erb-97464 Contrary to the opinions of some reviewers, amateur and professional, Mace Bishop (Jimmy Stewart) does not murder the hangman Ossie Grimes (Guy Raymond) in order to steal his garb and take his place. A check of James Lee Barret's movie script clears this up, revealing a scene unfortunately cut from the film.At the end of their seemingly convivial trailside meeting, Mace suddenly draws his gun.Mace: "I'm afraid I'm going to have to impose a little more on your hospitality, Mr. Grimes, but I imagine a man who loves life as much as you do will get over it."Ossie Grimes: "I don't understand."Mace: "You don't have to. I'm taking your ropes, your horse and your clothes."Ossie Grimes: "That don't leave me much, does it, friend?"Mace: "It leaves you naked and afoot. There'll be a stage by here in two days. Now, let's get 'em off."(As the camera fades into the next scene.)...and Ossie Grimes went on to have a wonderful life as a farmhand on the cast of "Green Acres".

classicsoncall The word "Bandolero!" rolls off the tongue so nicely you would think the film would have a more upbeat feel to it, especially with that exclamation point as part of the title. However the word in Spanish means bandit, and as the film heads into the second half the action gets pretty grim. Dean Martin and Jimmy Stewart are unusually cast as brothers who meet up in the town of Val Verde, Texas. Stewart's character assumes the guise of a hangman called upon to dispatch outlaw Dee Bishop (Martin) and his renegade bunch after a botched bank holdup that left a prominent citizen dead, shot by Dee. I was hoping to see more of Jock Mahoney when I saw his name in the credits, but he was that unfortunate victim, leaving behind a Mexican bride. I had almost forgotten how gorgeous Raquel Welch was, but this film showcases her looks to maximum appeal, without resorting to various stages of undress. Although there is one time during a battle with Mexican bandits where her blouse is ripped from the back, but the scene is played out more for it's savagery than for titillation.George Kennedy provides a competent but heavily understated portrayal of July Johnson, the Val Verde sheriff who puts together a posse to track down the Bishop gang after they flee from the gallows with Mace Bishop's (Stewart) intervention. I thought it was a clever idea for Mace to provide the weapon, but if you think about it, someone would probably have noticed the exchange of the gun in real life, so the way that's handled is prominently done off screen. That actually surprised me somewhat, as I was wondering how the 'break' would occur, and suddenly there it was.The other thing I wondered about throughout the picture was how Raquel maintained her makeup and wardrobe while trekking through the desert with the bad guys. I know you're not supposed to think about those things with escapist entertainment, but the way current films go for reality, the difference is easily noticed. Never a hair or eyelash out of place, even in those extreme close ups.Probably the biggest surprise by the end of the picture is the idea that Dino and Raquel fall in love (remember, Dee Bishop killed her husband), but it took some prodding from big brother Mace to insist that he talk to her. So in the end, Dino gets the girl, but he dies!, leaving a bittersweet feel at the closing credits.

comicdistortion I know this may sound ridiculous, but am I the only one who thinks Jimmy Stewart murdered the hangman? What else would he have done? Tied him up and left him to the wolves? Injured him badly enough he was unconscious for more than a day? Isn't it kind of silly that we're supposed to ignore that? He waltzes into town and scolds Dean Martin about 'What would Mother think', right after he murdered an innocent man! Preposterous, you might say...But could the bloodthirsty character of the hangman have been a way to justify his murder? No, no, I'm sure Jimmy just sat down with him and had a heart to heart about the situation, what with the war, and mother dead of heart break, and all, I guess the hangman decided to give him his clothes and horse and walk back to town naked and take the stage coach back to Oklahoma. Don't think so? Well then this movie is about Jimmy Stewart, cold blooded killer.Also, if he had just never rescued his brother, there would be like twenty less fatherless children in that town! Yeah, yeah, I know the response comments like this will get, but I really do think the disappearing hangman is a step too far.

kwindrum I don't think this is a typical western at all. For the first half-hour it keeps viewers in the dark about situations and at points its twists seem more like those of a film noir. It also has an odd shift in tone. The first 1/3 is pretty light and it gets progressively grimmer and darker as the characters head south into Mexico. I think the key to its excellence is that there is a moral drama going on here between James Stewart and Dean Martin and they are both excellent and very moving. The fact that they are two of my favorite actors obviously has something to do with my opinion. In particular, Dean is much better then his reputation would suggest. The film has a very exciting climax, good supporting cast, some good dialog and is nicely shot, in Panavision, by western specialist William Clothier and has a Morricone-inspired score by the great Jerry Goldsmith.