(1969) Employing occasional point-of-view camera shots (including an especially effective scene on a rickety rope bridge spanning a deep gorge), director J. Lee Thompson's Hollywood western, adapted by screenwriter Carl Foreman from Heck Allen's novel, casts nonethnic actors as Indians, such as Ted Cassidy and Julie Newmar as Hachita (aka Monkey) and Hesh-ke, respectively, and Mexicans, Omar Shariff as John Colorado and Keenan Wynn as Sanchez.

In 1874 after being ambushed by an old Indian chief, Hadleyberg's Marshall Mackenna (Gregory Peck) obtains Old Prairie Dog's map into Caņon del Oro (also known as The Lost Adams), a canyon on Apache territory containing a fabulous metalliferous mother lode. Filmed in Arizona's gorgeous Canyon de Chelly and featuring Jose Feliciano's singing "Old Turkey Buzzard" in a score by Quincy Jones, Mackenna, who has memorized the map before burning it, soon finds himself prisoner to his former nemesis: "I told you I would come for you."

In addition to the "living map," another hostage of the bandit is Judge Bergmann's pretty blonde daughter Inga (Camilla Sparv), whom Colorado offers to Mackenna in exchange for guiding them, as he and his gang, who had been trailing the old chief for two weeks, seek the legendary gold. Certain that there's no gold to be found, Mackenna agrees to the bargain.

However, before the search can get started, Colorado finds himself trapped in a box canyon with US cavalry waiting outside and a group of gold-fever citizens of Hadleyberg - the newspaper editor John Fuller (Lee J. Cobb), a preacher (Raymond Massey) wanting to build a tabernacle to the Lord, Mr Weaver the storekeeper (Burgess Meredith), a pair of English gentlemen, and blind old man Adams (Edward G. Robinson) accompanied by a young man - led by Ben Baker (Eli Wallach), demanding inclusion in the treasure hunt: "You can't keep gold a secret."

Using a tactical diversion, Colorado and the enlarged party of citizens and outlaws evade the blue coats, only to be surrounded later and reduced to five, trailed by Sgt "Foxy" Tibbs (Telly Savalas), who unexpectedly enlists with Colorado.

In a swimming scene, with Colorado and Hesh-ke in the nude, the buxom Indian woman, in whose past Mackenna once figured, attempts to eliminate the girl from competition. Lots of serpentine surprises keep the action coiling and striking while Mackenna, formerly a gambler, runs the bluff of his life.

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Copyright © 2009 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
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