Customer Reviews

Cry Blood Apache [VHS]

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Cynical awful film, poorly done, poorly acted and misleading. Joel McCrea is not the star of it. His bland son Jody is. Joel Mcrea hardly has any lines and appears only at the beginning and the end, mostly riding on horse with nothing to do.

APACHE, CRY BLOOD is a gritty story about the days of the old west. The production value is low and the photography is very basic, but the overall simple story is good. Long before CGI (Computer Graphic Imagery) and fancy stunts. Directed by Jack Starrett as a director who went on to do TV shows like Dukes Of Hazard and Hill Street Blues. The films stars Joel McCrea as the Apache Indian with a mind set on vengeance.

The story is that of one Apache Indian seeking revenge on his murderous white man attackers who maimed, murdered and raped his family. They also kidnap his wife and take her along with them on their trek westward. The white cowboys are sought after one after the other and then mercilessly tortured and killed in his act of revenge.

The acting is very basic and the movie over-all is not much to talk about, but it is the story that keeps this relatively short film interesting. Obviously all shot on location; the film does look gritty and real.

I would not recommend this for the whole family, but I know it tales one side of a bitter story about the struggles out Native American Indians had hen the white man tried to take over the west. Simple and interesting this movie is for me. (8-25-02)

This set includes trivia games plus a vintage cartoon after each film.

CONTENTS of THE GUNFIGHTERS 4 Movie Pack:

CRY BLOOD, APACHE-- A cowboy gang slaughters an Apache group, but spare the life of a squaw who promises to lead them to a treasure in gold. One brave was away from camp during the attack, and he stalks the gang, picking them off one at a time. A fine premise squandered.

FISTFUL OF LEAD-- Another installment in the "Sartana" series. A gunslinging bounty hunter (Sartana) witnesses the robbery of a gold shipment. He's hired to protect the next shipment and encounters several villains as a result. In the cast of this well-made flick is horror specialist Erika Blanc.

THE GUNFIGHTERS-- Canadian-made TV movie. A Kansas ranching family is dogged by a man who wants to see them fail. The youngest of them kills in self-defense but their enemy makes it look like the murder of an unarmed man. The boy runs, is captured and jailed. His brother and cousin help him escape; all three are labelled as outlaws, so they decide to take revenge on their nemesis by robbing him. Character actor George Kennedy plays a decent bad guy here.

TERRITORIAL MEN-- The pilot episode of a short-lived series called "Sara." Family-style story of a Colorado Territory schoolteacher who wishes to tame the west. She falls for a newcomer to town, a wealthy businessman from the big city.


For more western action, THE OUTLAWS 4 Movie Pack (also from BCI / Eclipse) is surefire.


BRENTWOOD's 4-fers are nicely priced movie bundles. Video and sound quality of these digitally unrestored public domain films is generally fine. Discs are dual-side recorded.

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Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.

(1.9) Cry Blood, Apache (1970) - Jody McCrea/Marie Gahva/Dan Kemp/Jack Starrett/Joel McCrea

(6.0) Fistful of Lead (Italy-1970) - George Hilton/Charles Southwood/Erika Blanc

(4.6) The Gunfighters (TV-Canada-1987) - Art Hindle/Reiner Schöne/Anthony Addabbo/George Kennedy

(???) Territorial Men (TV-1976) - Sam Groom/Brenda Vaccaro/Ron Sable

it doesn't matter who is the real star here or who you thought it was because this is an ok time killer,and nothing more! but this transfer is the pits. fade outs,sound drops and it looks like they transferd it from a 9th generation vhs tape. save your money and look for a better print if you want this one!

Unlike that other review where the reviewer was looking for a certain star and was disappointed because that star wasnt in it so he blames the whole picture! STUPID REVIEW! This picture is not too bd. It has an interesting concept.Joel is in it only as a cameo. His son Jody is the real star

This was an excellent blending of both father & son, in order to tell a story.

The technical part of this review refers to the Brentwood Home Video or BCI release of this film.

"Cry Blood, Apache" was made in 1970 when restrictions on what could be shown on the screen were loosened somewhat. And the results are a mish mash. Joel McCrea who did many fine films is used to open and close the story as the older version of the movies star Jody McCrea (Joel's son). The younger McCrea also produced the film which may be why the elder agreed to appear in it.

The story is of the more seedier side of the white man taking over the old west stopping at nothing to achieve their goals. This includes drunkenness, raping, pillaging and killing as we see in the opening act of the film. One young woman survives this initial incident and agrees to show the band of men where some gold is located. Off they go, followed by the girl's brother who wants to exact revenge on the group and rescue his sister.

But "Cry Blood, Apache" is not just a story about greed and life in the old west. It's also a budding love story between our young Apache woman and the younger McCrea. It's the old captor/captive love story that plays out between the films climax between McCrea and the woman's brother.

Filmed in Arizona and at Sequoia National Forest, the scenery is delightful. Quite light on dialogue, the film does hold the interest of the viewer as it moves at a fairly rapid pace. But have no doubt, it's a violent (for the times) movie, that would have looked at home at a drive-in for a B feature.

The print used for the transfer is fairly decent, not too many pops and scratches, although the color is a bit washed. Not a bad film for the money. But! If you are in to cheap entertainment and want some bang for your buck, this film is available from the same company in a 10 pack of westerns called "The Wild West" , which will give you hours of entertainment for a low price ...

I have had great luck with Amazon products but this is not even the sale price. The movies are ancient and very poorly done. I bought them for Joel McCrea and he was in ONE for about two minutes. Don't buy it!!!
Amazon, I am sorry but I am being honest here.

if the 10 packs are to big or to much to pay at one time, then this 4 pack of good westerns is the way to go. some good movies here and the price is right.

LIKE MOST PEOPLE, I ASSUMED THAT THE DON HENLEY IN THIS FILM WAS THE DON HENLEY OF THE EAGLES. HE IS NOT THE SAME PERSON AND, THEREFORE I WASTED GOOD MONEY ON A STUPID, SENSELESS WESTERN WITH NO "DON HENLEY OF THE EAGLES" TO BE FOUND IN THE FILM. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY, FOLKS.