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The Scalphunters

Play trailer Poster for The Scalphunters Released Apr 2, 1968 1h 42m Western Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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70% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Illiterate fur trapper Joe Bass (Burt Lancaster) is coerced by some Kiowa Indians into trading his haul for a well-educated, escaped slave named Joseph Lee (Ossie Davis). Bass seeks to track the Indians and recover his treasure, while Joseph wants to travel to Mexico, where slavery is illegal. Their plans are complicated by the arrival of a band of scalphunters, led by Jim Howie (Telly Savalas), who want to kill the Indians, claim the furs and resell the black man.
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The Scalphunters

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety Lancaster and Davis work particularly well together, ditto Savalas and Winters. There are talky periods of slow pace, but they are terminated before undue damage has been done. Mar 20, 2008 Full Review Time Out An amiable enough liberal comedy Western, with colour-coded cultural conflict worked through an ironic circular plot. Feb 9, 2006 Full Review Renata Adler New York Times While the individual incidents are familiar, they are played with gusto by Lancaster and Davis. May 21, 2005 Full Review Brian Orndorf Blu-ray.com Navigating the movie's period attitude is relatively easy, but finding its sense of humor takes some work. Rated: B- Sep 27, 2014 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...a seriously misguided and hopelessly dated endeavor that's best left forgotten. Rated: 1/4 Sep 30, 2013 Full Review TV Guide A comical western with more than a hint of social satire. Rated: 3/4 Mar 20, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Will G Great film, very underrated and heartfelt. Can't understand the negativity on here. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/11/25 Full Review philip w Well if you don't like this there's something wrong somewhere = it's very entertaining Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/01/24 Full Review Audience Member Burt Lancaster wants his furs back. Ossie Davis wants his freedom back. I want my 90 minutes back. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review steve d Nothing special even if it has its fun moments. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review delysid d i really liked this 60s american western, how i wish i was a cowboy Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/09/19 Full Review Audience Member Por maior que seja o gozo de ver Burt Lancaster e Telly Savalas em confronto a caminho do México, "The Scalphunters" não é muito mais que um simples western cómico de aventuras, com a agravante de um subtexto racial datado aos olhos de hoje. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Scalphunters

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Cast & Crew

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Sydney Pollack

Director

Burt Lancaster

Joe Bass

Shelley Winters

Kate

Ossie Davis

Joseph Lee

Telly Savalas

Jim Howie

Dabney Coleman

Jed

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The Scalphunters

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Movie Info

Synopsis Illiterate fur trapper Joe Bass (Burt Lancaster) is coerced by some Kiowa Indians into trading his haul for a well-educated, escaped slave named Joseph Lee (Ossie Davis). Bass seeks to track the Indians and recover his treasure, while Joseph wants to travel to Mexico, where slavery is illegal. Their plans are complicated by the arrival of a band of scalphunters, led by Jim Howie (Telly Savalas), who want to kill the Indians, claim the furs and resell the black man.
Director
Sydney Pollack
Producer
Arthur Gardner, Arnold Laven, Jules Levy
Screenwriter
William W. Norton
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Bristol Films, Norlan Productions
Genre
Western, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 2, 1968, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 16, 2008
Runtime
1h 42m
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