spoiler containedi would hear from various source that this film be controversial and that the end in particular be horrific . what i do not expect be the complete change in tack with about twenty minute to go . what start off a a typical cowboy or indian western suddenly descend into a very dull romantic comedy about honus ( soldier blue of the title play by peter strauss ) and cresta ( candice bergen ) who escape an onslaught of the cavalry by the cheyenne . the majority of the film then focus on these two mismatch people hence the romantic comedy bit . donald pleasance then turn up and abduct them both for no real apparent reason . they then escape and both turn up ( separately ) at the cavalry base on the eve of an attack on the cheyenne base . a cresta use to be marry to one of the cheyenne chiefs she escape the cavalry base and join up with them . so far so ordinary . then come the end . after endure well over an hour of poor act involve a cliched will they or would not they get together storyline and the movie then transform into over the top exploitation involve among other thing a decapitation and a child be shoot in the back of the head . similarity can be draw with the wild bunch at this point of the film but the wild bunch keep the same tone throughout and do not resort to extreme gratuitous violence . in some way and soldier blue remind me of frank perry last summer which also completely change tack for a shock end . i do not hate soldier blue nor find the end particularly disturb but just find it to be pretty dull with an unnecessarily violent end . if you want to see a film with a truly disturbing slaughter of the innocent and i would recommend elem klimov come and see .