User Reviews

Bandolero starts out as an amiable western. Former Quantrill raider Dean Martin gets caught robbing a bank where Raquel Welch's husband was killed. He and his gang are sentenced to hang and the town of Valverde Texas even sends for a professional hangman to do it right. Of course Dean's brother James Stewart hears about it and waylays the hangman and takes his place.

Stewart helps effect an escape for the outlaws minutes before the hanging. And after Dean and his gang get away, Stewart goes and robs the bank that they were unsuccessful in robbing in the first place.

Up to this point Bandolero is one of the funniest westerns I've ever seen and had the film stopped right there and been a television special it would have gotten rave reviews.

But Bandolero changes and becomes deadly serious as a posse led by Sheriff George Kennedy and Deputy Andrew Prine chase them across the border and into Bandolero (bandit) country. Mexican bandits who have no use for Americans. These are probably the ancestors of Alfonso Bedoya's bunch from Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Along the way Stewart and Martin connect and Martin takes Raquel Welch as a hostage.

Bandolero is a good film, but it's far better in the beginning when it is played for laughs than when it becomes serious. Still I would recommend it to western fans.

Without comparing it to any of the acknowledged "greats" or even better westerns any of the stars made, "Bandolero" is a satisfying movie - interesting enough story with a bit of a humorous twist, well-mounted, beautifully shot, and everybody involved does their customary good job. If it drags a bit in some of the campfire scenes, it makes up for it in the action scenes. Must single out Rudy Diaz, who plays the chief Mexican bandit, as making a particularly vivid impression in his few scenes. Oh, I almost forgot, another rousing Jerry Goldsmith score worth owning on its own account. What more can you ask, seeing great guys like Jimmy, Dean, George, Harry Carey & Co., and of course Raquel, going thru long-practiced paces they knew so well by this time?

Mace Bishop is slumming his way across Texas when he hears that his brother has been caught robbing a bank and is due to be hung, along with his whole gang. Posing as a hangman, Mace manages to convince the Sheriff of his stolen identity and merrily sets about preparing for the execution. When the day comes Mace goes through the motions until the first chance he gets to slip Dee a gun unseen – allowing them to escape. While all the men ride out of town, Mace finishes off the bank that Dee failed on and rides on to meet up with the gang fleeing to Mexico – however even with a hostage, the Bishop gang are closely pursued by an angry Sheriff Johnson.

From the very start this film marks itself out as a strange mix that relies on its stars more than anything else. The opening scene is edgy but then the credits are laid back with an almost comic theme tune. The first half continues with this tone and is quite relaxed and enjoyable while also being a bit amusing; however once the Bishops escape, things begin to go downhill but yet there is still over an hour to go. The film forgoes the amiable tone it had in the start and tries to build a story and characters but does neither very well at all. It all drags and is never really convincing with the actual 'chase' sort of petering out in a distracting subplot involving Mexican bandits while the rest of the characters change and act totally unconvincing. It affected my enjoyment of the film – not because it got more serious but because it never got involving. The ending is a massive gunfight that is more silly than exciting and is just a lot of noise to satisfy the audience rather than a good conclusion to the story.

The characters are a problem because they seem to have been written to suit the stars rather than being true to the story and situations. The best examples of this are Maria (who falls in love too easily), Dee (who is just Dean Martin and not an end of the road bandit) and Mace (who is just James Stewart). People on this site have said that this film gave the stars the chance to play bad guys but this is nonsense – the 'bad guys' here are the gang, who are set as mangy in order to help us see how likable and honourable the Bishops are. Martin plays to his smile but does nothing else – certainly he is not the tough criminal that the opening scene would have us believe he is. Stewart suits his role but there is nothing to him other than a watered down version of his personae and a bit of relaxed charm; this makes for dull viewing though. Welch looks gorgeous and yet she cannot make us believe in her character at all and she is all about being Raquel Welch rather than being a character – heck, even an attempted rape seems to have been shot to show off her back and legs. Kennedy just saunters along in a wasted role and the rest of the gang just do the best they can with thin characters.

Overall this is a pretty poor film that has an enjoyable little first half but then unsuccessfully opens up into an attempt at a story with characters and such. The story is weak and falls down in the second half, partly due to the characters just not convincing at all. The stars try to work with the material but they are only ever partly successful – Stewart being OK, Welch forcing the emotion and Martin just smiling and relying on his celebrity status. The first hour is OK but this is one for real fans of the actors but nobody else.

In Texas , two outlaws brothers (Jimmy and Dino) become fugitives who flee after being jailed and about hanging . The brothers along with their gang (Will Geer , among others) taking a hostage (Raquel Welch) flee across the Mexican frontier . During escape south of border run into trouble with their Mexican counterparts . Meanwhile , they're pursued by a sheriff (George Kennedy) , deputy (Andrew Prine) and a posse.

This is a nice Western-pursuit plenty of action , violence , shootouts , and quite bemusing . Agreeable acting by Dean Martin as the bad brother and terrific performance by James Stewart as the good but greedy brother . Stewart appears in all Andrew McLagen's other best movies, ¨The rare breed¨ and ¨Fool's parade¨. Furthermore , gorgeous Raquel Welch giving a mediocre acting , as always . Support cast is frankly excellent , such as : Andrew Prine , Will Geer , Clint Ritchie , Denver Pyle , Harry Carey Jr , Perry Lopez , Jock Mahoney and Dub Taylor . In addition , George Kennedy as tough but enamored sheriff is cool .George Kennedy & Dean Martin played together before in "The Sons of Katie Elder" and would do so again in "Airport" .

The movie displays an awesome cinematography in colorful outdoors by William H. Clothier , John Ford's usual . Spectacular and exciting musical score by the great Jerry Goldsmith who composes with his habitual panaché . The motion picture was well realized by Andrew McLagen , Victor Mc Lagen's son . He was a Western expert, starting in television series as ¨Gunsmoke¨ of which direct many episodes.Besides assistant director of famous Western filmmakers as John Ford, William Wellman and Budd Boetticher . Maclagen's Western talent kept him directing projects throughout the 70s and 80s and enjoyable John Wayne vehicles as ¨McLintock¨ and ¨Cahill,Us Marshall¨ and his best movie, ¨Chisum¨ . Although his product of this time was dispiriting to those who would have liked to have seen subtler talents re-emerge. Rating : Acceptable and amusing Western , it will appeal to Jimmy and Dino enthusiastic and of course, Raquel Welch fans.

Jimmy Stewart plays a loner who masquerades as a hangman in order to save the lives of Dee Bishop (Dean Martin) and his gang. Along the way, the gang gets a hold of feisty Mexican bride Maria (Raquel Welch), and keeps her with them so they can have a hostage on hand. Pursuing them DEEP into Mexico is a lawman (George Kennedy) whose mission is rather personal: not only did he not appreciate being made to look foolish, but he's in love with Maria, hoping that he can win her love. The main problem that both pursuers and the pursued have is that they are travelling through bandit country.

And the bandits in this beautifully photographed, widescreen Western are particularly bloodthirsty, giving the film some potent, grisly implied violence.

There's a first rate cast in this one, with Dino and Jimmy supported by other familiar faces like Andrew Prine, Will Geer (an unsurprising scene stealer as a cantankerous aged outlaw), Clint Ritchie, Denver Pyle, Sean McClory, Harry Carey Jr., Don 'Red' Barry, Guy Raymond, Perry Lopez, Jock Mahoney, Dub Taylor, John Mitchum, and Patrick Cranshaw. But it's really the fact that the main roles are played with some nuance that makes the difference in this amiable-enough story. Dino is no hardcore criminal, but always has been a cynic. Jimmy gets to play a character who is a might shadier than others he's played. "It was something to do." The lovely Raquel is a delight, holding her own opposite such talented veterans. And Kennedy is solid in an even-handed portrayal of a very determined man.

Screenplay by genre veteran James Lee Barrett, based on a story by Stanley Hough, while Andrew V. McLaglen, who himself did lots of work in the genre, is in the directors' chair. One of the brightest elements has to be the typically zesty score by Jerry Goldsmith.

Seven out of 10.

An entertaining Western whose major selling points are a winning cast and beautiful outdoor photography, 1968's "Bandolero!" proved an easy 100 minutes for me to sit through. In it, James Stewart rescues brother Dean Martin and his sleazy gang from a neck-stretching party in 1867 Texas, after Dino & Co.'s botched bank robbery. They hightail it over the Mexican border with the recently widowed "vistoso" Mexican Raquel Welch as their hostage, while sheriff George Kennedy and his posse follow in hot pursuit. Truth be told, Kennedy is more hot for Raquel than the pursuit of justice, and who wouldn't be? Racky, 28 here and at the peak of her sex goddess phase, looks terrific, and acts very passably. She makes for a very convincing Mexican (although, in real life, her father was Bolivian and her mother of English descent). Stewart (need it even be said?) is fine as always, and supplies much of the film's humor with his double takes and slowpoke delivery. This is no Anthony Mann Western, however, and Stewart was ever so much more impressive in oaters such as "Winchester '73" (1950) and especially "The Naked Spur" (1953). Dino, it should be added, is also fine as a decent guy who just can't seem to make good. "Bandolero!" also features some amusing lesser characters (particularly that hangman!) and a surprisingly gritty and quite violent conclusion. It's no Peckinpah bloodbath, but following what is essentially a fun, lighthearted Western, it does shake the viewer. Lesson to be learned: Don't press your sexual "favors" on a Mexican woman if she's anywhere near a six-shooter!

"Bandolero!" is a terrific movie. I went many moons between viewings but I won't ever make that mistake again. "Bandolero! is now on my regular rotation. It is a very exciting, thoughtful and emotional movie. It's filled with great characters played perfectly by an equally great cast. George Kennedy and Will Geer both give terrific performances. This movie is also beautiful to look at. The locations are stunning. Jerry Goldsmith's beautiful music stays in my head for weeks after ever viewing. "Bandolero! is great stuff all around.

A patchy western which has rather ambivalent attitudes towards it's two main characters,the Bishop brothers,oddly played by Jimmy Stewart and Dean Martin! It's most improbable to accept the above as siblings,never mind Western badmen.The film itself seems to wearily accept this as all throughout the two are treated as sympathetic ne'er-do-well's trapped by unfavourable circumstance,whereas the rest of Martin's gang are portrayed as ruthless villains.

The best scenes are certainly in the first 30 minutes of the film,with Martin and his gang waiting to be hanged after a failed bank robbery;Cowboy drifter Stewart accidentally finds out about the impending execution of his brother,and overpowers the hangman involved so he can arrange an elaborate escape.All these early scenes work very well,continually laced with effective black humour,and an enjoyable concentration on Stewart and witty duologue's with such familiar Western character actors such as Ray Barcroft,Dub Taylor and Guy Raymond.

After the escape,things oddly turn flat.Stewart robs a bank(non-violently)afterwards,Martin and gang gently abduct Raquel Welch,and are relentlessly pursued by Sheriff George Kennedy and deputies.There's good chemistry between Stewart and Martin,and one or two effective scenes thereafter,but BANDOLERO! tends to get bogged down in dullish conversation and not enough action.A sub-plot of Ms Welch falling in love with Martin(after his gang ruthlessly murdered her husband Jock Mahoney) is even more improbable than Dino and Jimmy being members of the same family,and her attempt at a Latin-American accent(she is of Bolivian descent)is adequate but that doesn't automatically mean a good performance.Another sub-plot involving murderous bandits gives the film a surprisingly brutal and violent edge,aspects which were creeping into US film at this time in the late 60's,which as far as Western films were concerned reached a near zenith in the following year's THE WILD BUNCH.The film should've been shorter with better pacing,but isn't too bad thanks to Messers Stewart and Martin,despite their obvious miscasting.

This western is for me the best of Andy McLaglen, a mix up very well done between humor and tragedy, action and character study. This film made in the late sixties, remains in the pure fifties tradition, as the rest of the movies Vic Mc Laglen's son directed. You could have found John Wayne here. But the highlight in here is the first half hour, when you wonder who Jimmy Stewart's character is. Then you have the surprise to find out that he is the brother of Dean Martin's. I find this scheme very intellligent and very rare in a film. Finding out late who a character is has always interested me. The overall topic bank robbery at the beginning and then the bunch of outlaws fighting against a huge herd of Mexican bandits reminds me Sam peckinpah's WILD BUNCH, made one year later.

Mace Bishop (James Stewart) masquerades as a hangman in order to save his outlaw brother from the gallows, runs to Mexico chased by the sheriff's posse and fights against Mexican bandits.

The film was shot at the Alamo Village, the movie set originally created for John Wayne's "The Alamo". The Alamo Village is located north of Brackettville, Texas. I wonder how many film sets were strewn about the desert over the years. Of course, many were reused, but with how many westerns were made, it seemed there must have been a lot of small villages going up.

Say what you will, but I think James Stewart made the best westerns. John Wayne was a bigger star of the genre and Clint Eastwood picked up Wayne's place later... but James Stewart just has a presence about him, no matter what he was doing, he made you want to watch it.

This is a pretty entertaining movie - not one of the best westerns any of these actors ever made, but it's always fun to watch Jimmy Stewart and George Kennedy do their thing. Dean Martin isn't bad, Raquel Welch looks great, but at this point she still needed to expand her talent. Entertaining plot, decent action, but the thing I think is most interesting are the names of three of the characters: The sheriff is July Johnson and his deputy's name is Roscoe, and the main villain's name is Dee, all names used in the same way in the great TV movie Lonesome Dove.

A quiet one, soft spoken, prouder, it' were the main personal characteristics of Jimmy Stewart from their characters whom he portraits in a overlong career, this turn wasn't distinct, he played in same way, after to know that his brother is about to hanging, he took place of the real hangman and avoid the whole gang to be hang on the gallows, they escape and take a Widow (Raquel Welch) as hostage, before it Mace finds appropriate to steal a Bank, quickly the Sheriff (Kennedy) and a posse pursuing them across the border at Mexico territory, meanwhile Mace reachs the Dee's gang, all sort of crooks we can imagine are there, anyway reading some comments here trying figure out if Mace did kill the hangman, absolutely not!!! According Mice's reaction when Pop Chaney implies about his father was enough to understanding how proud he was concerning over him, a decent production that Jimmy made with emphasis!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2007 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5

Bandolero! Starts off with some really catchy music from Jerry Goldsmith, but the opening credits quickly diminish when you see Dean Martin and Raquel Welch getting supporting billings to James Stewart. Is this a B-movie I've just put on for my evening? You ask yourself. Keep it running and don't worry; it's very good. I was pleasantly surprised, since I lowered the bar when seeing a notorious non-actress littering the screen. She doesn't ruin the movie, and Dean Martin has already proved he can hold his own in a drama.

This dramatic western has a great opening sequence. Dean and his cohorts are facing the noose when a bearded James Stewart leisurely rides into town. He's the hangman, and he asks to take a look at the prisoners before the hanging. Dean's eyes grow wide when he sees the man. Jimmy's not all he seems, and he's not the lovable hero he usually plays. You won't find any Mr. Smith or George Bailey in this movie. In fact, when the town is distracted during the hanging, he sneaks off and robs the bank in town.

If you like James Stewart in his westerns, you'll like this movie. You'll see plenty of great acting from him, surprises in the plot, and well-written characters that make you really care about what's going to happen to them. I also really liked George Kennedy's character. He pines away for Raquel, and because he's an honorable sheriff, he wants to respect her and be a gentleman. But as the movie continues, he gets more corrupted and strays from the straight and narrow. James Stewart is, of course, the star of the show. If you like this one, check out Shenandoah next.

The sheriff and his sidekick tracking James Stewart and Dean Martin are named July Johnson and Roscoe. Both of these characters appear in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove as a sheriff and his sidekick out of Arkansas tracking Jake Spoon. Wonder about the connection between the two stories.

McMurtry is not mentioned in the writing credits, so if he didn't provide the names and reuse them, then he fell in love with them and 'reused' them at a later date. There are some other things that have a McMurtry fell, like when Stewart and Martin are talking about Montana, and the whole episodes of crossing the desert reminds me of Dead Man's Walk...

Released in 1968 and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, "Bandolero!" stars James Stewart as Mace, who masquerades as a hangman in order to save his brother, Dee, from the gallows (Dean Martin). They and Dee's motley crew then flee to Mexico with a beautiful hostage (Raquel Welch). George Kennedy plays the lovelorn sheriff who pursues with a half-hearted posse.

Everything about this Western clicks marvelously. The first 45 minutes involves the capture, attempted hanging, and escape of the Bishop Gang, and it's a memorable sequence. Some people complain about Stewart and Martin as brothers but I've seen many brothers in real life that look more different than they do.

Even though Martin plays an outlaw he's portrayed sympathetically. It's implied that the war corrupted him and he simply doesn't know any other way of life. He's weary of the outlaw lifestyle and desperately wants out. Mace and Maria (Welch) offer him succor by way of lucre and love respectively. They dream of a new life in Montana. There are just two problems: Kennedy & his posse and a gang of wild Mexican bandits (bandoleros).

Although there are some low-key amusing elements, the film is essentially a serious Western with quality adventure and drama. It potently explores themes of loyalty, temptation, seeking & finding true love, the repentance/forgiveness principle, the folly of the criminal path and dreams of a better life. Some complain that the ending is too downbeat, but I've always loved it. In fact, it wouldn't have been right to end it any other way.

***SPOILER ALERT*** The climax supports the age-old notion that those who live by the sword (and stolen loot) WILL prematurely die by the sword. George Kenney is outstanding as the stolid Sheriff who has a puppy-love passion for Maria. She naturally finds him unexciting, however. As a hostage to the Bishop Gang, she slowly discovers true-love for the first time in her life.***END SPOILER***

The score by Jerry Goldsmith is notable. Jerry borrowed the basic melody from Neal Hefti's magnificent composition for "Duel at Diablo," which was released two years earlier. He took the melody and ingeniously created a completely different-sounding score. His composition has a fun Western vibe to it whereas Hefti's is ultra-dramatic. Yet Goldsmith's piece has some dramatic moments as well, which are reminiscent of his later outstanding piece for "Rio Lobo" (1970). All three of these scores rank up there with the all-time best Western compositions, like "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966), "How the West was Won" (1962), "Mackenna's Gold" (1969) "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), Bonanza and "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964), the latter ripping off "Rio Bravo" (1959).

Too many Western films take place in Texas but were filmed elsewhere (like Arizona, etc.). Much of "Bandolero!" by contrast, was actually shot in Brackettville and Del Rio, Texas, not far from the Mexican border/Rio Grande; with additional portions shot in Utah (Kanab & Glen Canyon) and Arizona (Lee's Ferry). These locations are fabulous.

FINAL SAY: "Bandolero!" is Western filmmaking of the highest order and not to be missed. It's inexplicable that it's not cited on more Best Western lists.

The movie runs 106 minutes. The screenplay was written by James Lee Barrett from Stanley Hough's story.

GRADE: A

This is what you might call a sprawling Western. It plays out a little too grandiose for the shallowness of the characters, but it is still a sprawling sort, with great scenery, costumes, and action.

The plot is very formula, law abiding hard working older brother and carefree lawless younger brother, and much like Stewart's classic, "Night Passage", but without the magic. In fact, I call "Night Passage" the magic Western, with Stewart, Duryea, and Murphy all playing perfectly together. Kennedy equals Duryea in the legend category, and Martin is sort of a pretty boy as was Murphy, but Murphy had much more charisma. That may explain some of what is missing.

But much of it is that the characters just aren't that likable. The circumstances become way too unbelievable, even for a sprawling Western. We often give literary license to an extent, but Bandolero clearly bypasses all credibility.

So the film is basically played for the spectacle and for the bits of humor. It may be the "Pulp Fiction" of Westerns. There are funny little lines, when added to the spectacle and scenery, make it a touch better than the average Western. But don't expect a lot. It is just a fun ride, not to be taken seriously. From that perspective, it makes good entertainment.

Despite having Jimmy Stewart and Dean Martin, this is a purely average Western that is eminently skip-able. While some of the story elements are new and interesting, the vast majority of the movie just doesn't provide much that is new or believable. The problems? Well, first it is very difficult to believe that Dean Martin and Jimmy Stewart are brothers. It's not just that they look so different, but they sound so different as well. Then, the whole plot about Stewart trying to get his brother to go straight BUT only after Jimmy broke a whole lotta laws. And, finally, the "romance" between Dean Martin and Ms. Welch just seemed stupid. Now I know that she didn't love her husband but she did care about him,...and then to fall for the man responsible for his murder just doesn't make sense. The film is just too far-fetched and the payoff too small to make this anything other than a time passer.

FYI--Ms. Welch plays a Mexican. Hearing this accent from her was weird, though I guess she played the role okay.