I grew up watching westerns because my father is from Texas, and westerns were required viewing on a daily basis. While this one lacks the brisk pace and epic quality of YELLOW RIBBON, it has shades of gray in a genre that usually has black or white hats.
Being made in 1966 this western is not only a bit late in the genre, but is also somewhat late in the day of several of it's leads, making it a more mature action film, with the resulting slowness and ambiguity that maturity brings. This is echoed in the plot lines from early on, as Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster are sent to find a kidnapped Claudia Cardinale who is clearly making the most of her kidnapper, Jack Palance at the height of his handsomeness. The men give standard solid performances.
This film is often mentioned in documentaries about film making for the extended use of day-for-night shooting in the long climactic sequence on the mine tracks in the Mexican border village. The art direction is actually one of the best features of this film, with the interesting levels created by the omnipresent train tracks.
The plot turning moment of this film belongs to Marie Gomez, a curvaceous exotic who seems minor but becomes a revelation in character, and her level and complexity of acting. Claudia Cardinale comes off badly in comparison, not only because her acting chops are less, but her role is much less interesting. This hurts the film overall; when there are only two women in a film, their roles really effect the inner life of the film. Here, it's all Gomez - she turns everything topsy turvy. She and Palance are the only really remarkable things here. For her cathartic moment, Gomez received a Golden Globe nomination as Most Promising Newcomer in 1967.
Being made in 1966 this western is not only a bit late in the genre, but is also somewhat late in the day of several of it's leads, making it a more mature action film, with the resulting slowness and ambiguity that maturity brings. This is echoed in the plot lines from early on, as Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster are sent to find a kidnapped Claudia Cardinale who is clearly making the most of her kidnapper, Jack Palance at the height of his handsomeness. The men give standard solid performances.
This film is often mentioned in documentaries about film making for the extended use of day-for-night shooting in the long climactic sequence on the mine tracks in the Mexican border village. The art direction is actually one of the best features of this film, with the interesting levels created by the omnipresent train tracks.
The plot turning moment of this film belongs to Marie Gomez, a curvaceous exotic who seems minor but becomes a revelation in character, and her level and complexity of acting. Claudia Cardinale comes off badly in comparison, not only because her acting chops are less, but her role is much less interesting. This hurts the film overall; when there are only two women in a film, their roles really effect the inner life of the film. Here, it's all Gomez - she turns everything topsy turvy. She and Palance are the only really remarkable things here. For her cathartic moment, Gomez received a Golden Globe nomination as Most Promising Newcomer in 1967.