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

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.

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

One of the messiest masterpieces in American cinema.