BEFORE: And so I come to the end of the Burt Reynolds chain - not entirely, because while I was watching the Burt Reynolds chain another film with him in it came into my possession, but I'm going to save that one for later, because I'm already behind if I'm going to hit July 4 with the right movie, and adding another film here would mean I'll have to double-up next week not just once but twice, and I'm not prepared to do that. Final score on Burt's mustache tally: 8 films with, 4 without.
The Old West trail now heads down south to Mexico - and do we still call it the Old West if it's really the Old South? I'm not sure.
THE PLOT: In 19th century Mexico a native revolutionary,Yaqui Joe,robs a bank to buy arms for his oppressed people but he finds himself wanted by American lawmen and the Mexican Army.
AFTER: Last night's Western had a bit of a caper feel to it, and maybe that's because it had one actress from "Ocean's 11" and another from "The Dirty Dozen", Clint Walker. Tonight Burt's hanging out with another actor from "The Dirty Dozen", Jim Brown.
If only I found the storyline as easy to follow. I had been to a party earlier in the evening, so maybe it was the remnants of a couple beers in my system, but I just couldn't tell what the plot points were here. I mean, yeah, I get that Burt's character robbed a bank, and used the money to buy 100 rifles for his people, but what's the beef between the Yaqui Indians and the Mexican army? Why is there a German military adviser handing out in Mexico? And like all Westerns, where exactly does the building of the railroad fit in to the situation?
When we first see Burt's character, Yaqui Joe, he's in bed with a prostitute. No shocker there, given all the times that's happened in the past 2 weeks. But then a black lawman from Arizona rolls into town to find him - wow, Arizona was really progressive back then, why are they so backwards now? They didn't even recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day until just a few years ago. And then these two guys decide to team up against the Mexican army, but why? How does a guy go from tracking a wanted man to fighting for his cause?
It wasn't really spelled out, unless he was doing it for the beauty played by Raquel Welch. OK, I'll spot them that one. But I still could have used a little more insight into what was happening, and why. I guess this film was notable only for Welch's "shower" scene under the water tower, and one of the first film love scenes that was mixed-race. Most people today wouldn't have an issue with that, except maybe in Arizona.
Also starring Jim Brown, Raquel Welch (last seen in "Bedazzled"), Fernando Lamas (last seen in "The Cheap Detective"), Dan O'Herlihy, Eric Braeden, Michael Forest, Aldo Sambrell.
RATING: 4 out of 10 firing squads
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