Captain Apache (1971)

Nice effects though.

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Captain Apache(who has his own theme song... sorta, at the opening and again later) tries to find out what the words on the lips of a dying man mean. This strange little, 89-minute piece of cheese has become a cult classic. It is a spaghetti Western and it has all you'd expect from the genre... a hanging, fights, shootouts, an acid trip, etc. Some of the framing is utterly terrible, but maybe this was changed for release. Cleef's face is pure awesomeness as always. This is one of those "so bad it's good" flicks... well, that's how you can enjoy it. I can't claim that I did. It's of course useless to judge this as a well-made picture, it isn't and no one is claiming that it is. You probably already know if you'd like this or not... it's exactly what you've heard it described as if you know of it, and if you don't, you're most likely not the type for it. The DVD comes with the entire shorts of The Tree in a Test Tube and Malice in the Palace(which I've already reviewed on their own pages here on the site), a trailer for The General and one for other works from the period. I recommend this to those who enjoy the legend(of the movie, not the character). 4/10

This film recently was aired on the Encore Western channel. I was surprised to see that the film was in really lousy condition--with a faded print and some choppy sections. Clearly this film has seen better days--though at least they DID close caption the movie--a plus for folks like me who are a tad hard of hearing.This is an odd Western for Lee Van Cleef. Though he plays a scary guy once again, so much of the guy is atypical of Van Cleef. First, the film begins with Van Cleef himself singing (actually, it's more like talking) the title song! Then, as the credits roll, you see that he's sporting a wig--hiding his very thinning hair. Then, you soon learn that he's an American-Indian officer serving with the US military! I guess he could somewhat pull this off, but this is clearly an odd performance for this actor.Van Cleef has been ordered to go to Mexico to extradite some men who killed an American official. In the process, you learn about an evil boss-man (Stuart Whitman) who runs things and may be behind the murder--heck he's done a few killings himself. However, oddly, he offers to help Van Cleef in his mission.In addition to the plot, there are a few scenes thrown in here and there that are pretty cool. First, if you really want to see a lot of Van Cleef, there's a very gratuitous scene of him in a loincloth--not bad for a middle-aged man. Second, the coffin scene is pretty cool--see it and you'll know what I mean. However, even with a few good scenes here and there, this certainly WON'T elevate this scene to the quality level off Van Cleef's classic westerns, such as "Fistful of Dollars" and "For a Few Dollars More". "Deathwork" is often enjoyable, but nothing all that special--and occasionally very goofy and strange (such as the ill-fitting drug scene). And what's with all these "April Morning" comments throughout the film?! Talk about bizarre! It certainly is a lesser Van Cleef film--not even up to the standards of his Sabata films.

One of my favorite Van Cleef spaghetti westerns--more TV-show in look than a feature film and Van Cleef goes against type. I'm not surprised that everyone here dislikes it. The movie is definitely an acquired taste. I saw it during its theatrical run and wish I could find a decent print on DVD. TNT used to run it, I hope the western channel airs it someday. The very funny script is a non-stop barrage of one-liners but played so totally straight and dry by everyone, Van Cleef, Whitman, Carroll Baker, that it works. I've read that the cast had a good time making Apache. The twanging guitar soundtrack is terrific--totally unlike the music composed for most Euro-westerns. I'd love to buy the soundtrack CD.

This is one of those films that is so bad it slips into a new form of entertainment. I get the impression that someone brought up on a lifetime of Roy Rogers and Batman tried to do a Sergio Leone. Its over labored screenplay is perfectly emphasized by the childish soundtrack.