Review of Captain Apache (1971) by Stephen M — 03 Feb 2008

A quirky but dire western starring Lee Van Cleef as a Native American officer in the Union Army, determined to make sense of a dying man's cryptic last words: "April morning". If you're thinking this sounds like the western equivalent of "Citizen Kane" you're way off the mark, and I'd be surprised if you still care what the riddle means by the time Van Cleef finds out.

The choppy editing ensures that the film makes no narrative sense whatsoever, and it is badly dated by an inappropriately funky soundtrack and a trippy hallucination scene. Van Cleef actually sings the two songs which play over the credits, both of which are dreadful.

Unfortunately, "Captain Apache" isn't quite camp enough to be enjoyed for its awfulness, but the sight of Lee Van Cleef in a loin-cloth, desperately sucking his stomach in, ought to raise a smile.

I think this was an American/Spanish co-production, but stylistically it's a Spaghetti rip-off.