Review of Captain Apache

Captain Apache also known as Deathwork & the Guns of April Morning wasn't a good movie! Directed by Alexander Singer, Captain Apache, tells the story of a Native American US army officer, Cullah "Apache" Burnett (Lee Van Cleef), trying to solve the murder of a military commissioner who was investing an assassination plot. The only clue, he got to go on, is the last words of a dead Commissioner, "April morning". Each time he nears discovering the meaning of the phrase, a suspect dies, throwing him off the trail. Can Captain Apache find what April Morning is, or will the assassins get the last laugh? Watch the movie to find out! Without spoiling too much of the film, I really found this movie plot to be made, over complex. Loosely based off, Carlos Castaneda's 1968's novel, Teaching of Don Juan. The book narrates about Castaneda's experiences with a Yaqui shaman, which might have influence and led to the decision to turn Van Cleef's character into an Indian. Both Philip Yordan and Milton Sperling were experienced screenwriters, but you have wonder if they did a few acid trips before writing the script when they thought of that. While, the murder assassination plot seem pretty simple, the movie writers really try to stretch it out themes like social commentary, and government paranoia, that it comes across as way too vague, repetitive and messy. By the end, of the film, you'll really will hate the words, 'Red-ass'. Not, because it's racism, but how annoying, that word, often comes up in the script. It didn't help, that run-time for this movie is very wide, while the script is small and thin. The movie pacing moves in very slow pace. If that wasn't enough; this political thriller was very dull at times. It lacks action. The action scenes, we did see, were just plain awkward. The tavern filled with dead and blind guitarist didn't match, with the audio. It's weird, to see the guitarist's music still playing, while he's clearly not, playing anymore, toward the end. Then you got the outside shots of the tavern, where the upper right corner of the screen, you can see some sort modern day, flashing neon sign or billboard in the distance. Talk about a big anachronism mistake. Another problem with this film is the location, where it's shot. The movie fails to use the beautiful Spanish landscapes. Instead, it felt like, shooting at night, or in a dim-lit set. The train shootout is a good example of this. It was so badly shot, that you couldn't tell, what's going on, due to how pitch dark, that screen is. The movie is also nearly often impossible to follow, due to awful temporary editing, jumps. One minute, you're in a romantic settling, and then it cuts awkwardly to a suicide. There is no rhyme or rhythm to the flow of these scene. Clearly, you don't need any more smoke signals to know that this film is horrible. If you need, another point; just look at who is the actor playing Captain Apache! Lee Van Cleef! While, Cleef is great, at playing a beloved villain or hero, within movies westerns. I felt that, he was grossly miscast, here as a Native American. While, the movie is very pro-Native American and anti-racist. Lee Van Cleef's portray a Native American understandably raise concern within some viewers, when seeing this movie. Most of them, found the role, he was playing, still kinda offensive. Yes, I know that such practices, was a normal part of the Euro-Western genre at the time, with dark Spanish playing the Native-Americans, type roles, but Lee Van Cleef, clearly doesn't have to the skills or looks to pull this, off. Lines, like 'Teach me, the ways of the white man!" to his lady-lead, really got under my skin in how stupid, they were delivered. I found his performance to be very cringe worthy, because how dumb, his character was. For a case, that seems, pretty simple to solve. It takes him, forever to solve it. It was very laughable, seeing his character go on an acid trip, half way, through the movie, just to help him, solve the mystery. Its way more laugh out loud when Lee Van Cleef get down to his undies just to talk to his tribe-men. I know, that most of those scenes, he was in, are supposed to be taken seriously, but clearly, there was something, not right, about his performance. It came across, as funny unintentional, most of the time. It didn't help that Lee Van Cleef wore a fake weird looking wig, and a funky looking coat, during most of the film. The rest of the casting is as offbeat as the main actor, with Stuart Whitman, Elisa Montes & Carroll Baker making surprise appearances as the shady business man, Griffin, the teasing Rosita, and the seductive saloon lady, Maude. Stuart Whitman was alright as the man with a plan, while Carol Baker and Elisa Montes were beautiful, but tempting in their roles. I just wish, their characters weren't negatively viewed. My favorite bad actor, had to go to Jose Bodalo as a Mexican General. His over the top dramatic death scene, was a chuckle. Not only was the acting, pretty mediocre, but the music. Lee Van Cleef perform no less than two songs, 'April Morning' and 'Captain Apache'. He only tries singing only one, while the second, the title song, is a sort of slow rap, with him reading the words. It was so-off-key. The acid rock trip music between those two songs, was so bad and out of place. You would wish to be tomahawk to death, so you can't heard it. Overall: This movie was a misfire. Besides the opening credits prologue that was kinda funny. This movie was mostly unintentional funny. Don't expect too much. It's watchable, but surely no enjoyable.