Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Ulzana's Raid Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 3, 2018

Robert Aldrich's "Ulzana's Raid" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swill label Explosive Media. The supplemental features on the disc include an original U.S. theatrical trailer for the film; German dubbed version of the film; and original promotional materials. In English and German, with optional English SDH and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The scout

At first it seems like the two groups are simply driven by pure hatred for each other. The Apaches have broken out of their reservation and ‘gone on the war path’ with the merciless chief Ulzana (Joaquin Martinez), a middle-aged, muscular warrior who very rarely speaks. A simple gesture from Ulzana is enough to instantly turn his men into a pack of angry dogs. The second group is led by Lt. Garnett DeBuin (Bruce Davidson), a young, idealistic and very inexperienced officer, who has vowed to impress his superiors by quickly restoring order in the area. To compensate for his inexperience, DeBuin has accepted the services of the seasoned scout McIntosh (Burt Lancaster) and the ‘civilized’ Apache tracker Ke-Ni-Tay (Jorge Luke).

As Ulzana’s group moves further west and leaves behind a trail of disfigured corpses, however, DeBuin slowly begins to realize that the men he is tracking down and trying to destroy are not just some blood-thirsty savages. They have a tactical plan that will push his group into a trap where they will be quickly overpowered and then annihilated. McIntosh, who has been the first to suspect so, then urges DeBuin to make a risky move that could very well be their only chance to outmaneuver Ulzana’s group. But if they are the first to make a mistake, they could fall even quicker in Ulzana’s trap.

This excellent western from the great American director Robert Aldrich sees the West before it was ‘civilized’ by the settlers as it probably was – a big and dangerous battlefield where only the strongest and most brutal of men would survive. It is basically the flipside of the beautiful and inspiring place that was promoted in so many of the classic westerns that Hollywood produced over the years.

The characterizations are just as unglamorous and as a result the entire film basically becomes a repudiation of the popular notion that one of the two rivaling sides in the West -- the white settlers -- is to be exclusively blamed for the carnages that occurred as the natives were gradually forced to choose between assimilation and extermination. Aldrich offers a different explanation, which is that the culture of the settlers and the culture of the natives were so incompatible that violence and death were quite simply unavoidable. (All of the important observations about the inevitable clash are revealed through DeBuin’s struggle to understand Ulzana’s mission, with Ke-Ni-Tay’s validation of the Apache’s actions then introducing the necessary counterpoint). The entire conflict of course is downsized, simplified and then framed within the chase that the film chronicles for easier digestion.

The R-rating is well deserved because there are some pretty graphic visuals that can leave a lasting impression. On the other hand, it has to be said that all of the violence and ugliness serve a purpose, so the graphic content was clearly not added up for shock value.

Aldrich and Oscar-winning cinematographer Joseph Biroc (The Towering Inferno) chose some spectacular locations for the film in Arizona and Nevada. The entire shoot was completed in seven weeks.

Ulzana's Raid Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Robert Aldrich's Ulzana's Raid arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Explosive Media.

The technical presentation is disappointing. The release is sourced from an old master that was supplied by Universal and most unfortunately there is a wide range of the conventional issues that we have come to expect from the studio's vault masters/remasters. The biggest and most difficult to avoid issue is the presence of strong across-the-board contrast boosting that gives the entire film a very thick digital appearance. Indeed, close-ups and larger panoramic shots basically lack proper delineation; density levels are also very problematic. As a result, even on regular size screens the visuals can often appear very harsh and smeary (see screencaptures #11 and 17). Also, there are hardly any proper nuances especially during darker/indoor footage the visuals become even heavier and more distracting (see screencapture #10). Colors are stable and there are very nice tonal variations, but the harshness that is described above also has an effect on the overall color balance (black crush, for instance, is rampant). Image stability is very good. Lastly, there are no large distracting cuts, debris, stains, or other conventional age-related imperfections to report. All in all, this film desperately needs a proper new master so that it has a solid organic appearance and really look as good as it should in high-definition. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Ulzana's Raid Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

At some point the audio must have been remastered because stability is very good and there are no traces of conventional age-related limitations (background hiss, crackle, pops, etc). The range of nuanced dynamic is also very, very good. Perhaps there is room for some cosmetic optimizations, but I am not convinced that if the audio is fully remastered again the end result would be dramatically different.

Ulzana's Raid Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - an original U.S. trailer for Ulzana's Raid. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• German Version - German version of the film, dubbed in German.

• Photo Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials for Ulzana's Raid. With music. (3 min).

• Cover - reversible cover.

Ulzana's Raid Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Robert Aldrich is one of my favorite American directors and I was hoping that this recent release of Ulzana's Raid will not disappoint. Sadly, it is sourced from an old master that has a wide range of issues that give the film a very harsh digital appearance. If you like the film, my advice to you is to wait-- and hope -- for a U.S. release that will be sourced from a proper new master.