Rating: 
Summary: Pretty standard western fare.
Review: A rather ho-hum western interspersed with some good action scenes and some fun chemistry between Rock and the Duke. But really nothing special. If you're a big fan of the Duke, which I am, then you'll probably enjoy it although it is not one of his better films.This is a Batjac film, the Duke's own production company, and he stocked the cast and crew with friends, the sons of friends, and even some LA Rams football stars. (Former quarterback Roman Gabriel plays Blue Boy.) If you're a fan of John Wayne films be prepared to see alot of familiar faces.
Rating: 
Summary: Demise of the Western
Review: Andrew V. McLaglen (the director of this rubbish) and Burt Kennedy (a contemporary who churned out equally worthless films) managed to kill the western genre during the late 1960s through the mid 1970s. These guys honestly make Kevin Costner westerns seem like masterpieces. THE UNDEFEATED typifies their magic formula of big name stars, no script, gunfights every 27 minutes, a blaring soundtrack, a little bit of slapstick, and a lot of bad acting. Add a touch of young love and NFL players who want to be actors and voila -- you have a memorable cinematic experience like THE UNDEFEATED! The only people who will find this entertaining are John Wayne fans -- who will have their loyalty to the screen legend tested by this film -- and those who still argue for the nobility of the Confederacy. This latter group are probably heartbroken at the film's ending when Rock Hudson and company are not successful in establishing a Confederate haven in Mexico from which they can continue to fight for the valiant cause of the South. Alas. Rock Hudson as Colonel James Langdon embodies the prototypical Confederate hero who loves his slaves, loves the South even more, is a proper gentleman, and will burn his plantation estate before he lets Yankee carpetbaggers get their hands on his Eden. Bravo! Perhaps my favorite scene is when Rock gives one of his older slaves his daddy's gold watch. The poignancy is overwhelming. I guess the message is: I'll give you this priceless antique before I give you your freedom. Even without this Southern revisionist crap, THE UNDEFEATED would be awful. The only reason it gets one star is that John Wayne's sideburns in this film absolutely rock. In fact, I would have been much more entertained by a film about the Duke's sideburns and Rock Hudson's mustache. Maybe Andrew V. McLaglen will use that idea for a directorial comeback vehicle!!! We can only hope.
Rating: 
Summary: BRAVO!!!
Review: Definitely a great Post-Civil War Western and one of my personal favorites, The Undefeated, brings to the screen such heavyweights as John Wayne and Rock Hudson, whose performances are outstanding, making this movie one of the best of its kind. The acting, the battles and the costumes are all wonderful!
The Undefeated is a movie about honor, bravery, and heroes from a time long gone.
A great movie indeed!
Rating: 
Summary: Thumbs down!
Review: Disappointing team-up by John Wayne and Rock Hudson. Nothing much happens. You don't need this one!
Rating:
Summary: torture. danger zone
Review: dont waste an hour or two on this clunker. this movie has good actors like Rock Hudson and John Wayne among others but dont be fooled by them it is simply one of their worst films so dont be fooled and dont waste a good hour or two.
Rating:
Summary: Even Rock & The Duke Can't Save This
Review: Even the combined star-power of Rock Hudson and John Wayne can't save this tired rehash of far better similar westerns. The Yankee-in-Mexico plot has served as the basis for several classic westerns -- VERA CRUZ, THE PROFESSIONALS, THE WILD BUNCH -- but this comes up woefully short. The politics and conflicts are muddled to the point that it is hard to know just which side you're supposed to be rooting for. The above cited classics made it crystal-clear which side was in the right, even if it seemed the Yankee heros weren't sure themselves. Steer wide of this, even if you're part of the Duke cult.
Rating:
Summary: Any Duke is Good Duke...
Review: I didn't really care for this movie the first time I saw it but as I watched it the second time I came to appreciate the great lines delivered by the Duke as only he can delived. Not my favorite but it does have a civil war battle intro, 3000 horse drive to mexico and the unavoidable mexican bandit trying to steal the horses, great outdoor scenery and the obligatory John Wayne signature group brawl. I can only wish it were available widescreen. The tape I have is the same cover as the one pictured and has a great making of documentary for the movie at the beginning. Good stuff!
Rating: 
Summary: John Wayne and Rock Hudson togther for the first/only time
Review: I have fond memories of this 1969 film because of the way that I first happened to see it. When my father was stationed in Japan we would have the opportunity every couple of months to go see a late show at the base theater. The movie to be screened was never announced; you just went and took your chances. One time it was "One More Time" (Peter Lawford plays Lord Sydney Pepper and Sammy Davis, Jr. was Charlie Salt) and another time it was "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" (I guessed the movie on the basis of the opening shot of the waves coming ashore). One night we went and the movie starts off with a bunch of Confederate soldiers waiting for attack and then along comes John Wayne leading a Union cavalry charge and we got to see "The Undefeated" weeks before its normal rotation to our theater. Actually, John Wayne is not the best part of this film. The opening scenes deal with the end of the Civil War. Wayne plays Colonel John Henry Thomas, whose men have followed him from Texas to fight for the Union and are not sick of soldiering and ready to go home. The plan is that they are going to put together a herd of wild horses and sell them to representatives of the Mexican government, who are offering the best price. Of course, Mexico might be about to have its own Civil War. Meanwhile, the defeat of the Confederacy and the arrival of Northern carpetbaggers have convinced Colonel James Langdon (Rock Hudson) and his men that there is nothing left for them in the South. So his plan is to lead his men and their families to Mexico to serve in the military for the government of the Emperor Maximillian trying to hold onto power. The two groups of former enemies meet along the way and after fighting Indians together achieve something of a rapprochement, mainly because Rock and the Duke are manly men and hit it off. They two big stars acting together, with Rock upstaging an amiable Duke at just about every opportunity. The idea of what expatriate Confederates during after the Civil War is an interesting one, but the script only deals with that as a means of setting up the rest of the film. Of course since the former Confederates are traveling with women and the ex-Union soldiers only brought horses, the romantic subplots involve overlooking the minor past differences of the war that killed a half million Americans. Colonel Langdon's sister-in-law (Marian McCargo) grudgingly sparks to John Henry, despite the fact his unit was as Shiloh where her husband was killed. But it is hard to pay attention to any notion of a mature relationship when young Charlotte Langdon (Melissa Newman), the Colonel's daughter takes an interest in Blue Boy (L.A. Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel), John Henry's Cherokee Indian adopted son, which does not sit well with her beau, Lt. Bubba Wilkes (Michael Vincent before he was Jan-Michael Vincent, and I swear I did not make up that "Bubba" name). Another NFL player, a then relatively unknown Merlin Olsen, plays Corporal Little George, a gentle giant for gets to fight for the honor of the Confederacy from time to time. You will also see former Miss America Lee Meriwether as Colonel Langdon's wife along with veteran character actors Ben Johnson as Short Grub, Harry Carey, Jr. as on of Thomas' riders, and Royal Dano as a dignified Confederate officer. This is really a 3.5 star movie. It is not as good as I remember and there are all sorts of problematic elements to the film simply because "The Undefeated" is pretty much doing things by the numbers. There are no big surprises here once you know the players and it is simply a question of watching it all play out. In the end I round up simply because of the scenes between Wayne and Hudson, and that is without getting into the fascinating sub-text of the personification of American machismo acting opposite the biggest Hollywood star in the closet. I have seen some evidence that the Duke knew about Rock's secret, but there is nothing in the film to suggest it bothered him.
Rating:
Summary: John Wayne and Rock Hudson togther for the first/only time
Review: I have fond memories of this 1969 film because of the way that I first happened to see it. When my father was stationed in Japan we would have the opportunity every couple of months to go see a late show at the base theater. The movie to be screened was never announced; you just went and took your chances. One time it was "One More Time" (Peter Lawford plays Lord Sydney Pepper and Sammy Davis, Jr. was Charlie Salt) and another time it was "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" (I guessed the movie on the basis of the opening shot of the waves coming ashore). One night we went and the movie starts off with a bunch of Confederate soldiers waiting for attack and then along comes John Wayne leading a Union cavalry charge and we got to see "The Undefeated" weeks before its normal rotation to our theater. Actually, John Wayne is not the best part of this film. The opening scenes deal with the end of the Civil War. Wayne plays Colonel John Henry Thomas, whose men have followed him from Texas to fight for the Union and are not sick of soldiering and ready to go home. The plan is that they are going to put together a herd of wild horses and sell them to representatives of the Mexican government, who are offering the best price. Of course, Mexico might be about to have its own Civil War. Meanwhile, the defeat of the Confederacy and the arrival of Northern carpetbaggers have convinced Colonel James Langdon (Rock Hudson) and his men that there is nothing left for them in the South. So his plan is to lead his men and their families to Mexico to serve in the military for the government of the Emperor Maximillian trying to hold onto power. The two groups of former enemies meet along the way and after fighting Indians together achieve something of a rapprochement, mainly because Rock and the Duke are manly men and hit it off. They two big stars acting together, with Rock upstaging an amiable Duke at just about every opportunity. The idea of what expatriate Confederates during after the Civil War is an interesting one, but the script only deals with that as a means of setting up the rest of the film. Of course since the former Confederates are traveling with women and the ex-Union soldiers only brought horses, the romantic subplots involve overlooking the minor past differences of the war that killed a half million Americans. Colonel Langdon's sister-in-law (Marian McCargo) grudgingly sparks to John Henry, despite the fact his unit was as Shiloh where her husband was killed. But it is hard to pay attention to any notion of a mature relationship when young Charlotte Langdon (Melissa Newman), the Colonel's daughter takes an interest in Blue Boy (L.A. Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel), John Henry's Cherokee Indian adopted son, which does not sit well with her beau, Lt. Bubba Wilkes (Michael Vincent before he was Jan-Michael Vincent, and I swear I did not make up that "Bubba" name). Another NFL player, a then relatively unknown Merlin Olsen, plays Corporal Little George, a gentle giant for gets to fight for the honor of the Confederacy from time to time. You will also see former Miss America Lee Meriwether as Colonel Langdon's wife along with veteran character actors Ben Johnson as Short Grub, Harry Carey, Jr. as on of Thomas' riders, and Royal Dano as a dignified Confederate officer. This is really a 3.5 star movie. It is not as good as I remember and there are all sorts of problematic elements to the film simply because "The Undefeated" is pretty much doing things by the numbers. There are no big surprises here once you know the players and it is simply a question of watching it all play out. In the end I round up simply because of the scenes between Wayne and Hudson, and that is without getting into the fascinating sub-text of the personification of American machismo acting opposite the biggest Hollywood star in the closet. I have seen some evidence that the Duke knew about Rock's secret, but there is nothing in the film to suggest it bothered him.
Rating:
Summary: A little old west history
Review: I liked this film because to me it was different than most westerns which feature gunslinging, tobacco-chewing tough guys. There's a bit of history included here, and an interesting combination of it at that. At the end of the Civil War, soldier of the north, John Wayne, and soldier of the south, Rock Hudson, meet up in Mexican territory, they and their followers still holding resentment and distrust for each other. When the Southerners are trapped and held prisoner by Mexican revolutionaries, the Yanks come to their rescue, bringing 2000 wild horses for ransom, though they had spent the last few years catching them for profit. They have to fight their way through French soldiers who try to block them because the horses will be used by the Mexicans in their war effort against the French. The acting is not exceptional, but the characters do have some charm. My interest in this film is for the glimpse into its historical setting.
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