The Scalphunters
(1968)
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Sydney Pollack directs this amiable comic Western in which fur trapper Joe Bass (Burt Lancaster) is returning from a successful expedition only to find himself ambushed by a small group of Indians. The Indians force Joe to trade his pelts for Joseph, an educated runaway slave, played brilliantly by Ossie Davis. The two then set off in an uneasy alliance in pursuit of Bass's pelts. The ironic narrative gets turned around again when the Indians are themselves ambushed by a gang of scalphunters. This band of outlaws, led by Jim Howie (Telly Savalas), once again takes Bass's pelts, after murdering the entire tribe. Joe and Joseph then embark on a mission to retrieve Bass's furs from Howie and his vicious sidekicks. Any potential racial antagonism and interdependence issues are handled deftly by William Norton's screenplay. The solid comedic ensemble includes a raucous turn by Shelley Winters as Kate. |
Released at the height of civil rights awareness in America, this intelligent and enjoyable western might be described as The Defiant Ones in reverse, for here the uneasy black/white partnership is doing the pursuing rather than the escaping. If director Sydney Pollack presses home his points about racial tolerance with a heavy hand (particularly during the mud-spattered punch-up), he nevertheless coaxes spirited performances from his big-name cast. Trapper Burt Lancaster and runaway slave Ossie Davis play off each other to good effect, but the real sparks fly when scalphunter Telly Savalas and his mistress Shelley Winters are on the screen.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Vigorous, aimless, likeable comedy Western with the emphasis on brawling.