Customer Reviews

Villa Rides

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Look for great performances by Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, Robert Mitchum, and even Herbert Lom (as the villainous Gen. Huerta). Close enough to historical fact to be engaging, but dramatized enough to be entertaining, this movie deserves a bigger re-release, especially on DVD.

Villa Rides is one of those films that's disliked not for what it is but what it isn't. It isn't the script that Sam Peckinpah wrote while trying to work his way out of directorial exile - Yul Brynner found Peckinpah's vision of Pancho Villa's cruelty too unsympathetic for his ego - and it isn't that much the version that Robert Towne rewrote either. But taken on its own terms, it's a decent south of the border oater that sees Robert Mitchum's gunrunning aviator first a prisoner and then a reluctant ally of Yul Brynner's Villa in the early, less successful days of his revolutionary career. Of course, even with hair casting Brynner as Villa in the first place is a bit like casting Jeff Goldblum as Fatty Arbuckle (Herbert Lom's General Huerte is no lookalike either, though he wouldn't be out of place as a Bond villain), but as long as you're willing to overlook little things like historical accuracy, it offers some spectacular battle scenes and enough efficient action to pass muster for a couple of hours. It's also of note for introducing Charles Bronson to his trademark Zapata moustache (and unfortunately his first co-starring role with Jill Ireland) as a Villista who likes shooting prisoners and for a great Maurice Jarre score that's long overdue for a CD release. And Peckinpah did at least get the chance to put all that research he did to good use when he took a trip down south of the border with William Holden, Robert Ryan and the rest of the Bunch...

No extras, but an acceptable 2.35:1 widescreen transfer.

Ahhh Revolution etc. etc. etc.
Just having a little fun at Yul and Pancho's expense.
In reality I'm sure Pancho Villa would have been flattered having Yul Brenner
portray him in a film that shared a glimpse of his life - Hollywood style.
Though the quasi Robin Hood and hero of Mexico's history was a bit more violent(okay, way more violent-and real)than England's hero of the people.
Not to mention stouter, thicker...
I still liked the movie.
I first saw it at the theater way back when I was a young boy almost teenager.
Robert Mitchum was riding the last wave of his box office draw as a leading man (Mr. Moses,The Yakuza,El Dorado etc....)though I wasn't aware of it at the time and didn't care..still don't.
Not an Academy Award performance nor film nominee but I liked Mitchum, Brenner and Bronson (Charles Bronson as Pancho's right hand man/enforcer and comedy relief).definitely a more violent version of Robin's - Little John.The violence might be a bit of a turn off for the female viewer but put into comparison with movie graphics today...
So as far as my humble opinion goes in regards to this film.
Let me sum it up like this.
As a kid I remember my (now late) grandfather fondly relating one his childhood memories living in Mexico and seeing Pancho Villa ride into his village once ,twice, three times (Villa's long barrel pistol was described along with his great horsemanship skills).In fact over the many years I heard my grandfather tell of these glorious encounters in all their glamor,once twice,thrice...but unlike this Director's "Pancho" story, Grandpa's accuracy in detail was never questioned.
This is good because just like this Villa movie, I enjoyed his "Villa Rides" way back then and still do today.

I hadn't seen this for at least 20 years, and was surprised by some of the dialog that I thought was weak and under-directed, more like a low-budget movie. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this film, since it's not only a good adventure, but does have many treasurable scenes:

"Come on Gringo." - Mitchum: "Who, me?" - "Do you see any other Gringos around here?"

Villa: "What is in your heart, Gringo? - (Removes money bag) - This is your heart!"

(Scene where Villa marries a rape victim)

Female love interest: "Villa is a good man." - Mitchum: "Am I a good man?" - She: "Yes." - Mitchum: "Well, I'm as good a man as Villa, and that doesn't say much for either of us."

All in all, very enjoyable, but less than top-notch production and direction.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THIS IS A GREAT MOVIE. FINALLY IT WILL BE RELEASED IN DVD. I HAVE A COPY ON VHS BUT IT'S WORN OUT FROM SEEING IT SO MUCH. GREAT, GREAT, GREAT MOVIE. ACTION, COMEDY, IT HAS IT ALL!!!

Pancho Villa (1878-1923) is probably the most popular Mexican personality who has been immortalized in film. He was a bandit turned revolutionary who became a Governor (Chihuahua) and a major player in the Mexican revolution. Wallace Beery won an Oscar playing him in 1934 ("Viva Villa") and other actors to play him include Leo Carrillo ("Pancho Villa Returns"), Alan Reed ("Viva Zapata"), Telly Savalas ("Pancho Villa"), Pedro Armendariz Jr. ("Old Gringo"), and Antonio Banderas ("Starring Pancho Villa"). Pedro Armendariz Sr. played him 3 times (1950, 1957, and 1960) in Mexican films.

Of course, if you're interested in Pancho Villa this may not be the film for you, despite the title. Villa doesn't even show up for the first 30 minutes, and the film is really about Robert Mitchum who plays an aviator.

Robert Mitchum (1917-97) received his only Oscar nomination for his role in "The Story of GI Joe", but movie fans know that Mitchum was a terrific actor who deserved far more acknowledgement, but his "bad boy" persona undoubtedly interfered. Mitchum is probably best known for his performances as Philip Marlowe, and his work in films like "The Night of the Hunter" (1955) and "Cape Fear" (1962). He is ranked by AFI as among the top 100 villains of all time. I liked him best as the drunken sheriff in "El Dorado" (1966).

Versatile Yul Brenner (1920-85) plays Pancho Villa as a grim presence. Brenner could play an Egyptian Prince ("The 10 Commandments"), a Jewish King "Solomon and Sheba"), a gunslinger ("The Magnificent Seven"), an Asian ("The King and I"), a robot ("Westworld"), and a Ukrainian warlord ("Taras Bulba"). In 1956 he received the distinction of a NBR Award for his performances in 3 films - "The King and I", "Anastasia", and "The 10 Commandments", and won the Oscar that year for "The King and I".

Charles Bronson (1921-2003) is best known for his "Death Wish" films, but these were merely a handful of the more than 150 films he made over a 50 year career that stretched from 1949 to 1999 and included such memorable films as "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), "The Great Escape" (1963), "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), "Once Upon a Time in the West" (1968), and "The Valachi Papers" (1972). In 1972 the Golden Globes named him the World's Favorite Male Actor. Bronson plays Villa's sidekick and he gets to kill more people in this film than he did in all his "Death Wish" films put together.

FWIW - this was the first time Bronson appeared with real life wife Jill Ireland (she appears in a restaurant), and the first time he wore a moustache, which was to remain with him after this and become a trademark. The film reunited Brenner and Bronson who had both been in "The Magnificent Seven" (1960).

Herbert Lom (1917) was a great supporting actor, known today for his work as Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the "Pink Panther" series, but he made significant contributions to films such as "The Lady Killers" (1955), "El Cid" (1961), and "Fire Down Below" (1957), and starred in "Phantom of the Opera" (1962). Lom plays Huerta, a rival politician.

The screenplay was originally written by Sam Peckinpah but star Yul Brenner did not like Peckinpah's negative portrayal of Villa, so Sam was fired and script doctor Robert Towne was brought in.

San Peckinpah (1925-84) was one of the very best western writers and directors, responsible for such classics as "Ride the High Country" (1962), "The Wild Bunch" (1969), and "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" (1972). But he didn't necessarily get along with others, so his firing was not totally unexpected.

Towne was a well known script doctor as well as a writer in his own write. Towne (1934) was nominated 5 times for an Oscar, winning for "Chinatown" in 1975. Among his other notable films are "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967), "Shampoo" (1975), "Personal Best" (1982), "The Firm" (1993) and "Mission Impossible" (1996, 2000).

Director Buzz Kulik (1922-1999) was primarily a TV director where he received 5 Emmy nominations and 1 DGA award ("Brian's Song"). He often worked on biographies - "Babe" (1975), "George Washington" (1984), "The Hunter" (1980), "Ziegfeld" (1978), etc.

The NY Times said the film "is simply a sprawling Western and not history" and called it an "ambitious horse opera" and "a shoot-'em-up adventure".

In 1968 the big box office winners were "Funny Girl", "2001", "Bullitt", "Romeo and Juliette", and "Rosemary's Baby". The big Oscar winner was "Oliver" (Picture, Director) and "Charly" (Actor) and "The Lion in Winter" (Actress) each won one. Other notable releases that year were "Planet of the Apes", "Barbarella", "Funny Girl", "Monterey Pop", "The Producers", "The Thomas Crown Affair", and "The Odd Couple". A few westerns appeared - Jimmy Stewart in "Bandolero" and "Firecreek", Glenn Ford in "Day of the Evil Gun", Clint Eastwood in "Hang Em High". Burt Lancaster in "The Scalphunters", and Charlton Heston in "Will Penny".

There are worse films about Pancho Villa (see the Telly Savalas version, if you dare), and worse westerns, but that doesn't mean this is a good film. In retrospect, the failure to go with a single vision (Peckinpah vs. Towne) is probably the main reason for the film's failure to involve. But the acting is listless, and the production values are mediocre. This was a really talented cast, but you wouldn't know it from this picture.

BTW - If you think that Yul Brenner makes a poor Mexican, here are some equally ludicrous examples of non-Mexicans who took on a role as a Mexican - Telly Savalas in "Pancho Villa" (1972), Burt Lancaster in "Valdez is coming" (1971), Paul Newman in "Hombre" (1967), Wallace Beery in "Viva Villa" (1934), Marlon Brando in "Viva Zapata (1952), Eli Wallach in the Spaghetti westerns, Rod Steiger in "A Fistful of Dynamite" (1971), Yul Brenner in "Villa Rides" (1968), and Charlton Heston in "Touch of Evil" (1956).

PS - I gave this a 1. If Amazon used a 10 point scale it would get a 3, since it's not as terrible as many other films.

I would actually give this 4 1/2 stars because it's definitely better than 4 stars. With cast of Yul Brynner, Robert Mitchum, and Charles Bronson and written by Sam Peckinpah (wild bunch), my expectations may have been too high. Villa rides moves along well and the chemistry between Mitchum, brynner, and bronson is great. While this may not really be historically accurate in the portrayal of Villa or his band, it's still a fun watch. I'm very partial to Charles Bronson and Robert Mitchum movies so I'm willing to forgive historical inaccuracies for the sake of entertainment and Villa Rides is definitely entertaining. The plot has been covered by other reviewers so I won't bore you with another synopsis. Some interesting moments include the marriage of Pancho Villa to Mitchum's 'love interest'. Seems she's raped by villa's men and the message from Villa is 'I'll marry her to protect her from my men but i will not be a husband in any sense of the word'. Kind of an interesting slant on Pancho Villa, seems Peckinpah figured Villa was more Robin hood than Quantrill or Bloody Bill Anderson. Villa Rides is a great way to pass 2 hours on a rainy afternoon.

Some terrific battle sequences, a great cast: Mitchum, Brenner and Bronson. Some epic battles, train ambushes, columns of Federales, and some great flying scenes with Mitchum as the mercenary pilot. Fun movie for a Saturday afternoon and nice soundtrack. Don't make 'em like this anymore. Even some truth to some of the plotline.

Yes I too have been waiting many years to find one of my all time favorite movies on DVD Thank you. After years of studying the Mexican Revolution and writing a term paper on Pancho Villa, I find that this movie is both a great Action, Adventure Western but also fairly historically accurate.

Finally!! i was waiting for this movie to be on DVD for such a long time, I was afraid it might never happen!
Despite the age and the fact, that this was never the blockbuster it should have been, it is in excellent condition, sound and picture are much better than many others of about the same age!
I highly recommend it to everyone who likes the story of Pancho Villa! And to all the Charles Bronson fans out there!!