Villa Rides (1968)

[Ben Tyreen]

You can order this on Amazon now. 

  It's in my Netflix queue now.

[cigar joe]

Popped in the new DVD today and watched this again, its great to have a nice release of this, while its probably one of the best American Zapata's with a good cast it still lacks that stylistic ingredient that the Italian Zapata's seem to acquire naturally, that may have propelled this to the next level. On a side note the dir.,  Buzz Kulik I noticed tonight was one of the directors of TV's "Have Gun Will Travel".

Its also nice to see some different and interesting locations in Spain.

This time around I noticed an uncredited cameo with John Ireland near the end that I missed the first go round. Again we have a sort of Italian Western reunion with this flick, Frank Wolf, Antonio Ruiz, José I. Zaldua, Fernando Rey, along with Herbot Lom (Inspector Dreyfuss from the Pink Panther series)playing General Huerta.

Does anybody know if Jill Ireland & John Ireland were related?

[Ben Tyreen]

  I watched Villa Rides late last week and ended up really liking it.  Overall, it didn't do anything out of this world great but it did everything solid whether it be the cast, the locations, or Maurice Jarre's score which I really enjoyed.  And cj, the only location I recognized was the town in the beginning from Return of the Magnificent Seven.  Mitchum is solid as Lee Arnold, gunrunner who teams with Pancho Villa, and Yul Brynner was surprisingly good as the bandit chief, but by far the best part was for Charles Bronson as Villa's right hand man Fierro.

  His back and forth with Villa about how easy it is to fly a plane made me laugh, and then later Mitchum's threat "If you shoot me, we'll crash."  After a long pause, Bronson replies "I'll shoot you!"

  Good movie all around and one I'll add to my collection in the future.  Although cj, your review has Jill Ireland as Mitchum's girlfriend raped by Frank Wolff.  The wonders of plastic surgery, transforming someone from a skinny blonde woman to a curvy spanish woman.

[cigar joe]

I though she was but she is the girl in the restaurant in Texas at the end.

[Groggy]

Does anybody know if Jill Ireland & John Ireland were related?

Doesn't look like it. Jill was English and John was Canadian/American.

[Arizona Colt]

Finally got around to watching this and what a great, great movie. It seemed to last forever and in a rare occurrence, was never boring. Bronson was most memorable for me with his character who loves shooting things and people. Might watch it again before the night is out.

[stanton]

Uninspired directing, the characters don't work, a sleepwalking Mitchum, a lame screenplay which senselessly claims that it was written by Peckinpah and Robert Towne.

Mediocre western  4 maybe 5/10

[cigar joe]

I liked it myself, fits nicely in among the other Zapata's. 

[Arizona Colt]

It was WAAAAAAYYYYYYYY better than about a hundred SW's I've suffered through recently.

[drinkanddestroy]

just saw Villa Rides for the first time, on cj's recommendation. Rented it off iTunes; it was in widescreen.

I was very amused and entertained. Nothing more, nothing less.


Anyway, here are some random thoughts in no particular order:

a) the toupees, mustaches, and accents of Brynner and especially Bronson are beyond laughable

b) very solid cast (needless to say!)

c) sets were very good; I am sure the Mexican village scenes were shot on location in real Mexican villages

d)I don't know jack about the history of the MexRev. But before watching it, I assumed that the film would glamorize Villa as some kind of saint. I was very, very pleased that they depicted him as pretty much no better than the other crooks in power

e) I diagree with cj about the score; I enjoyed it a lot. Too repetitive; I wish they had composed more than one or two melodies. But those one or two melodies that keep being repeated are pretty good.

f) Bottom line: I came in with basically zero expectations, didn't take the movie seriously, and I was entertained for two hours.... So, if the movie is ever playing on tv, it may be worth a watch; or if you are out of other movies in your Netflix queue, you can put it in.... But don't be puttin it in front of your queue

g) There are some fantastic lines in this film. The dialogue really saves it.

h) Brynner's speech to Mitchum about trials and liberty and justice is such crap, I found myself saying "are you serious? are you serious?" (channeling my inner Nancy Pelosi... eeeewwwwwww)

i) Villa et al visiting the Mitchum character in the El Paso restaurant? also laughable

j) again, I have to repeat. Bronson's "Mexican" accent is LAUGHABLE. and his and Brynner's toupees and mustaches are ridiculous. But that all added to my amusement

[Moorman]

Like the OP said, i actually liked Brynners's character and acting more in this film, than Mag7.  In fact, i think it was a all around better film. Its underrated. Well worth me purchasing on dvd...

[mike siegel]

Just terrible.
I love Mitchum & Bronson, only they kept me alive.
But it's good that way, otherwise my favorite film would never have been made...

[cigar joe]

Like the OP said, i actually liked Brynners's character and acting more in this film, than Mag7.  In fact, i think it was a all around better film. Its underrated. Well worth me purchasing on dvd...

Hey its decent, no Leone but fits nicely with the other Zapata's.

[stanton]

Hey its decent, no Leone but fits nicely with the other Zapata's.

Nah, it's way beneath every Peckinpah western, even beneath The Glory Guys, and also way beneath the best Revolution-SWs The Mercenary or Quien sabe?

[cigar joe]

Nah, it's way beneath every Peckinpah western, even beneath The Glory Guys, and also way beneath the best Revolution-SWs The Mercenary or Quien sabe?

Oh BS! I'd agree about most of Peckinpah's Westerns, Duck You Sucker, and Quien Sabe?, but it's on par with, Via Villa, Zapata, Companeros, The Mercenary, and Tepepa, and above Pancho Villa, The Treasure Of Pancho Villa.