Chuka

This is one of the better westerns around. The cast is fantastic. The story is very entertaining and action packed. I don't see how anyone could give it 2 stars. The Indians win and the army loses, maybe that's why. But in any event the story line is intriging. Rod Taylor is at his finest as a hired gun with ethics and a deep appreciation for the Arapahoe Indians plight. John Mills, Ernest Borgnine, Luciana Paluzzi, Louis Hayword, James Whitmore et. al. are all excellent in this 1967 western. By the way the fight scene between Rod and Ernie is the greatest fist fight ever seen on film. The Indian attack on the fort is spectacular and the spear scene with Rod Taylor will stun your senses. The ending is special, so don't miss it.

A question arises from the movie's prologue, which is actually its epilogue: Did they all die? Then the story begins for this superior Western and gather 'round the campfire buckos, because its a humdinger!

At stake is a doomed outpost of misfit soldiers facing a nation of hungry, irritable Arapahoes, and an unfortunate group of visitors, including two beautiful Mexican ladies and the enigmatic gunfighter Chuka {Taylor). Chuka's duds are so cool, they rival anything Lee Van Cleef ever swaggered in. Late in the film, we are treated to witnessing his fast-draw, and I would say "eye-witnessing", but his draw is so fast, the gun is out before you even have a chance to blink! Taylor is tough as Chuka: his fight with the ape-like Ernest Borgnine literally rocks the timbers of the fort. I could easily imagine the film crew appauding after those scenes were done. Taylor is also incredibly tender in the long-awaited love scene with the Thunderball babe Lucianna Lallapollooza (sic).

This is a very good Western and a must-have for fans not only of Rod Taylor, but Ernest Borgnine and James Whitmore. Their characters are flawed and three-dimensional, but not given to the irritating idiosyncricies that passed for "character development" in later films and television. As the situation becomes more desperate, the interaction between the characters is so good that I felt not only absorbed, but involved in the plot. You might want to have a stash of Sauza Conmemorativo (the Duke's favorite) handy to join the fellas as they try to take a break from contemplating their doomed scenario. One of the best scenes comes near the end, as the tough hombres, now comrades, rouse early in the dead of night just before dawn, to share a sort of communion, confession, and coffee before the grits hit the fan.

I won't give the ending away, but if only one more scene had been added to assure me about the "second choice" I would give this movie 5 stars. Maybe I want too much. As it stands, it adds to my admiration of Rod Taylor. It is so frustrating that some of his excellent performances such as in Darker Than Amber and The Hell with Heroes aren't even available on videotape! I understand his fight scene in the former with body-builder William Smith REALLY rocks. And come on, The Hell With Heroes has Claudia Cardinale in her prime! Let's get more of Rod on DVD!

Rod Taylor plays a gunslinger named CHUKA (he was raised by a Chuck Wagon cook...and nicknamed chuka boy by the cowboys). He is on the trail during a winter storm and comes across a group of starving Indians. He shares their fire and gives them what little food he has. He leaves and finds refuge at a Cavalry Fort run by John Mills (an ex-British Officer and his SGT....Ernest Borgnine). Also at the fort is his long lost love and her niece. Chuka tells Mills that the Indians are starving and will attack the fort to get food. The plot thickens with other characters in the fort. Not a great movie but very entertaining and a pretty good "shoot-em-up". Worth buying for it's differences from other westerns.