6.2
After the Civil War, ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon are leading two disparate groups of people through strife-torn Mexico. John Henry and company are bringing horses to the unpopular Mexican government for $35 a head while Langdon is leading a contingent of displaced southerners, who are looking for a new life in Mexico after losing their property to carpetbaggers. The two men are eventually forced to mend their differences in order to fight off both bandits and revolutionaries, as they try to lead their friends and kin to safety.
John Wayne
Colonel John Henry Thomas
Rock Hudson
Colonel James Langdon
Antonio Aguilar
General Rojas
Roman Gabriel
Blue Boy
Marian McCargo
Ann
Lee Meriwether
Margaret
Merlin Olsen
Little George
Melissa Newman
Charlotte
Bruce Cabot
Jeff Newby
Jan-Michael Vincent
Bubba Wilkes
Ben Johnson
Short Grub
Edward Faulkner
Anderson
Harry Carey, Jr.
Webster
Paul Fix
General Joe Masters
Royal Dano
Major Sanders
Richard Mulligan
Dan Morse
Carlos Rivas
Diaz
John Agar
Christian
Guy Raymond
Giles
Don Collier
Goodyear
Big John Hamilton
Mudlow
Dub Taylor
McCartney
Henry Beckman
Thad Benedict
Víctor Junco
Major Tapia
Robert Donner
Judd Mailer
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.
Escalante
James Dobson
Jamison
Rudy Diaz
Sanchez
Richard Angarola
Petain
James McEachin
Jimmy Collins
Gregg Palmer
Parker
Juan García
Colonel Gomez
Kiel Martin
Union Runner
Bob Gravage
Joe Hicks
Hal Needham
Yankee Corporal at River Crossing (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson
Yankee Sergeant at River (uncredited)
Director
Andrew V. McLaglen
Novel
Lewis B. Patten
Screenplay
James Lee Barrett
Story
Stanley Hough
December 26, 2022
6
Obviously contrived with the box office in mind, this is an OK western that sees John Wayne (the rough and ready Yankee colonel) and Rock Hudson (the suave, debonaire, but broke, plantation owning Confederate colonel) and their respective ex-soldiers form an uneasy partnership after the US Civil war, to drive some horses to their new owner, Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. En route, they have the usual sequence of "Red River" (1948) style escapades before encountering treachery on a fairly grand scale that puts the lives of themselves and their horses at risk. There is a bit of chemistry between the two men, their opposing characters creating the odd spark - and some humour - as their journey progresses. Ben Johnson, Bruce Cabot and a very green looking "Airwolf" (Jan-Michael Vincent) chip into the story too, keeping it moving along steadily, if not exactly excitingly. Two hours felt too long - until the last fifteen minutes, not enough happens to keep the interest from dwindling, but it shows why both men were the stars they were, and is still just about worth watching.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00