gavin6942
Texas Ranger Jake Cutter arrests gambler Paul Regret, but soon finds himself teamed with his prisoner in an undercover effort to defeat a band of renegade arms merchants and thieves known as Comancheros.The film's production is almost as interesting as the film itself. Heck, maybe even more so. Paul Wellman's novel had been bought for the screen by George Stevens who wanted to direct it after "Giant" (1956). However, he then became interested in making "The Diary of Anne Frank" and sold the film rights to Fox for $300,000.Clair Huffaker ("Seven Ways from Sundown") was signed by the studio to adapt it for producer Charles Brackett with Gary Cooper to star. However, Cooper was in ill health and in early 1961 Douglas Heyes was announced as writer and director. John Wayne and Charlton Heston were announced as stars, but Heston dropped out and was replaced by Tom Tryon, then Heyes dropped out and was replaced by Michael Curtiz. Fox had the script rewritten by Wayne's regular writer James Edward Grant ("Angel and the Badman"). Because of Wayne's involvement, Paul Regret (who was the lead in the novel) was played down and Wayne's part had to be amplified.Ultimately, this is very much a John Wayne film. His preferred writer, him starring, and even him directing at some points when Michael Curtiz was too ill to come to set. There are many things about John Wayne as a person that are despicable, but as a Hollywood personality he is among the biggest.
James Hitchcock
"The Comancheros" is ostensibly set in the independent Republic of Texas, which existed between 1836 and 1845. (References to the presidency of Sam Houston, who held office twice, mean that the action can be dated to either 1836-38 or 1841-44). Even by Hollywood standards, however, there was little attempt to make the film historically accurate. Most of the clothes and weapons we see are those of several decades later, and there is a reference to the city of Yuma, Arizona, which did not exist at this date. One character is even referred to as a former Confederate officer, although the Confederacy would not come into existence until a number of years after the events depicted.Paul Regret, a Louisiana gentleman, kills a man in a duel and flees across the border into Texas. He believes that he will be safe there, but the Texan government are anxious not to offend the United States and Jake Cutter, a Texas Ranger, is sent to arrest him in order to return him to Louisiana to face trial. Regret speaks English without any foreign accent, and even pronounces his own surname in an anglicised manner, but because he is of French ancestry Cutter always addresses him as "Monsieur", which he insists on mispronouncing as "Mon Sewer".Before Regret can be extradited, however, he and Cutter are forced join forces when they are caught up in an attack by the Comanche Indians. Although the film was made as late as 1961, it reverts to the traditional Hollywood stance of depicting American Indians as bloodthirsty savages. (Some Westerns from the fifties, such as "Broken Arrow" and "Apache", had tried to show Indians in a more positive light). Certainly, the Comanche had the reputation of being ferocious warriors who took no prisoners, but the film never explores the question of whether they might have had good cause to hate the white man; Mirabeau Lamar, President of Texas between 1838 and 1841, went so far as to advocate their genocide.The real villains of the film, however, are not so much the Comanche themselves but the "Comancheros", described here as white men fighting alongside the Indians, although in reality Comancheros were traders, mostly of Hispanic stock, who made a living by trading with the Comanche. These Comancheros are a gang of criminals whose main activity is supplying the Comanche with guns and whiskey and who are based in a secret hideout in the Texas desert. Their leader is the aforementioned "former Confederate officer".This is not John Wayne's greatest film, but he does enough to keep matters interesting, and combines well with Stuart Whitman (a largely forgotten actor today) as Regret. The changing relationship between Cutter and "Mon Sewer" Regret is at the heart of the film. At first, of course, the two are adversaries, although Regret frequently refers to Cutter as "my friend". (To which Cutter invariably replies "I'm not your friend"). After the Comanche attack, however, they unexpectedly find themselves on the same side and they become, if not exactly friends, at least partners. Regret never does have to stand trial over that killing in Louisiana, a breach of the normal Production Code requirement that killers should be seen to pay for their crimes. Perhaps the censors took the old-fashioned view that duels were a matter of honour rather than wilful murder.Nehemiah Persoff is good as the ruthless wheelchair-bound Comanchero leader Graile, but the rest of the supporting cast have less to do. Ina Balin as Graile's daughter Pilar is largely there to provide a love- interest for Regret. At one time it seems that Cutter will also get his own love-interest in the shape of Joan O'Brien's attractive widow Melinda, but this potential plot-line never goes anywhere. Lee Marvin, probably the second-biggest name in the cast after Wayne, is featured in a surprisingly minor cameo as an outlaw who gets killed off early on.Officially, "The Comancheros" was the final film of that great director Michael Curtiz, who died shortly after it was completed. (I know his work could vary in quality, but "great" is the only adjective that will do for a man with films like "The Adventures of Robin Hood", "Dodge City" and "Casablanca" on his CV). In fact, Curtiz was taken ill during filming and Wayne himself took over as director to complete the picture, although he was not credited. (Wayne's only official directing credits were for "The Alamo" and "The Green Berets"). Changing directors in mid- stream in this way is never an easy process, and this may account for the fact that the film does not always seem to flow particularly smoothly, but overall this is generally an enjoyable western. 6/10
TheLittleSongbird
The pace does sag quite badly in the middle but other than that, The Comancheros is an excellent film. Visually, it is beautifully mounted with the scenery and cinematography wonderful to look at. I love Elmer Bernstein's score as well, it is in my view one of his best and certainly most elegiac. The script sparkles, the story is very well constructed and filled with rip-roaring action and the direction is marvellous. The acting is very fine too, while John Wayne is the one who dominates the movie, he gets lively support from Stuart Whitman and in a star-making role Lee Marvin is just terrific. All in all, it is a very good film. 8/10 Bethany Cox
