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The Undefeated

The Undefeated

Western · 1969

After the Civil War, ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon are leading two disparate groups of people through strife-torn Mexico. John Henry and company are bringing horses to the unpopular Mexican government for $35 a head while Langdon is leading a contingent of displaced southerners, who are looking for a new life in Mexico after losing their property to carpetbaggers. The two men are eventually forced to mend their differences in order to fight off both bandits and revolutionaries, as they try to lead their friends and kin to safety.

Movie details

The Undefeated

“Across 2000 Miles Of Savage Wasteland... They Lived A Thundering Adventure That Rocked Two Nations!”

1969 Western 1h 59m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.6 / 10

7.8K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

44 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

48 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

After the Civil War, ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon are leading two disparate groups of people through strife-torn Mexico. John Henry and company are bringing horses to the unpopular Mexican government for $35 a head while Langdon is leading a contingent of displaced southerners, who are looking for a new life in Mexico after losing their property to carpetbaggers. The two men are eventually forced to mend their differences in order to fight off both bandits and revolutionaries, as they try to lead their friends and kin to safety.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Undefeated?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Andrew V. McLaglen

Written by

James Lee Barrett · Stanley Hough

John Wayne

John Wayne

Colonel John Henry Thomas

Rock Hudson

Rock Hudson

Colonel James Langdon

Antonio Aguilar

Antonio Aguilar

General Rojas

Roman Gabriel

Roman Gabriel

Blue Boy

Marian McCargo

Marian McCargo

Ann

Lee Meriwether

Lee Meriwether

Margaret

Merlin Olsen

Merlin Olsen

Little George

Court is in session

Put The Undefeated on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Patience is part of the point.”

Duration becomes texture. The film asks you to inhabit its world instead of merely processing its plot.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“A test of endurance, your honour.”

Stillness keeps submitting itself as meaning. At some point, contemplation needs something worth contemplating.