The Comancheros
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Movie Reviews of The Comancheros
Movie Review: Take care of yourself, Big Jake. We've sort of gotten used to you
Summary: 4 Stars
OK, let's get the worst stuff out of the way first: if historical accuracy is of even the slightest importance to you, you're going to have some problems with this 1961 entry starring John Wayne as Texas Rangers Captain Jake ("Big Jake") Cutler, on a mission to retrieve a man for murder and get him extradited to Louisiana in 1843. First of all, the guns are all wrong; now I'm not the kind of guy to notice this stuff or keep up with it generally, but even I knew that repeating rifles and Colt Peacemakers were post-Civil War weapons. Second of all, the action takes place between New Orleans and Galveston - but the terrain has nothing to do with what that area actually looks like. There are mentions made of prisons that didn't exist in 1843; Cutter and other Marshalls wear Ranger badges that didn't exist until decades later. And on and on. Seems to me the film could have been set in the mid-1870s when the actual Comanche was going on, without changing too much else, but...whatever.
I mention all this not to be picky so much as to let you know that this is basically a fun western that plays fast and loose with facts, geography, and sometimes common sense. If you can deal with all of that, you should have some fun with it, as it's one of Wayne's better westerns not directed by John Ford or Howard Hawks. Famed studio craftsman and jack-of-all trades Michael Curtiz is in fact responsible for most of the film and is the only credited director, though Wayne apparently directed a fair chunk of the film uncredited as Curtiz was ill with the cancer that would kill him in the year after the film's release. Given the episodic, good-natured atmosphere of the film, probably only an expert could tell who directed what here, and I'm not sure how much it matters anyway, given that all the other elements of the film are quite impressive - at least up until the finale, on which more later.
We get started off with a rousing blast of music that sounds suspiciously similar to the previous year's THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, and indeed the score turns out to be by Elmer Bernstein who was responsible for that legendary theme. If anything his music for this film is even more impressive, and frankly I'm not sure why it's not better known. We have a great initial shot of a rugged western prairie and hill terrain, as the camera pans up to check out the Duke in his familiar red shirt and suspenders astride a horse, a nice moment to take in the terrific photography of William Clothier, perhaps the preeminent 60s western cinematographer, whose work here is also on quite a high level. From here the scene shifts to New Orleans, sunrise...and a duel. The victor, one Paul Regret (a terrific young Stuart Whitman) has to flee, and he does so on a riverboat, only to fall for the wiles of a young woman - and then just as quickly to be captured by the tall horseman from the first scene, Wayne's Ranger Cutter.
The next episode involves Cutter's efforts to transport Regret to Galveston, overland by horse which will take a few days. The two make uneasy travelling companions, with Cutter clearly mocking and looking down on the dandyish Regret. Wayne is at his best in these early scenes, humorous and sarcastic and very at easy yet always with a purpose lurking behind his exaggerated drawl. If I had to guess I'd say he directed some of these sequences; in any case, this section soon ends when the two come across a Comanche-raided ranch, and Regret makes an escape. Chastened not a bit by his failure, Cutter is prepared to go after his man again but is instead assigned to pretend to be an illegal gun dealer and deliver some rifles to a man believed to be dealing with the Comanches, so the Rangers can find the hideout of these "Comancheros". The man turns out to be Lee Marvin as Tully Crow in an all-too-short sequence which ends up reuniting Cutter with his wanted man Regret. This time, the two are interrupted at a farm by Comanches and Comancheros, and Regret saves the day - and wins the thanks of the Texans, and his freedom. Becoming a Marshall himself, he and Cutter try again to infiltrate the Comancheros as arms dealers, and here's where the film gets a bit problematic.
Like I said above, I can take the historical inaccuracies to some extent - but the whole final sequence, involving the two men being accepted into a camp of hundreds of armed men, and Regret's love-of-a-night from the steamboat, Pilar (Ina Balin) surfacing as the daughter of the Comanchero leader (Nehemiah Persoff) is all a bit too much to swallow. It ends up having the feeling more appropriate to something like James Bond at the end than a western, and it all wraps up a little too tidily and easily for my taste. Still, with Wayne and Whitman doing stellar work, a very fine supporting cast, and some of the best dialogue in a western this side of JOSEY WALES, plus that AMAZING Bernstein score and fine Clothier photography, I think forgiving fans of the genre should have a good time anyway. I did.
Movie Review: Lots of fun, but strictly Hollywood
Summary: 4 Stars
I first saw "The Comancheros" as a kid at one of Houston's downtown movie palaces. I loved it and still do, as sheer entertainment. It's perhaps the greatest horseman's stunt extravaganza ever, with more falls per minute than any other movie I know. I'm glad to have it on DVD (and in widescreen, too). But BEWARE of thinking it is true to actual Texas history!The film is set in 1840, during the days of the Texas Republic. Among its rampant anachronisms and inaccuracies:
* It shows a Texas Ranger arresting a fugitive from Louisiana. The Rangers in 1840 were not policemen. They were a frontier militia set up to fight Mexicans and Indians.
* The Winchester repeating rifle did not exist in 1840. Ditto the Army Colt "peacemaker" revolver.
* Texans in 1840 lived almost entirely in the eastern part of the state, not in the semi-arid West. They raised crops, not herds of cattle. There was as yet no such thing as a "cowboy." Hence the film's costumes and ranch-house sets are wrong.
* The Comancheros were not an outlaw band of Anglo renegades who rode along with Comanches on their raids and took vacations on Louisiana riverboats. They were virtually the entire population of what is now New Mexico, separated from the Texas settlements, never mind Louisiana, by the Comanches' impassable domain. They survived by staying on the Comanches' good side, and they did that by trading with them and ransoming the captives the Comanches brought up from Old Mexico. As T.R. Fehrenbach notes, the Comanches bragged that they allowed these people to live on the fringes of Comancheria only so that they might raise horses for them.
* Speaking of riverboats, those vessels kept to their rivers, and did not ply the Gulf of Mexico between New Orleans and Galveston as one does in this movie.
Enjoy "The Comancheros" for its action, scenery, music, star turns, humor and ripe dialogue, but if you want a more realistic portrait of a Comanchero, see Antonio Moreno's character in "The Searchers." He's the Spanish-American gentleman who guides Ethan and Martin to Chief Scar's camp. For a more realistic portrayal of an Indian raid and settler's pursuit, get the recently released Disney DVD "Savage Sam," starring Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Brian Keith, Jeff York and Slim Pickens. It's a sequel to "Old Yeller," and very nicely done (if you can get past its hokey title song).
And for a thrilling history of the Comanches and their 40-year war with the Texans, get Fehrenbach's book "Comanches: The Destruction of a People."
Movie Review: A cheerful and solid action - buddy film with Wayne and Whitman filling the screen
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a kind of movie that is not made any more. It is an action movie with a gentle heart and a happy spirit. Even the bad guys are somehow awful, but we don't hate them. One interesting thing about this movie is John Wayne's role in the movie. Yes, he is the star, whenever he is on screen anywhere he dominates it, but the story is really more about Paul Regret (wonderfully played by Stuart Whitman) and Pilar Graile (glowingly done by Ina Balin). John Wayne's role, while central, isn't the guy who gets the girl, and plays more as the protector and guide to Paul Regret, who ends up saving Jake more than once. Jake's a widower and more than friends with the widow of his best friend. Not too subtly, Melinda Marshall (the beautiful Joan O'Brien) has fences that need mending, and Paul Regret asks Jake for a good reason why he doesn't marry her.
How Paul and Jake meet each other and how they become friends is a big part of the movie and a very enjoyable part. In fact, this is really a buddy film and a darn good one, even with the wiseacre line when they are hanging by their arms and helpless in the bad guy camp, "I wonder if they know how much trouble they are in."
The head bad guy and leader of the Commancheros is Pilar's father who is also a paraplegic (superbly done by Nehemiah Persoff) and he rules his society of ne'er do wells with intelligence and a great political sense. It is his right hand henchman, Amelung, who is the most sinister character in the movie and played to a turn by Michael Ansara.
This is a movie with a plot that chugs along like the cheery Elmer Bernstein score that supports it. It has its interesting moments, but mostly it is a lot of fun. If you enjoy John Wayne, and I do, you get a good story for him with all the fine performances of the other stars plus some fire, Indian battles, and even a duel.
Not great, but a very worthwhile entertainment.
Movie Review: An above average John Wayne Western!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've always been a John Wayne fan, although I'm not fanatic enough to think every movie he ever made was great. When you make 18 - 20 movies per decade there will be some clinkers. The Comancheros, though was not one of them. An above average John Wayne Western that never takes itself too seriously.
Taking place before the Civil War, Wayne plays Texas Ranger Captain Jake Cutter who has been assigned to bring in a Louisiana Killer/Gambler named Paul Regret (portrayed well by Stuart Whitman) for extradition. Regret is able to escape, gets caught again, fights side-by-side with Cutter against an Indian attack, and ends up joining the Rangers, although being less than enthusiastic about it. He and Cutter then pose as gun runners to infiltrate a society of outlaws who have a very good working relationship with the Comanches. There are many twists and turns to enjoy throughout the movie, even if the ending is somewhat predictable.
What makes this movie good is that the plot has both a serious and an easy-going side. Plus Wayne doesn't have to carry the movie. Whitman does a great job matching up to Wayne and even manages to steal a few scenes. Add to that a great cast. Besides Wayne & Whitman you have Lee Marvin as Crow, another gun-runner, Bruce Cabot as Major Henry, Cutters Commanding Officer, Ina Balin as Pilar - Regret's love interest, Nehemiah Persoff as her father and leader of the Comancheros, and Michael Ansara as Amelung, the second-in-command of the outlaws and want-to-be suitor of Pilar.
One other great aspect of the movie, the wonderful music score by Elmer Bernstein. One of my favorites.
I would recommend this to fans of 1960's western. Not too much violence but plenty of action, with just enough romance slipped in, it is a very entertaining film.
Movie Review: Excellent Duke western
Summary: 4 Stars
The Comancheros is another great John Wayne western with a great supporting cast. The story follows Captain Jake Cutter, a Texas ranger, and his efforts to capture a prisoner, and then to infiltrate a group of gunrunners and bandits, the Comancheros. This group has been supplying the Comanches with repeating rifles who then wreak havoc on the area. There is plenty of action here with numerous shootouts, and also plenty of great characters. At parts during this movie, I wondered why the Duke never took more comedic roles since he is very funny in several scenes.John Wayne plays Captain Jake Cutter, the big, brawling Texas Ranger who attempts to bring in a prisoner who keeps escaping his grasp, "Monsoor" Paul Regret, played by Stuart Whitman very well. Another notable performance is Lee Marvin's Crow, the contact between Cutter and the Comancheros. He doesn't have a very big part, but what is there is very good. The film also stars Ina Balin, Nehemiah Persoff, Michael Ansara, Patrick Wayne, Bruce Cabot, and Joan O'Brien. Elmer Bernstein also turns in another excellent score that has elements of the Sons of Katie Elder and The Great Escape. The DVD offers a widescreen presentation which looks very good, two trailers(one in Spanish), and also Movie Tone News about an award presented involving the movie. More John Wayne movies should be put out like this, and I give credit to the companies putting out so many new ones recently. A very exciting, enjoyable Duke western that all his fans will love!