Review of Villa Rides

"Villa Rides" is what happens when you allow Hollywood people to reproduce the Mexican Revolution! I can still tolerate the humor that white-faced heroes like Yul Brunner and Charles Bronson are depicting full-blooded Mexican gunslingers, but one thing we cannot possibly accept is that Yul Brunner - genuine tough guy and symbol of manliness – plays a character with a head full of hair! What a disgrace! It's the end of the world as we know it! It's … basically a very entertaining western, even though the almighty Brunner is slightly miscast. I'm also not an expert regarding the life and work of Francisco "Pancho" Villa (and too lazy to read the entire Wikipedia page) but the film draws an admirable picture of his political as well as his personal convictions during the earlier stages of La Revolución. However, cinematic mastodons Robert Towne and Sam Peckinpah also decided it would be a good idea to throw an all-American action figure into the battle (presumably to help the audience identify with the story a little bit) in the shape of Robert Mitchum. He portrays a sly pilot providing the Mexican army with weapons, but following a crash and a crush he is gradually forced to join the rebellious side. "Villa Rides" is worth recommending to fans of the action & western genre for only two reasons already. The battle sequences are impressively shot, with hundreds of extras, imaginative camera angles and brutal violence. And then most of all: Charles Bronson! Charlie clearly enjoys what is probably one of the most amusing roles of his career; Villa's loyal right hand lieutenant and unscrupulous executioner Rodolfo Fierro. He makes the process of shooting prisoners entertaining (by giving five people at once a slim chance to escape over a wall) as well as money-saving (by killing three prisoners in a row with just one bullet). If you're still not convinced just yet, Herbert Lom and Fernando Rey shine in masterful supportive roles and "La Cucaracha'" is on the soundtrack, too!