Cry Blood Apache (1970)

Such a frustrating disappointment

From my favorite movies..

The acting in this movie is really good.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Released in 1970 and directed by Jack Starrett, "Cry Blood, Apache" is a low-budget American Western about a group of white dirtbags with gold fever who murder a camp of Apaches while allowing a squaw (Marie Gahva) to live in order to take 'em to a gold mine. Meanwhile a relative of the captive, a silent brave (Marcus Rudnick), tracks them down and gets vengeance one by one. Jody McCrea plays the only redeemable person of the bunch while the director plays the hypocritical Bible-quoting nutjob. The burly bearded guy was Leif Garrett's father, believe it or not.This is actually a late 60s/early 70s exploitation thriller in disguise. Some of the Apache's torture methods, like hanging a person upside down in a stream and placing a bag with a deadly snake over someone's head, are rather chilling without being overly graphic. "Cry Blood, Apache" is a barbaric revenge yarn produced by the protagonist Jody McCrea, who enlisted his dad, Joel McCrea, from retirement to play the old-aged version of his character in the prologue and epilogue for (I guess) name recognition.The director went on to better things, like 1975's "Race with the Devil," but here he was obviously hampered by the low-budget and the movie comes across inept in some ways (like some of the editing, acting, dubbing & dialogue), which will spur a lot of viewers to hit the 'stop' button (or switch channels). But the film has some rewarding elements despite the tediousness and meaninglessness of it all. For instance, you can't beat the gritty realism. The main characters come across as a group of degenerates with gold fever in the desert, with the questionable exception of Pitcalin (McCrea). Their disheveled and torn clothing looks right. And Rudnick is quite credible as the laconic, merciless and torturous Apache warrior. The obvious question is: Why is Pitcalin riding with these moral-less swine? I suppose because he's desperate and needs the money. While he obviously laments the needless murders, he probably "writes them off" as expected collateral damage.The eight descriptive words in my title blurb are all fitting for "Cry Blood, Apache." It's also unforgettable.The film runs 82 minutes and was shot in Arizona and Sequoia National Forest.GRADE: C

Not good but not that bad either. Is this the worst western ever made? Not even close 'The Desperados' wins that tile hands down. The thing to watch is the way the Indian takes his revenge on everyone who kidnapped his sister in pursuit of gold ( especially the snake in the bag to the worst of them). What is a shock is how brutal the Indian really was, and you almost believe that he would have killed her as well ( sort of like the twisted "Honor Killings" of Islamic Countries and India). Spoilers Ahead. Maybe that is the reason why the Sister decides to save the hero of the movie Jody McCrea ( even though he is not really that good)., and kill her brother in cold blood. Did she make the right choice? Seeing Joel McCrea's well dressed with an IndianToe at the end makes you think she did. Of course, if I was McCrea, even if I ended up wealthy, I might not feel so comfortable with her ( even with go,d). 5/10 stars

Cry Blood, Apache was released in theaters in September of 1970 starring Jody McCrea, Marie Gahva, and Dan Kemp. Cry Apache Blood was a 1970 western film directed by Jack Starrett and assistant director Robert Tessier. The film released by Liberty Entertainment was from an original story by Harold Roberts with a screenplay by Sean MacGregor and has been released as part of a 20-movie DVD pack titled Mean Guns by Mill Creek Entertainment.SUMMARY: A party of five men discovers gold in a small Apache camp. They murder everyone there except for one young woman, who they keep alive hoping she'll lead them to more gold. Only Pitcalin among the five men shows kindness to the prisoner. An Apache brave who was away from the camp discovers the massacre and buries the dead. Then he tracks the murderers and brings slow but steady vengeance upon them.QUESTIONS: Did the Apache Brave catch up to the five men? Why did they let the one woman live? Where was the gold that the men were looking for? NOW MY THOUGHTS ON THIS MOVIE: This movie was boring right from the start. Sure, it was a western; however, it lacked what makes western good. Cows and gunfights! There was no real action in this movie. There wasn't a story line that kept you on the edge of your sit. There was no theme to keep your interest. The main thing this movie was missing was a leading lady. There wasn't any! Therefore, with that in mind, I give this movie 2 weasel stars and that was being kind at best

This has to be the lowest rated Western I've come across on IMDb. Strange indeed, as I found this movie to be one of the better Westerns I've watched over the last year.The characters are interesting and the parts all well played. It won't appeal to everyone. It's not a horse opera, there's no glamour and no colorful scenery. You might think the greater part was filmed in a quarry. It's desolate, inhospitable yet holds a certain beauty.The script wastes no words and in some ways the movie is more of a mystery rather than a western. You're never quite sure what will happen next.On the negative side, the photography is pedestrian. However, the straight forward yet interesting story of revenge overrides this minor point. I'd like to see a good quality print of this movie rather than the currently washed out public domain version.