and Hudson were quite versatile actors, but their roles in Westerns appear to be their most memorable. There's a fine supporting cast in this film which includes the two well-known former National Football League stars Roman Gabriel and Merlin Olsen making their acting debuts. Although the plot of this movie may not be historically accurate, the average fan of western films will find this feature entertaining. A western starring the Duke would not be complete without an elaborate donnybrook; the one in this picture doesn't disappoint. Overall, this film is worth a look-see.

Often overlooked is the GREAT MUSIC
Of course, I'm a John Wayne fan, so I probably can't be terribly objective about this movie. Obviously, there are serious holes in the story (a Confederate colonel will let his daughter ride off with a Cherokee????? Nahhhhhhh). What is often overlooked is the marvelous score by Hugo Montenegro. This is one of the great western soundtracks, just a step behind the all time greats (The Big Country and The Magnificent Seven). If you're into western soundtracks, you probably already have seen this movie, but if not, don't miss the marvelous work done with the trombone sections.

The movie is entertaining, and with a great deal of humor. Actually, this is probably one of Rock Hudson's better roles ( I can't bear him in those fluffy Doris Day comedies) in that his comedic talents are allowed to shine without being ridiculous. Loved Roman Gabriel as a football player.....but as an actor...well, um, noooooo.

BRAVO!!!
Definitely a great Post-Civil War Western and one of my personal favorites, The Undefeated, brings to the screen such heavyweights as John Wayne and Rock Hudson, whose performances are outstanding, making this movie one of the best of its kind. The acting, the battles and the costumes are all wonderful!
The Undefeated is a movie about honor, bravery, and heroes from a time long gone.
A great movie indeed! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

buena para losamantes de gallos
muy buena pero necesita mas peleas . Su amigo luis altamirano ... Read more

Reviews (1)

dotes de actor
Considero atinada la participación de Javier Solís en esta película, es divertida! ... Read more