Customer Reviews

The Undefeated [VHS]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I didn't really care for this movie the first time I saw it but as I watched it the second time I came to appreciate the great lines delivered by the Duke as only he can. Not my favorite but it does have a civil war battle intro, 3000 horse drive to mexico, the unavoidable mexican bandit trying to steal the horses, great outdoor scenery and the obligatory John Wayne signature group brawl.

The VHS tape I have is the same cover as the one pictured and has a great making of documentary for the movie. Why is this feature not on the DVD?!?!

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!

In this film Wayne, as former Union Colonel John Henry Thomas, and Hudson, as former Confederate Colonel James Langdon, re-enact on a small scale the slow and painful psychological healing and reunion of the divided nation following the Civil War. Thomas and the remnants of his unit (including the ever-delightful Ben Johnson as Short Grub and Roman Gabriel somewhat less than sterling as Thomas's Cherokee adopted son, Blue Boy) return to the West to hunt wild horses for a living, while Langdon and his, unwilling to submit to the indignities of Yankee occupation and carpetbagger rule, burn their homes, pack up their families, and head for Mexico, where they hope to join the French Interventionists (a plan historically followed, though without the noncombatants, by General Jo Shelby). Somewhere in Northern Mexico the two groups meet, and after some mutual suspicion become uneasy allies to beat off a gang of bandidos. When Langdon's company unwittingly blunders into a trap set by the Juaristas, Thomas and his men agree to surrender their catch of horses as ransom. Much of the charm of the film arises from the head-butting of the two veteran commanders (particularly the sequence in which Hudson utters his memorable line, "If I can find the *time* I'm gonna siddown and write the social history of Bourbon!"), which is, of course, echoed by their men (most notably the quiet rivalry of Short Grub and Robert Donner as Judd Mailer). Yet Blue Boy is early attracted to Langdon's daughter (despite the presence of her long-time suitor, Jan-Michael Vincent as Bubba Wilkes), and even Thomas finds a kindred spirit in his rival's widowed sister-in-law. A good movie about the aftermath of war and the healing of wounds.

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!

This film takes place in a post Civil War setting, where every character finds it difficult to accept the terms of the end of that war. A band of Southern Confederates would rather live/work in Mexico than under the influence of Yankees and Carpetbaggers. The friendship between the Yankee horse trader (Wayne) and the Confererate leader (Hudson) leads to entertaining encounters, and life & death decisions when the Mexican revolution takes everyone by surprise. This movie is representative of John Wayne's later works, and is a keeper. But be warned, I think all of J. Wayne's films are keepers, and as such, my opinion is biased.

I liked this film because to me it was different than most westerns which feature gunslinging, tobacco-chewing tough guys. There's a bit of history included here, and an interesting combination of it at that. At the end of the Civil War, soldier of the north, John Wayne, and soldier of the south, Rock Hudson, meet up in Mexican territory, they and their followers still holding resentment and distrust for each other. When the Southerners are trapped and held prisoner by Mexican revolutionaries, the Yanks come to their rescue, bringing 2000 wild horses for ransom, though they had spent the last few years catching them for profit. They have to fight their way through French soldiers who try to block them because the horses will be used by the Mexicans in their war effort against the French. The acting is not exceptional, but the characters do have some charm. My interest in this film is for the glimpse into its historical setting.

I like almost everything that Andrew V. McLaglen directs. This film has quite a lot of good things to recommend it. Mostly I like the opening Civil War scene and later Wayne, Rock Hudson and company doing battle with the invading French down in Mexico. There's enough humor, action and emotion to go around not to mention Hugo Montenegro's very good score.

Boy, let me clear my eyes a minute and write about this movie.
I saw it today on a day off in summer on a TV channel. It might be a good one if you were thinking of hosting a round-up. First the title tells us quite a bit. John Wayne plays a former Yankee Colonel who is selling a huge herd of horses to Maximillian for the bucks. Three thousand, with his band of former Union fighting loyal men and adopted son Blueboy a Cherokee footballer (Roman Gabriel looking very handsome). Yes, initially what pulled me into the movie was Wayne calling this brave his adopted son and naming him Blueboy, that and my spending an hour trying to place him. It isn't terribly honorable to deal with Maximilian but they are tired of having nothing but war and pain I think.

On the way to Mexico to collect their cash for horses they are ambushed by a troop of bandits after meeting a Confederate troop that have suffered the loss of the war, this Confederate family and soldier band going to Maximilian now I guess for a new start? Unable to stay in America? This group includes Rock Hudson, his wife Mederidith Baxter, his daughter and he's playing a Colonel too.He and Wayne were fun to watch.


That made me think of the movie title because in a way both groups are dealing with defeat. Hudson's group unable to accept it, Wayne's feeling the sting of a way different kind of defeat. They've lost friends, fought, got nothing to show for it and are darn tired. So in this money racked horse deal they kind of have to work together fending off the bandits, then a big and rather stressing meeting up with Benito Juarez Mexican independence revolutionaries aiming to get those horses.They take the entire Conferate group for ransom and wayne and men give away the horses to save them ultimately. Talk about reconciliation!

Along the way each man, Wayne and Hudson reveal their honor. Their ability to accept defeat, to work together to save the families, to see the things they will fight for, it's pretty classic stuff. Blueboy is Wayne's adopted son, a real man of honor that gets wrapped up in his wanting the Southern Colonel's daughter. Wayne gets a love interest too in the form of the sister in law to this southern Colonel mourning her loses of her man killed at a Civil war battle Wayne has been involved in on the other side. It's really a movie about all of that -one side against another and how perspectives and situations frame who we are, what we do.

Yes, I cried. I got afraid it wasn't going to go well at the end and the scenes of execution got to me. As the dastardly freedom fighter says, "War is war."
And everyone is looking at the defeated and the notions of winning.

A Good movie;A John Wayne movie with a very nice cast, the usual Harry Carye Jr.Ben Johnson,John Agar,Paul Fix and many other great people. Especially from the time it is great to see Merlin Olsen and Roman Gabriel from the Football movie actor Era. The added plus is we have Rock Hudson in the movie.Not to forget the movies leading ladies Lee Meriweather,Marian McCargo.The women are very nice looking and they would be if they were in Rock Hudson's family. The time era of the film is after the American Civil War. John Wayne is your Northerner and Rock is from the South. The deep South. John Wayne is with his loyal men who are finanical ruined after the war and need to take home money to their families when they return.They band together to run a herd legally.The Rock is a family man who has lost everything even his country. The Southerns are lured to Mexico with false promises and high hopes. The Northerners are going to do business with Mexico also.John Wayne and the men end up helping the Southerns. Enemies but John Wayne and his men have honor and help the Southerners.Most importantly fellow Americans. The Civil War tore us apart and threw us together. There are great elements in the movie action,love,honor in people,human weaknesses,saddness,and some historical correctness. The movie is not anyone's best movie but it is not the worse either. Good entertainment with a good mix of plot and history. John Wayne and the Rock's only movie together. The movie shows everyone in such great shape and takes you back to great movie times.Watch and Enjoy.

I like over half of John Wayne's movies (very few that I do not like.) I have most of actor's films in my collection. First of all, I like Western films (mostly) but I like John Wayne the actor....this film protrays a post civil war where each side of group of people just trying to do something about their lives and move forward. Well it took longer for one side to finally realize that which is the Rock Hudson's group of people but still wanting to have a better life just like John Wayne's group. So both groups felt "Undefeated" no matter what the aftermath happen in the movie.

Great scenery, alot of great character actors normally surrounded John Wayne throughout his acting career. One thing John Wayne did was make sure the character actors that you see over and over again in different movies HAD work. He took care of them and made them his extended family.

I rather watch these types of old classic films then watch what is coming out of Hollywood presently which is more violent, stupid and no acting and all special affects to cover up the bad acting. I really miss the old days of acting when there was true actors like in this film. I feel sorry for the generation these days...they do not get to appreciate good dramatic or good clean simple funny movies that are not complex.