ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Executscan Expected more

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Scott LeBrun It's all about the two stars in this Western drama. Lee Van Cleef and Warren Oates square off in this tale about a maniacal bandit named Remy (Oates), who has his gang stage some wholesale slaughter while they make off with some booty from a robbery. However, it's vital that they obtain a barge in order to cross a river and make it to freedom. And the man in charge, Travis (Van Cleef), turns out to be a very cool customer. The balance of "Barquero" shows what happens as two men engage in a battle of wills.Being a fan of Van Cleef and Oates, this viewer would have liked to have enjoyed this a bit more. The problem for him was that the movie ended up overlong and didn't have as much tension as he would have liked. The frighteningly intense action scenes early on seem to be setting us up for something different; for several minutes there's a multitude of gunfire (and a rather hard edge to the proceedings that may turn some viewers off). "Barquero" ends up turning into a not uninteresting, if plodding, character study, as we get to see, bit by bit, the mental deterioration of the Remy character. He clearly wasn't expecting to have such problems trying to secure his transportation."Barquero" is a MUST for those who love Van Cleef and Oates, though. The two actors are at their best. Van Cleef is as cool as can be and Oates is wonderfully flamboyant. The strong supporting cast includes such familiar faces as fantasy genre star Kerwin Mathews (who's damn good as a Frenchman who rides with Remy), lovely Mariette Hartley, and the entertainingly weaselly John Davis Chandler. It's co-star Forrest Tucker, however, that steals much of the show. He makes the most of his colourful part as "Mountain Phil", who delights in showing Chandler his idea of fine cuisine.Decent enough guidance by journeyman director Gordon Douglas, excellent music by Dominic Frontiere, and gorgeous cinematography by Gerald Perry Finnerman help to result in a reasonably rousing show. The unusual action climax makes it worth the wait.Six out of 10.

utgard14 After a massacre in a nearby town, outlaw Warren Oates and his gang flee towards Mexico. But there's a river in their way and they can only cross by ferry barge. The problem is the barge is operated by tough cuss Lee Van Cleef, who takes his barge to the other side of the river to prevent the bad guys using it. What follows is a stand-off between the violent outlaws and Van Cleef, who finds himself the reluctant protector of the villagers across the river.Unique, cynical western may not sound like much on paper but it's a treat. The cast is great. Lee Van Cleef's western résumé speaks for itself. If Steve McQueen is the King of Cool, it's only because Van Cleef turned down the title. Peckinpah favorite Warren Oates is completely crazy but undeniably fun to watch. He gets many of the film's best lines. Forrest Tucker is a hoot as Van Cleef's mountain man friend. Busty cigar-smoking Marie Gomez will no doubt make a few pulses race. Mariette Hartley and Kerwin Matthews are also enjoyable. The script is good and the action is exciting. It's an underrated gem; one of the better American westerns of the period.

dr_97701 Over the top, cheesy performances by the actors who are walking, talking caricatures of Western villains and heroes. Watching this movie was like watching a cartoon. So bad it's good, but very very good. The town slaughter was literally unbelievable, but so ultimately predictable it was perfect and sped the plot forward. The standoff at the river was simple good vs evil, with goodness and evil on both sides. Saw this on TV last night and couldn't turn it off. My wife wondered what I saw in it. I couldn't believe how brilliant the colors were and how clear the picture was after all these years. It was good to see Mariette Hartley in such a naughty role talking DIRECTLY into the camera about what qualities constitute the essence of a REAL WOMAN. Wow, wow, wow.

floydianer 'Barquero', released in 1970, is an original, highly entertaining western that manages to find new elements of an, by then, over-used genre. The naval aspect of the story seems unique, but the actual core is basically a re-write of all the classic spaghetti westerns. In fact, it seem that this is the most Spaghetti-like American western of its time. But the rip-off isn't too dramatic, it works quite fine. Special notice should go to the oil-painting opening credits - interesting, good choice.The film's well-cast, led by Lee Van Cleef and Warren Oates as the opposing characters. Van Cleef is always watchable although he seems a little uneasy at playing a character that is neither the classic bad guy he was so good at nor a typical good hero. In the hands of another actor, it may have looked bland, but not with Van Cleef.The film is daring enough to grant equal screen time to its main villain, played by Warren Oates who gets one of his very first cinematic leading roles here. Oates is the multi-layered Jake Remy, colourful bad guy and arguably better-characterized by the script than the ferryman Van Cleef. Oates delights in his role, in what seems like planned hamminess (good thing, because the role calls for it) coupled with authentic danger and ferocity. Mariette Hartley is beautiful but unnecessary. The climax hurts the film. There's a good chance at the end to choose from two original endings (both dying, or both getting away) but the screenplay takes the cliché way and lets Van Cleef shoot Oates in a spiritless, thankless two-second duel. Pity.To sum it up: very entertaining, good western with a great villain performance by Oates and a good-enough lead by Van Cleef.