The Undefeated

A ex-Union Colonel (John Wayne) and a ex-Confederate Colonel (Rock Hudson) cross paths in Mexico shortly after the end of the Civil War.

Despite it’s somber opening, The Undefeated is actually a pretty light-hearted film carried largely by the larger than life personalities of it’s two stars: John Wayne and Rock Hudson.

The script by James Lee Barrett can’t seem to decide how seriously it wants to treat it’s subject matter. While it’s mostly lighthearted, the script has a few somber points that don’t really work, including a somewhat anti-climatic ending.

This is clearly John Wayne’s movie. Although Rock Hudson holds his own, Wayne gets all the best scenes and The Undefeated drags whenever he’s not on the screen.

Director Andrew V. McLaglen makes great use of the Mexican scenery and handles the action scenes well, but watching the movie you can’t help but wonder what Wayne and John Ford could have done with a similar premise ten or fifteen years earlier.