Lancaster is the trapper who gets robbed by a local IndyIn tribe. They ''trade" him runaway slave Ossie Davis. Lancaster doesn't really want him but more or less lets him tag along. Telly Savalas is the leader of the gang who, in turn, rob and scalp the IndyIn tribe. Now Lancaster has to chase down the gang to get his fur back.
With someone else in the director's chair, this could have been an earnest, heavy slog with A Big Message.
Of course, it wouldn't even get made today because even the thought of trying to wring laughs out of slavery and scalp-hunting would cause protests at the studio.
Somewhat miraculously, Sydney Pollack delivers a solid western involving a fur-trapper, marauding IndyIns, a vicious gang of cutthroats and a runaway slave that is funny without being farcical, and at the same time offers plenty of food for thought.
Lancaster is a stud, as usual. Savalas offers a restrained performance that, somehow, comes across as sympathetic. Shelley Winters, despite her 2 or 3 chins, is s3xy as all get out.
But the movie belongs to Davis, playing the exceedingly well-read, escaped house slave who got away from some Louisiana bigshot. He's a bit of a silver-tongued character, but time and again when faced with a challenging situation versus a white man, Davis's character rises to the occasion, his intelligence and dignity putting others to shame.
If this didn't make Davis a star it should have. It's inarguably one of the most remarkable performances by a black actor ever committed to film. I sincerely mean that.
With someone else in the director's chair, this could have been an earnest, heavy slog with A Big Message.
Of course, it wouldn't even get made today because even the thought of trying to wring laughs out of slavery and scalp-hunting would cause protests at the studio.
Somewhat miraculously, Sydney Pollack delivers a solid western involving a fur-trapper, marauding IndyIns, a vicious gang of cutthroats and a runaway slave that is funny without being farcical, and at the same time offers plenty of food for thought.
Lancaster is a stud, as usual. Savalas offers a restrained performance that, somehow, comes across as sympathetic. Shelley Winters, despite her 2 or 3 chins, is s3xy as all get out.
But the movie belongs to Davis, playing the exceedingly well-read, escaped house slave who got away from some Louisiana bigshot. He's a bit of a silver-tongued character, but time and again when faced with a challenging situation versus a white man, Davis's character rises to the occasion, his intelligence and dignity putting others to shame.
If this didn't make Davis a star it should have. It's inarguably one of the most remarkable performances by a black actor ever committed to film. I sincerely mean that.