…One of my favourite Westerns. It has an engrossing story - based on racism - a perfectly stoic, and passive (until it really counts) performance from the excellent Burt Lancaster - who then erupts like a truck-load of fire-crackers!
Simply add several breath-taking Almerian land-scapes; a generous dose of gun-blazing violence, a pinch of snotty-nosed, sneering ‘gringos’, and a delicious script - who could ask for a more delicious recipe of Western mayhem?
I love it!
And…as for Elmore Leonard…he was a master-craftsman with the written word!
This is probably the weakest out of the three westerns starring Lancaster in the 70s with only Ulzana’s Raid being classic (5/5) and Lawman a missed opportunity. It has a typical 70s weird atmosphere and almost feels like an experiment or a hidden joke. I expected Lancaster, who despite not being a young lad anymore was still in a perfect shape at the time, to straighten up and show us he was all the time only pretending to be that old. Even the bad guy who looks like a villain from a Batman movie adds to this feeling. There are few more strange things about the movie like shiny blue Lancaster’s eyes.
There are some good sniper scenes and even when Lancaster massacred everyone I could not help not feel sorry for him. The movie itself looks somewhat cheap and the thin story does not help either. It is not bad but I guess one needs to be in a right mood to fully enojoy Valdez.
This film doesn’t feel like a typical Spaghetti Western. Maybe because it was shot in English and not dubbed (correct me if I’m wrong). It was based on a story by Elmore Leonard. This is way up there in my love of westerns shot in Europe. It was directed by a theater director and Lancaster is simply amazing in this. The story builds beautifully and Lancaster’s absolutist character, his unwillingness to budge even the slightest makes this film what it is. The themes are universal and eternal and they are the center of this story. It never loses focus. This is a film of great morality and integrity unlike a lot of the senselessly violent Spags.
I totally respect your opinion, so please don’t get me wrong; but, it may be that you have not seen enough SWs, if you think that a lot of the genre is ‘senselessly violent’.
Yes, a lot of bullets do go flying, and people get beaten up; but, for the majority, the action is cartoon-like, and unrealistic - especially when characters have the shit beaten out of them, and have barely a bruise or scratch to show for it.
As for ‘Valdez is Coming’…yes, I totally agree…a very fine film, and one of my favourites…Burt Lancaster is exceptional.