Vera Cruz (1954)
Archie Savage, Burt Lancaster, Cesar Romero
"You're the first friend I ever had," grins flamboyant mercenary Burt Lancaster to lean, laconic Gary Cooper with a smile that suggests that he may be the last. They're a pair of Americans abroad looking to cash in on the Mexican revolution by selling their services to the highest bidder in this ene... (read more) "You're the first friend I ever had," grins flamboyant mercenary Burt Lancaster to lean, laconic Gary Cooper with a smile that suggests that he may be the last. They're a pair of Americans abroad looking to cash in on the Mexican revolution by selling their services to the highest bidder in this energetically cynical south-of-the-border Western. They meet cute, conning, robbing, and out-witting one another in a bit of one-upmanship that bonds the men in mutual admiration, and then team up to escort a royal convoy through revolutionary country. When they discover its secret stash of gold bullion, they revert to their old way, selling out anyone it takes to get the treasure for themselves, even each other. Played out as a seat-of-the-pants con game of shifting alliances and double crosses, this is a cheerfully ruthless tale that served as a veritable blueprint for the Italian spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s. Director Robert Aldrich has a real flair for turning rogues and opportunists into deviously riveting characters, and went on to work the same sort of magic on Kiss Me Deadly and The Dirty Dozen. The cast of character actors features Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, and Jack Elam in the gang, George Macready as Emperor Maximilian, and Henry Brandon as the martinet German captain Danette. --Sean Axmaker
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Unrated, 94 min.
Directed by:
Robert Aldrich
Release Date: Jan 01, 1954
DVD Release Date: Mar 20, 2001
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I really enjoyed this movie about an outlaw and a Confederate veteran escorting a convoy to Vera Cruz during Maxmilian's reign in Mexico. Gary Cooper is great as he always is in films. Burt Lancaster is a treat because he was such a good actor and ... (read more) I really enjoyed this movie about an outlaw and a Confederate veteran escorting a convoy to Vera Cruz during Maxmilian's reign in Mexico. Gary Cooper is great as he always is in films. Burt Lancaster is a treat because he was such a good actor and he is a hero/villain in this movie. If you are a fan of the Wild Bunch, you will see how Sam Peckinpah was influenced by this movie. Sergio Leone was also a fan of this movie and you can also see its influence in his westerns. This film is a real treat!
L'agonie des formes traditionnelles du genre (deja !) filmee par un cineaste hors normes.
The character types and scenario are obvious key influences on the Eurowesterns to follow. But do not expect the same depth of traditional Catholic imagery, firsthand experience of revolutionary politics, or operatic coincidence of music and cinemat... (read more) The character types and scenario are obvious key influences on the Eurowesterns to follow. But do not expect the same depth of traditional Catholic imagery, firsthand experience of revolutionary politics, or operatic coincidence of music and cinematography heightening the drama. This is primarily great on its own terms and in contrast to what preceded it, not solely in comparison to what it influenced.
It was refreshing to see Lancaster play such a degenerate scumbag in this. I loved it.
Burt Lancaster's grin. That's all you need to know. I love his accent. He has this educated glottal stop that is completely NY but he's some cowboy. Still, it works.
although i'm not usually a fan of westerns, i really liked this movie. plenty of twists, turns, and crosses, never boring.
"Vera Cruz" is most notable for two things: it is a precursor to the amoral Sergio Leone antihero westerns, and it pairs two big-screen cowboy legends in Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster.
Lancaster shines as ever and is just a joy to watch: his Joe ... (read more) "Vera Cruz" is most notable for two things: it is a precursor to the amoral Sergio Leone antihero westerns, and it pairs two big-screen cowboy legends in Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster.
Lancaster shines as ever and is just a joy to watch: his Joe Erin looks super-cool and sexy in dusty black, a grinning, charming mercenary brute who's only out for himself but can appreciate a good adversary along the way. Gary Cooper is a deadpan, cynical Southern landowner who's lost everything in the war - his Ben Trane too is mercenary, but ever so slightly more principled than Erin. Like Vivien Leigh calling up the ghost of Scarlett in her Blanche DuBois ("Streetcar Named Desire"), Cooper's world-weary mercenary here represents an earlier, simplier generation of western heroes coming face to face with a more complicated modernity.
The story itself is full of double-crossings and memorable standoffs (memorable cameos from Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson). Denise Darcel and the charismatic Sara Montiel (in her Hollywood debut!) provide the equally sly and scheming female love interests. Like many films Lancaster was involved with, the film inclines somewhat to the underdog revolutionaries.
It's a classic, gorgeous and sparkling with great dialogue from a great cast. However, it lacks something of the sweeping wide-open feel of the classic Western, no doubt deliberately. This is a cinematic place that is very much peopled and politicised.
Crosses and double-crosses aplenty in this fun western. It races through its 94 minutes of runtime, which is the only real problem: it could have done with at least another 30-60 to flesh out some of the supporting characters. Western fans will rev... (read more) Crosses and double-crosses aplenty in this fun western. It races through its 94 minutes of runtime, which is the only real problem: it could have done with at least another 30-60 to flesh out some of the supporting characters. Western fans will revel in Lancaster's complicated anti-hero - but we know he'll never come good... on account of his black hat!
WOW!
Two great actors leading a terrifically plotted movie! Keep your eyes peeled for future "tough guy" Charles Bronson in one of his frst roles...
This film was made in a time where Hollywood was very unfamiliar with the concepts of "grey" o... (read more) WOW!
Two great actors leading a terrifically plotted movie! Keep your eyes peeled for future "tough guy" Charles Bronson in one of his frst roles...
This film was made in a time where Hollywood was very unfamiliar with the concepts of "grey" or "ambiguity".
Lancaster is a complete bastard throughout the film... (and you just KNOW it won't end well for him)... but you can't help like the guy and root for his ultimate survival and success.
Cooper does very well here too and it could be argued that this "morally ambiguous" 1954 AMERICAN film... actually paved the way for the successful "Spaghetti Westerns" that began to appear in the mid 60's...
Nicely shot, well plotted western for fans of the genre...
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