Chato's Land

Starring:Charles Bronson, Jack Palance, Richard Basehart, James Whitmore, Simon Oakland, Ralph Waite, Richard Jordan, Victor French, Sonia Rangan, William Watson (III), Roddy McMillan, Paul Young, RaÃºl Castro, Lee Patterson, Roland Brand, Peter Dyneley, Hugh McDermott, Celestino GonzÃ¡lez, Florencio Amarilla, Verna Harvey
Director: Michael Winner
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Excellent movie, but there's only one problem with this
"A hard land that the sun has sucked all the good out of"
Feedback from Real Apache "Calculus Wiz"
A Subtle yet Powerful Western
Chato's Land DVD

Chato's Land
Starring: Charles Bronson , Jack Palance , Richard Basehart , James Whitmore , and Simon Oakland
Director: Michael Winner
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005LOL5
Release Date: 2001-09-04

Description

Charles Bronson (The Magnificent Seven) and Academy Award(r) winner* Jack Palance (City Slickers) star in a magnificent western as wild and untamed as the Old West itself. Bristling with dynamic action sequences and riveting performances, Chato's Land is a bold, sweeping tale of passion, vengeance and cold-blooded murder. Chato (Bronson) is a half-breed Apache Indian who treads the line between two cultures, balancing allegiance to his tribe with the allure of the white man's world. But when Chato kills a vicious sheriff in self-defense, he finds himselfhunted by a posse led by the ruthless Quincey Whitmore (Palance), a former Confederate soldier who is determined to see him hang. It's 13 men against one, but the odds shift in Chato's favor when he leads his pursuers into Apache territory, where the harsh, cruel countryside can kill as surely as agunman's bullet. *1991: Supporting Actor, City Slickers

Customer Reviews:

Excellent movie, but there's only one problem with this.......2007-03-25

I love this movie. This is a classic Charles Bronson movie. So I was happy when I bought this DVD. But I was a little disappointed upon watching it. Not wanting to spoil anything, so I'll stay vague. At some point in the movie, one woman is assaulted. In the original movie that I remember seeing in a theatre in the 70's, the scene was rather graphic, her clothes being ripped off her, resulting in a short nudity scene. But not here on this DVD. For some strange reason, the scene is still there but not the same. Apparently the film maker shot it twice. Once with full nudity, and once where she still gets assaulted the same way, but keeps her clothes on. We get this censored version on this DVD. It's no big deal since the scene was pretty short. But I still don't like getting a modified version from what I remember. I'm surprised no one pointed that out in the previous reviews. No one has seen this movie in the theatre when it came out? I still recommend it as it's a great movie if you look beyond this fact.

"A hard land that the sun has sucked all the good out of".......2006-12-31

Make no mistake; "Chato's Land" is a sprawling, unforgiving environment that offers little water and no reward. The blistering, sprawling landscape of rock and sagebrush, however, is but a backdrop in this story that shows man at his most ugly of moments.

Charles Bronson stars as Pardon Chato, a half Apache Indian who is enjoying a drink in a saloon when he is antagonized by an arrogant sheriff. Chato goes against the sheriff's wishes to leave because of his heritage, and lets his actions speak for themselves, leaving the mouthy lawman dead on the floorboards. A posse is soon rounded up with a variety of area men, many of them farmers and ranchers. They embark on a trip to find Chato and avenge the death in town, as well as feed some of their own continual hatred towards the Indians in general. Greed, Hate and Perseverance battle Logic, Pride and Tolerance as the group soon start battling each other over what they think is right and wrong when it comes to avenging the death of the lawman.

A great western film from 1971, Chato's land offers a solid and stoic storyline that is wrought with irony as well as themes of loyalty and revenge. Charles Bronson aside, a superb supporting cast is experienced as well. Victor French (later of "Little House" and "Highway to Heaven" stardom) graces the screen as one of the posse members, and with Jack Palance and James Whitmore in tow, its a well rounded cast that never lacks quality in acting despite a somewhat linear storyline.

Palance plays the part of Quincy Whitmore, a war veteran who understands, and sometimes even respects the Apache's actions more than most. His arch-nemesis is Jubal Hooker (played by Simon Oakland) who has the "fever" of wanting to see the Apache man hang, even if it costs them lives which could end up coming down to the last man. Jubal is excellently played by Oakland as a man who is consumed with his own destiny of vengeance. Loyalties loved and lost, a large part of the movie is very emotional in power and prestige as we experience the dismay of the men as they deal with the battles that rage within their very own camp, and minds.

With Bronson portraying a cunning, intelligent and yes even ruthless Apache warrior, Chato's Land is a western that is filled with buzzards drinking blood, the dark side of man, and the notion that if you go to battle with someone in their own back yard, you better think twice about who has the best odds, regardless of how many men you bring with you.

The scenic landscape and the shots taken at night as well as during the scorching hot days are excellent, and the sound quality of this DVD in my opinion is very good if not perfect. If you want a western that gets dirty but portrays a deep story within, see "Chato's Land".

Feedback from Real Apache "Calculus Wiz".......2006-05-11

I saw a few scenes and couldn't even continue watching. I like a lot of Charles Bronson's movies. Examples include "Death Hunt," the 80s "Death Wish" series, and "the White Buffalo." But his acting in this movie is unrealistic. He does not act like a real Apache. Bronson seems to overdo it on being "stoic." A relative and I watched a few scenes and just switched channels. Bronson is out of his element in trying to portray a real Apache. Paul Newman does a much more realistic job when he portrays an Apache-raised white man in "Hombre," which I purchased on Amazon. I do applaud Bronson in trying to portray a movie more sympathetic to the plight of the Apaches trying to avoid reservation confinement in the 1880s. Given the time period, perhaps Bronson should have hired Roman Gabriel instead. He does a realistic job of portraying a Cherokee Indian in the "Undefeated," which was also released around the same time (give or take a couple of years).

A Subtle yet Powerful Western.......2006-03-23

Michael Winner's CHATO'S LAND may seem a bit below standard from other films that he directed but the strength in this film comes from Charles Bronson's stoic performance seen and unseen on the screen. Bronson's presence is there and is inescapable as is the baron land he habitats. The visual forsaken look of the film's characters and landscape makes the viewer wonder what the point of this whole film is. Whatever Bronson's transgressions may really have been the forlorn posse tracking him are representative of the worst qualities of society. I saw this film when first released but with time I see the deeper social implications and commentary on society that director Michael Winner was making. This is a good Western but may be a difficult one to appreciate on an initial viewing.

Chato's Land DVD.......2005-09-16

Excellent film if you think the indians were grossly mistreated by us, and I do. Here they got some much deserved revenge, and justice.

Average customer rating:

Excellent movie, but there's only one problem with this
"A hard land that the sun has sucked all the good out of"
Feedback from Real Apache "Calculus Wiz"
A Subtle yet Powerful Western
Chato's Land DVD

Chato's Land [Region 2]
Starring: Charles Bronson , Jack Palance , Richard Basehart , James Whitmore , and Simon Oakland
Director: Michael Winner
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video