Major Dundee

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Major Dundee

1965

2h 4m

Western

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

During the end of the Civil War, Major Dundee guards Confederate prisoners, Union deserters and ordinary hard-bitten criminals in a remote fort. When Apaches attack the fort and make off with three children, Dundee must set up a posse including Confederates, who face a choice between joining up or being shot. The feud between Dundee and Tyreen is also heated up by a sultry Mexican widow.

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Critics Consensus

Major Dundee is a Western-type with big war scenes, shot with bombast typical of Sam Peckinpah.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Feb 11, 2022

4/5

What makes the film... is the young and swaggering Richard Harris as the Irish immigrant and disaffected conscript Benjamin Tyreen.

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Tom Milne

Sight & Sound

Mar 31, 2020

Despite the cuts which thin out the final stages of the story, and despite a flabby performance from Richard Harris which very nearly destroys the balance, the film is a fascinating study in the swing of a pendulum.

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Glenn Abel

The Hollywood Reporter

Oct 3, 2005

Sam Peckinpah's crippled film plays best as a dry run for The Wild Bunch.

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Michael J. Casey

Boulder Weekly

Jul 22, 2021

4/5

One of the messiest masterpieces in American cinema.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jul 3, 2021

3/4

The various conflicts between characters, cultures, and races drive the picture.

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Joan Didion

Vogue

Mar 11, 2020

So far these might seem familiar conventions, familiar characters. But wait.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 19, 2026

Major Dundee = a *3.5 star movie!

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Per S

@RT83737705 Aug 18, 2026

It's probably very true, that director Sam Peckinpah frequently improvised and basically made things up as he went along. This was according to leading star Charlton Heston. With the cast and resources available to make Major Dundee, it could possibly have been a classic masterpiece, but it isn't

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Jim K.

@J4Grant May 25, 2026

Laughable that this is rated so high. Not near the movies The Outlaw Josey Wales, Open Range, Hostiles and others. These were all rated lower in Rotten Tomatoes top 100 westerns. As someone else said, very dated and battle scenes pretty lame.

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bob C

@RT46426964 Apr 21, 2026

Very dated with Heston more Planet of the Apes than Ben Hur and Harris his usual, well, how did he get away with that for so long? Pekinpah appears to be practicing for Wild Bunch which is his masterpiece. Coburn has one arm and a laughable beard.

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Dallas H

@FozzieMcFly Feb 3, 2026

Director Sam Peckinpah had a notorious reputation as a drunkard with a stubborn streak, but I sure do enjoy watching a few of his movies that I've seen. Charlton Heston playing a Civil War soldier assigned to lead a hodgepodge group of soldiers and malfesance on a mission far beyond the southwest region leaves me intrigued by this wartime western genre mashup.

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Robert H

@RT51143049 Jan 12, 2026

I 1st saw this as a young teenager. Loved it then and still do. Great characters and action. Richard Harris and Heston were incredible.

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Sam Peckinpah

Director

Charlton Heston

Major Amos Charles Dundee

Richard Harris

Captain Benjamin Tyreen

Jim Hutton

Lieutenant Graham

James Coburn

Samuel Potts

Michael Anderson Jr.

Trooper Tim Ryan

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Synopsis

During the end of the Civil War, Major Dundee guards Confederate prisoners, Union deserters and ordinary hard-bitten criminals in a remote fort. When Apaches attack the fort and make off with three children, Dundee must set up a posse including Confederates, who face a choice between joining up or being shot. The feud between Dundee and Tyreen is also heated up by a sultry Mexican widow.

Director: Sam Peckinpah
Producer: Jerry Bresler
Screenwriter: Harry Julian Fink, Oscar Saul, Sam Peckinpah
Production Co: Columbia Pictures, Jerry Bresler Productions, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 1965, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 25, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.9K
Runtime: 2h 4m

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