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Entertaining , moving and violent film set in Mexican Revolution in which a pair of two-fisted characters confront enemies in diverse sides . During the Mexican Rebellion of 1866 , an unsavory group of American adventurers are hired by the forces of Emperor Maximilian to escort a countess to Vera Cruz . Napoleon III, emperor of France , creates in Mexico a vassal state governed by Maximilian (George Mcready) of France . The French troops control the country and the fate of its inhabitants . There soon emerges a rebel leader , Benito Juarez, whose supporters took the name of "juaristas" . Two soldiers of fortune find themselves in different camps , as "Benjamin Trane" (Gary Cooper was 52 at the time of filming, although his character was only supposed to be a couple of years older than Burt's role) is the good guy and "Joe Erin" (Burt Lancaster) is the bad guy , both of whom along with their motley group (Ernest Borgnine , Jack Lambert , Jack Elam , Charles Bronson) decide serve the Emperor Maximilian . Meanwhile , Benjamin Trane falls in love for a beautiful Mexican rebel (Spanish Sara Montiel) . During a party celebrated by Marquis Henri de Labordere (Cesar Romero) they meet the Countess "Marie Duvarre" (Denise Darcel) , both gunmen must protect her from possible attacks of the revolutionaries . In fact , they are planning seize a stagecoach filled with valuable gold . The picture was partially based on historical events , as Maximilian was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on 10 April 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy. Many foreign governments, including that of the United States, refused to recognize his administration. This helped to ensure the success of republican forces led by Benito Juárez, and Maximilian was captured and executed in 1867.

Interesting as well as action-packed Western full of thrills, emotion , intrigue , shootouts and marvelous outdoors from Mexico . The two giants , Cooper and Lancaster , battle in the biggest spectacle of them all . Anthological performance by Burt Lancaster is fabulous , his character would influence profoundly in Spaghetti Western ; he steals every scene as the black-dressed , smiling gunfighter . As the roles are more cynical , selfish and unscrupulous than traditional western . In fact , this film is sometimes called the "first spaghetti western," due to its reputed influence on the Italian directors such as Sergio Leone who popularized the genre . The screenplay by Roland Kibbee and James R. Webb is pretty basic but holds your interest until the exciting climatic Shotdown . Rousing as well as emotive musical score by the classical Hugo Friedhofer . Gorgeous cinematography by Ernest Laszlo , being the first film to be made in the SuperScope process. Luxurious sets and spectacular production design and one of the first major Hollywood films to be made on location in Mexico . Film-making legislation in Mexico meant that a local director had to be involved in the production in some capacity, though he wasn't actually used ; however , the Mexican authorities were appalled at the way their citizens were depicted in the film so any subsequent Hollywood productions had to conform to some strict rules .

The motion picture was compellingly directed by Robert Aldrich and produced by Burt Lancaster's own production company for $1.7 million, it went on to become a sizeable hit, grossing over $11 million. It was Robert Aldrich's personal favourite , he particularly enjoyed the fact that it had a hero and an anti-hero. Aldrich directed a considerable plethora of genres but almost all of his films contained a subversive undertone and violent scenes . He was an expert on warlike (Dirty Dozen , The Angry Hills , Attack , Ten seconds to hell) and Western (The Frisko kid , Ulzana's raid, Apache , Veracruz , The last sunset) . Raing : Above average , it's a must see and a standout in its genre .

"Vera Cruz" is settled in Mexico during Austrian emperor Maximilian's ruling and the Juaristas revolution. Ban Trane (Gary Cooper) and Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster) cross the border to hire their guns for the cause that pays better. Trane is a former southern officer ruined by the American civil war and Erin is a self made top gun. Somehow the two men get to like and respect each other and they are paid by the emperor to take a mysterious French countess through Juarista country to the Port of Vera Cruz.

Mexico's colorful outdoor locations are very well used by director Robert Aldrich to give the film some sort of greatness, unusual in early 50's westerns. Lots of action and well done battle sequences help the movie too. The final gun duel couldn't be spared and it is a good one too.

Cooper has no trouble with his character and gives a good performance, but no doubt Lancaster's character is more interesting and he takes the best of it. In fact when you remember "Vera Cruz" Lancater's Joe Erin is what first comes to your mind. His black outfit, his complete lack of class and manners, his limitless ambition and completely unscrupulous behaviour; and yet you feel sympathy for the guy. This is indeed a Burt Lancaster picture.

The supporting cast is also outstanding. You'll find future stars in early roles such as Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson, along with Jack Elam all of them members of Erin's gang (what else?). But classical actors of the 40's and 50's are there too: Cesar Romero, George Macready (Maximilian), Morris Ankrum and Henry Brandon among others. Spanish actress Sara Montiel plays a Juarista that gets mixed up with Coooper.

Not only for western fans but also for action and adventure movie followers, "Vera Cruz" is a film to enjoy every once in a while. A top one in both genres.

"As the American Civil War ended, another war was just beginning. The Mexican people were struggling to rid themselves of their foreign Emperor--Maximilian. Into this fight rode a handful of Americans--ex soldiers, adventurers, criminals--all bent on gain. They drifted South in small groups-- AND SOME CAME ALONE"

Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster head the cast as two polar opposite American adventurers who get involved with Maximilian's royal house and Juarez's revolutionaries in 1860s Mexico. Cooper plays Benjamin Trane, basically a good man, tho one tainted by much cynicism, and Lancaster plays Joe Erin, gunman and an untrustworthy crook. Vera Cruz was the first release in SuperScope (beautifully shot by Ernest Laszlo on location in Mexico) and with director Robert Aldrich at the helm, the film brilliantly captures the violence and danger that was brought about during Mexico's revolutionary period. Adapted by Roland Kibbee and James R. Webb from a Borden Chase story, Vera Cruz very much feels like (is) a precursor to Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch and Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns of the 60s.

With its blend of comedy and outright action, the film is essentially a buddy buddy Western with a cynical amoral kicker. It's a blend that may not be to everyone's tastes, but with Lancaster (grinning for all he is worth) and Cooper (laconic supreme) in the leads the film rises above its oddity status. The professionalism on show, both from the obvious big stature of its stars and Aldrich's astute choreography of the action sequences, ensures this is a polished piece. There's much machismo of course, one only has to see that Charles Bronson, Ernest Borgnine and Jack Elam are in the support gallery of thugs to know this fact, but it should be noted that the picture is interested in showing a fair reflection of the Mexican conflict. The Mexican government of the time were outraged at the film, but on reflection now it's evident the film doesn't take sides. That to my mind has to be applauded.

Some problems exist, notably some of the dialogue is a touch too corn based now. While as the main female character, Denise Darcel is out of her depth. One could think that she is maybe swamped by all the testosterone around her, but when you notice that Sara Montiel is coping fine in a secondary role, it shows Darcel to be limited. Vera Cruz held its own on release, neither busting the box office nor sinking without a trace. It would take over ten years before the true value of the film would start to be noticed. With that, it now shows to be very influential within the genre. Explosive, important and darn good fun, that's a mixture you just can't ignore. 8/10

This western film is typical of the 50's era. It was well made in excellent outdoor locations. "Coop" gave his usual professional touch which we came to expect of him & "Lancaster" was superb That "smile" really made his character and gave the humour that was needed to make a balanced film. The cast including Borgnine & Bronson added real class to the production. I saw the film as a fifteen year old teenager when it was first released, queuing for 2 hours to obtain entry into my home city's main cinema. Even after 50 years I still watch it with the same excitement & interest. They do not make films like this anymore. Modern films have no answer to it

After the American Civil War, mercenaries travel to Mexico to fight in their revolution for money. The former soldier and gentleman Benjamin Trane (Gary Cooper) meets the gunman and killer Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster) and his men, and together they are hired by the Emperor Maximillian (George Macready) and the Marquis Henri de Labordere (Cesar Romero) to escort the Countess Marie Duvarre (Denise Darcel) to the harbor of Vera Cruz. Ben and Erin find that the stagecoach is transporting US$ 3,000,000.00 in gold hidden below the seat and they scheme to steal it. Along their journey, betrayals and incidents happen changing their initial intentions.

"Vera Cruz" is a very entertaining western directed by the great director Robert Aldrich and with excellent performances of Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper. Their partnership is hilarious since their behaviors, educations and personalities are totally different, or opposite. Ben Trane is a honored, intelligent and idealistic man, who lost his possessions in the war and now is trying to have some financial gain with his abilities. Joe Erin is cynical, amoral, brutal, intuitive and mercenary. In common, only their skills in handling weapons. Erin cheats all the time, but the smart Ben is one step ahead in every situation and the result is a good movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Vera Cruz"

The first 20 minutes of Vera Cruz are excellent, starting with the great score by Friedhofer and the meeting of Cooper's and Lancaster's characters. The most striking scene is in a plaza, with a great gunfight followed with the meetings with the main players in the plot including a couple of hundred revolutionaries and Cesar Romero, whose character serves the Emperor of Mexico, Maximillian. This initial sequence of scenes are very well done, have a tough and cynical feel about them, and seem a little ahead of their time. After this point the movie becomes a more typical 1950s big budget adventure film. It remains entertaining, but looses the sharpness that these first striking minutes had. Only at the very end of the film does it regain it's edge. It could have been an excellent film, but is still entertaining and well worth watching.

Cooper and Lancaster are good as always and their usual on-screen personas compliment each other well.

The Mexican locations were great.

This film was very influential on the Italian filmmakers that would go on to create the spaghetti western. Stylistically the influence can be scene most in plaza scene. The plot filled with multiple double crosses and betrayals will also seem familiar to fans of the eurowestern, as does the primary character motivation -- greed. Also, this film may explain the large number of SW that involve Maximillian, Jaurez, and soldiers of fortune manipulating them.

Vera Cruz is an old fashioned buddy western with two dissimilar buddies with 180 degree contrasting acting styles.

Since one of the co-stars was the producer of this, he got the showier part. But in truth I certainly couldn't see casting either one in the other's part.

Burt Lancaster was the producer and star and he got the scenery chewing role of Joe Erin, disarmingly charming and ruthlessly amoral gunfighter down in Mexico working for Emperor Maximilian for a price. He's leading a mini army himself of gunfighters that include among other, Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson.

Along the way Lancaster hooks up with Gary Cooper, former Southern Colonel Ben Trane, who's also looking to restart his life by making some money in Mexico so he can rebuild his plantation in Reconstruction Louisiana.

Basically these two play themselves or at least stay true to the image that we have of both Cooper and Lancaster.

The prize her is a big gold shipment that Maximilian is sending out of Mexico to pay for more troops from Napoleon III. The gunfighters are escorting it, but they don't know it. They think the job is to escort a squeeze of Maximilian's, nicely packaged in the shape of Denise Darcel.

Just about everyone in the film from George Macready playing Maximilian to Cesar Romero playing a French marquis down to Lancaster, Cooper, Darcel, and the rest of the gunfighters all have their own plans for the three million in gold they're carrying. Let's just say that it's no surprise where it winds up.

Morris Ankrum plays a solid version of a Juarista general and Mexican film star, Sarita Montiel, does one of two American films, the other being Serenade with Mario Lanza. She was and is a big name in the Mexican and Spanish cinema and no doubt her presence sold a few tickets south of the Rio Grande. She's an extraordinarily beautiful woman and she pairs with Cooper as Darcel pairs with Lancaster.

Some of the dialog is a bit hokey. I always laugh whenever I hear Darcel tell Lancaster "at heart you are French." But the action moves right along under Director Robert Aldrich and the climatic battle between the French and the Juaristas is well staged.

This unpretentious and incredibly influential western began as a vehicle for Burt Lancaster with his production company's executives. He was looking for work as the film industry was being murdered by Congress's seat tax and its new hastily-created TV networks and payments to people to make movies abroad instead of in the U.S. He hired long-in-the-tooth but screen-wise Gary Cooper to play opposite him, and a script was developed by three veteran writers--Borden case, Roland Kibbee and James R. Webb. Its storyline featured groups of gunmen heading south to serve for pay as Empreror Maximilian of Mexico tried to put down the native revolution against his corrupt government. There is a bang-up opening as Ben Trane, Cooper, shoots his injured horse and buys another from Joe Erin, Lancaster. They are chased by Mexican officers; Cooper wonders why and Joe tells him he's riding the Lieutenant's horse, which he himself had stolen earlier. Ben leaves Joe behind when there is only one horse unharmed between them; he rides into a town where the Erin gang are waiting. They are about to attack him en masse when Joe shows up, just as Ben has beaten up Ernest Borgnine. Others in the gang include Charles Bronson in an early role, Jack Elam and James McCallion., et al. The next problem, is to settle who will lead the Americanos, Joe or a rival, powerful Jack Lambeert. A gunfight settles that question. The new recruits are take by Cesar Romero and Henry Brandon, Maximilian's chief men, to meet the Emperor. George Macready plays the french-born Maximilian, beautifully as always, at a grand palace party, where the Yankees put on a shooting exhibition and the Emperor tries his hand as well. Meanwhile, they have encountered Sarita Montiel, stealing Ben's money, and General Ramirez, beautifully underplayed by Morris Ankrum, who asks them not to join the Emperor's army; he turns out to be the head of the revolution; they escape his well-planned trap by threatening some children, but at least they realize what they are getting into. Their first assignment is to escort Denise Darcel, a Countess, and her coach to safety. Of course she turns out to be carrying gold, to pay Maximilian's forces elsewhere. Joe and Ben want the gold, and eventually they get it. But then comes the reckoning--between a Southerner, a man who had lost everything in the Civil War in a lost cause, and a man who regards all "softness" as a weakness and even killed his own mentor, years before...Ben wins the shootout and decides to turn the money over to the revolution, and keep Sarita Montiel for his own prize. This is a very tight script, a favorite film with male and female moviegoers. It has many pluses other than the actors and the strong situational dialogue. Robert Aldrich's direction is clean, straightforward and keeps the action moving in between interesting dialogue exchanges. The first-rate cinematography is by Ernest Laszlo,the very good costumes by Norma, production design by Alfred Ybarra; Hugo Friedhofer composed the excellent music. In terms of the acting, which dominates half this otherwise outdoor film, Cooper succeeds by underplaying; Lancaster later said he himself had started the film on too-high a level, and learned lessons that served him for years from Cooper during this feature's filming. Darcel does not seem like a Countess but gives her part energy; lovely Montiel has an odd accent but is very strong. Borgnine and Elam do well, and Lambert and the rest of the gang all do well. Brandon, Romero and Macready as usual steal their scenes. All in all, a western that satisfies, does not look fifty years old and has no slow points, no real defects. This is the sort of film Hollywood youthful corporate types cannot make any more; and it inspired a generation of Italian filmmakers including Sergio Leone. It is an adventure that should live long in the minds and hearts of fans of the Western genre.

The middle fifties saw the production of an astonishing variety of Westerns of high quality... Robert Aldrich followed "Apache" in 1954 with a cheerful, action-packed adventure called "Vera Cruz," which starred Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster sporting a disarming but treacherous grin throughout... Its chief highlight is a display of sharp-shooting in which Cooper and Lancaster demonstrate the effectiveness of the rifles they are trying to sell to the Emperor Maximilian (George Macready) by snuffing out the torch flames ranged round the palace balustrade...

"Vera Cruz" opens during the Mexican revolution in 1866 where two American adventurers decide to join forces and fight for whichever side pay them the most... The saucy Sarita Montiel, who has fallen for Cooper, implores them to fight for the rebels, while Cesar Romero, an aid to the Emperor Maximilian, asks them to fight on his side...

At a ball in the sumptuous Chapultepec Palace, the pair meets the vivacious Denise Darcel who appears as a colorful but doublecrossing French Countess, and soon agrees to escort her on the hazardous journey to Vera Cruz... Later, she informs them that she is actually transporting a gold shipment to the Emperor's forces... Shortly after, she offers to steal the gold and split it with them...

In spite of the strong presence of Gary Cooper who lines up on the side of the Juaristas, Burt Lancaster steals the show as the smiling, black-dressed American adventurer, unable to forget Mexico's shining gold...

"Vera Cruz", with excellent supporting cast, is filmed on location in Mexico... Cooper and Lancaster well know that when one outdraws and shoots the other, one is the "quick" and the other, the "dead." Ernest Laszlo photography, in SuperScope and Technicolor, captures well the Mexican scenery with glorious shots of Mexico City's famous Chapultepec Castle, and the pyramids of Teotihuacan...

Sarita Montiel whose sensuality draws lustful aggression from Bronson's peripheral tough-guy, Pittsburgh, flourished more beauty to this exciting Western...

"Vera Cruz" is not a bad western but it could have been better. It's about two soldiers of fortune (Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster) who venture into Mexico following the American Civil War to hire themselves out to the highest bidder between the forces of Emperor Maximillian (George Macready) and the revolutionaries led by Morris Ankrum. It turns out that there is a large shipment of gold that everyone is trying to get their hands on. There are double crosses and triple crosses a plenty before the matter is finally settled.

Cooper plays Benjamin Trane a former Confederate Colonel who rides in alone and meets up with grinning teethy all in black gunslinger Joe Erin (Lancaster). Erin has a gang that includes the likes of Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson (using his real name, Buchinsky) and Jack Elam. Jack Lambert heads up a gang that opposes that of Lancaster.

Cesar Romero plays the Marquis Henri de Labordere a senior but corrupt official in Maximillian's government and Henry Brandon plays his second in command. Denise Darcel and Sarita Montiel provide the female treachery, each after the gold for their own reasons and of course involving our heroes.

Cooper looks out of place as Trane, a little too long in the tooth to be convincing as the fast on the draw hero. Lancaster on the other hand, apparently was given his head by Director Robert Aldrich and goes way over the top flashing those pearly whites at every opportunity. It was interesting to see Borgnine and Bronson in early roles before they made it big. Romero dashing as always, steals the picture in my opinion.

The battles scenes are well staged and exciting and the wide screen photography is spectacular.

"Vera Cruz" is OK if you don't mind being blinded by the "whitest teeth in the west".

Former Confederate Colonel Gary Cooper, nearly left penniless by the Civil War and looking for work in 1860s Mexico, has little choice but to join up with gregarious outlaw Burt Lancaster and his macho gang after being asked by the battalions of the Emperor Maximillian to safeguard three million dollars worth of gold coins in a dangerous trek to Juarez. Familiar western elements (and clichés) dot the spotty script, though this Robert Aldrich-directed film was later called a forerunner of the 'amoral western', with each of the characters out for themselves. Cooper and Lancaster approach this explosion-heavy epic in their vastly different, customary styles; they make a peculiar team, and many of their shared scenes (such as a ridiculous one wherein Gary cuts a bullet out of Burt's arm) fall flat. The supporting players (including Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson in relatively thankless bits) manage to give certain scenes a little extra bounce, and the cinematography and locations are quite wonderful. Entertaining for genre buffs--though with so many disparate talents on-board, the results were bound to be a bit bewildering. **1/2 from ****

VERA CRUZ picks up on a bit of business from the American Civil War that is rarely discussed in our movies. Only a slight, similar comment is brought up in the film ANOTHER PART OF THE FORREST, where John Dahl plans to leave the south and fight in the Brazilian Army. It is 1870, and Dahl (an ex-Confederate officer) decides to fight for an army from the one large nation that still practices slavery. Many Confederates at the end of the Civil War sought employment outside the United States, where their military skills would be appreciated and they did not have to live under the U.S. Flag. George Pickett (of the famous charge at Gettysburg) was offered the job of Commander-in-Chief of the the army of the Khedive of Egypt (but he did not take the offer).

Many of the ex-Confederates decided to go to Mexico, because during the Civil War Maximillian was pro-Southern (as Juarez was pro-Northern), and the French who supported Maximillian were pro-Confederate (unofficially) as well. Napoleon III of France saw the Confederates as one of those "nationalities" he championed in the name of his uncle's so-called revolutionary principles. He also had a belief that the United States was growing too potentially powerful. Throughout the first two years of the war, while Lee and Jackson were doing so well in the East, Napoleon III did all he could to get the British and himself to coordinate mediating a peaceful (i.e. "pro-Confederate") solution to the war. But every time it looked like that would occur, there would be a Northern victory (Antietam Creek, Gettysburg) that upset the plan. Also the release of the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863 muddied the waters. It reminded the people of France and Britain that the South favored slavery.

Napoleon III was hoping a Southern victory would ensure his puppet Maximillian's Empire in Mexico would be secure. During the war he had conferences with a former Senator from California, Dr. William Gwin, who was pro-Confederate. Gwin wanted to have a portion of the Sonora state of Mexico set aside for Confederate emigrants to farm and mine.

All this collapsed on April 9, 1865 when Lee surrendered. VERA CRUZ follows the collapse of the Confederacy, and how Gary Cooper joins the exodus to link up with fellow former Rebels in Mexico, to support Maximillian. He also links up with Burt Lancaster, who leads a gang of gunslingers for hire, and the story turns on a huge gold shipment that is for Maximillain's forces. But in VERA CRUZ everyone sees this gold shipment as the key to a happy future for themselves or for their people. Cooper (the hero in the film) would like to use it for helping to rebuild the South. Lancaster and his gang (including Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson) see the riches for themselves. Maximillian (George Macready, in a very short scene - unfortunately - where he is not as sweet and well intentioned as Brian Ahearn had been in JUAREZ) - wants the money sent for future purposes. Cesar Romero and Henry Brandon are intending the money should go to France. Denise Darcel, a French aristocrat, wants the money sent to France to - for herself.

There are plenty of films about gold and how it brings greed out of everyone, and VERA CRUZ is one of the best. It is not settled until the end who will get the gold - and only after one last gunfight after the battle.

The American Civil War has ended and a new one is starting in Mexico against the foreign ruler Emperor Maximilian. American adventurers are slipping into the country. Confederate soldier Ben Trane (Gary Cooper) joins Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster) who leads a band of bandits. They are recruited by Marquis Henri de Labordere (Cesar Romero) and the Emperor to escort Countess Marie Duvarre.

It's a big western action film. When the rebels surround them and the Federals in that town square, there are a couple of awkward staging issues. There is plenty of big action set pieces but I'm not always in love with the staging. The Mexican rebels are always lined up or bunched up. There are nevertheless some great stunt work and grand action. This is mostly broad and simple. Above all that, there are the two leading big stars. It's suppose to be crowd pleasing although it's not as rip-roaring as one hopes for. That's due to the fact that the protagonists are all on the wrong side of the fight. It's really only up to always white hat Gary Cooper to inevitably turn to the light side. I'm not in love with any of these characters but the action is fun enough.

This is a great movie. Unfortunately, it's almost 70 years old, and that means fewer and fewer people will get to see it. Vera Cruz has everything a good, solid, and edgy movie should. The two male leads are poles apart. There's a pretty girl, a corrupt emperor, a dandy, a "crapton" of gold, a gang of cutthroats, and some fine exteriors.

On top of that, you don't know for sure if you can trust the good-good guy, and you know you can't trust the bad-good guy.

Aldrich has crafted a ripsnortin' adventure, and even though Burt Lancaster steals the show, Gary Cooper is the guy who will force him to give it back.

The only other movies I have seen that were as pure in entertainment were Rio Bravo, the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, and Five Card Stud. I think it says something for westerns that three quarters of the movies I have mentioned in this review were oaters.

Finally, at the end of the movie, I looked up when the film was made, and I was startled that it was produced in 1954. The film is edgy because nobody's pure, no immaculate white hat anywhere to be seen. By the end of the 1950s, Hollywood was experimenting with how much studios could get away with and still receive a Production Code seal of approval. Think of Anatomy of a Murder and Psycho. How they got made is beyond me. That is, if they had been made five years earlier.

Vera Cruz is somewhat morally ambiguous. Gary Cooper is a mercenary, and his character isn't quite as squeaky as we would expect. Just look at his eyes when he and Lancaster are setting up the details to take a countess from Mexico City to Vera Cruz.

He may be a good guy, but he's workin' the angles, folks!

So, with all that said, it would behoove you to convince a young un' to sit down to enjoy a flesh and blood western adventure. Maybe give the kid 15 minutes--just think of the concept of "courtesy bites."

Maybe you'll get lucky, and he or she will not complain when the hook sinks in.

A couple of American mercenaries head to Mexico hoping to profit from the revolutionary war there. Cooper and Lancaster play characters that are complete opposites: one is quiet and long in the tooth and the other is brash-talking and flashes a toothy grin. It is not hard to guess which actor plays which role. Lancaster, dressed in all black, hams it up while Cooper is subdued. The film is generally entertaining but the script is too routine to raise it above mediocrity. Romero is smooth as a Mexican army official. Darcel and Moniel provide the love interest while the supporting cast features the likes of Elam, Borgnine, Bronson.

"Money. Is that worth risking your life for?" a Juarista general asks Ben Trane...played by Gary Cooper. "Comes closer than anything I know." says he.

Robert Aldrich's second feature film ...Set during the Mexican revolution of 1866, filmed on location ...featuring a number of now familiar faces: Ernest Borgnine ; a young Charles Bronson (who hadn't even changed his name to Bronson yet); Jack Elam.... packed with plot twists, intrigue, double crosses, triple crosses.....backstabbing..shaky & shifting alliances........is a lot of fun....shot in SuperScope featuring the great Ernest Lazlo's cinematography. In many ways...a transitional film (from a 40's style -->the 50's style)..& a transitional western, one that signals a change from old-style epic Hollywood Westerns...it actually combines the large Hollywood spectacle with the grittier, more cynical Westerns of the 50's & 60s... and anticipates & influences the Spaghetti western ...& the "Mexican Revolution" theme or subplot.

Cooper plays a loner named Benjamin Trane. He rides into Mexico hoping to sign up with either Emperor Maximilian or the revolutionary Juarez--whoever will pay him the most. ...He stumbles across Joe Erin (Lancaster)..their first encounter is a hoot & gets this movie off on a rousing note.. ...& hooks up with a group of mercenaries headed by Erin.... . However, their negotiations with Marquis Henri de Labordere (played to the hilt by Cesar Romero) is interrupted by the arrival of the Juaristas. From then on...The story becomes a matter of who's conning who. .... a fortune in gold ...& what seems like EVERYBODY's playing EVERYBODY....& a terrific conclusion.

"Man's got to have more. Needs something to believe in." "I've got that too," says Trane as he holds up his rifle and gives it a shake.

Cooper & Lancaster are terrific as Ben Trane and Joe Erin...playing with & off each other smoothly & delightfully....the character that Burt Lancaster plays in "Vera Cruz" really paves the way for his portrayal of Dolworth in "The Professionals"..(could be a younger version of the same character, in many ways...although ultimately much darker)...............Neither Aldrich, nor Lancaster, take the easy road w/ Joe Erin's character...& kudos to both of them for it.

A fabulous supporting cast.........some great dialogue......(Joe Erin's "Ace Hanna" story being a particular favorite of mine), ahead of its time as well as a product of it....... major inspiration of the Italian Westerns, which came a decade later...."Vera Cruz" is not only a top notch, crackling good Western.....but an important one......& deserving of " must see" status.

There is no honor among thieves, unless Gary Cooper is one of them. Compelling film about badass American gunslingers in Mexico is one of my favorite westerns. It's plot twist after twist, double-cross after double-cross, as a filthy gang of desperadoes led by Cooper and Burt Lancaster is hired to escort a "lady" across the Mexican hinterland.

Cooper is magnificent as a man who needs money so badly that he tries to wrestle his conscience to the ground, but he's topped by Burt Lancaster in one of his best (sexiest) performances. He's amoral and dangerous, yet charming and so sexy that words fail (cartoon wolf noises being more appropriate). Two compelling characters become both friends and enemies, all building up to a fabulous finish. A must-see!

An interesting clash of the old and new in this mid-50's location Western which was a big hit at the box-office. Besides it only being young, new director Robert Aldrich's second feature in the chair, its two leading men represent different eras in Hollywood, Cooper with his trademark laconicism, from the Golden Age, indeed he started in the Silent Era while Burt Lancaster represents the emergent, dynamic energy of the 50's. Likewise their characters, Cooper's Ben Trane is a middle-aged displaced Southern gentleman, looking to raise money to reclaim his plantation lost in the Civil War, operating to an old-fashioned code of conduct, while Lancaster's Joe Erin is a selfish, ruthless desperado. Finally there's the motley group of renegade gunmen in Erin's employ and their contrast with both the costumed guard of Emperor Maximilian's state guard and the poor Mexican rebels fighting for independence under Juarez, which historical character himself doesn't make an actual appearance in the story, although Emperor Maximilian does.

After Trane And Erin broker a rather uneasy alliance following an encounter with Maximilian's pursuing troopers, they come to the aid of the freedom fighters only to later take the king's shilling so to speak in accepting Maximilian's commission to accompany a high-ranking lady of his court out of the country in a covered wagon. However, neither American is so easily fooled and they quickly learn firstly that the Countess is actually sitting on a large stash of gold being smuggled out of the country and also that she as well his army chief separately have their own designs on the loot.

Paths cross and double-cross thereafter, culminating in a shoot-out between the Emperor's men and the freedom-fighters with Erin and his men caught in between, until the last two men standing, it seems are Erin who wants every penny for himself and Crane whose social conscience has been amply demonstrated several times before and who wants to see the riches go to the poor.

I was impressed by Aldrich's location shooting and handling of the large crowd scenes as well as his placement of contrasting characters in a non-traditional western landscape, which trait arguably found like-minded successors in the likes of Leone and Peckinpah. Where he's let down is in just how far the writing goes to ultimately highlight Cooper as a good bad guy rather than a bad good guy and worse still, how lame old Coop's acting is throughout. Compared to the edginess of Lancaster, who when not slapping women around, acrobatically climbing up balconies to steal a kiss or showing-off his quick-draw skills (which turn out not to be so hot, actually, when push comes to shove), Cooper looks slow, tired and worn-out. He's also improbably paired up with a hot young Latina to further damage general credibility.

All that said, for all the reasons above and more, it's never short of interest over its relatively short running time. In support are notables like Cesar Romero as the king's duplicitous envoy and Ernest Borgnine as a runty gang-member of Lancaster's in a trial run for his later role in "The Wild Bunch". The young Charles Bronson also gets a brief appearance, abusing a young native woman on whom Cooper's got his eye, so you can guess how that finishes. I also felt that the female roles were stereotypically written giving the actresses employed not much to work with.

A mixed bag in Mexico then with perhaps just too many differing ingredients combining to ultimately prevent a hot dish from being served up.

I first saw this film in 1955; it was the sort of movie I lived for back then. Compared with movies such as "Three Coins in the Fountain" and "Good Morning Miss Dove', which I also saw around the same time, "Vera Cruz" was an island of refuge in a sea of ennui for an eight-year old boy.

Now that my movie horizons have broadened a little, most of those old war movies and westerns seem very one dimensional if not totally unwatchable these days.

But there are exceptions, and "Vera Cruz" is one of them. After a recent viewing I can appreciate its panache and even touches of brilliance.

The story follows a group of American adventurers in Mexico during the Juarista revolution against the French imposed rule of Emperor Maximillian. Ben Trane (Gary Cooper) teams up with Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster), and it seems they are prepared to help whichever side pays the most money.

They initially join forces with the French, but later change to the Juaristas. They have the opportunity of getting away with three million dollars in gold, but Ben Trane becomes emotionally attached to the Juarista cause, while Joe Erin only has an emotional attachment to himself and the money - a showdown is inevitable.

It would be hard to accuse the characters in this film of being one-dimensional because they are so over-the-top. They also bring a lightness of touch without which the whole thing would be pretty heavy going. With a witty script, and the perfect cast, director Robert Aldrich hit all the right notes with this film.

All the actors playing the French turned the ham knob up high. Ceasar Romero is charming, urbane and duplicitous. Henry Brandon's close-cropped captain is superbly arrogant, and has some great lines with Joe Erin. When he sees Joe greedily tearing into a whole chicken at a banquet, he comments, "Your acquaintance with etiquette amazes me monsieur, I had no idea you knew which hand to use". Of course their association was bound to end badly.

As a scheming countess, Denise Darcel femme fatales all over the place, and George Macready as Maximillian delivers yet another variation on his unique brand of cultivated evil - this time with a gnome-like beard.

But it's Burt Lancaster who steals the show. With that coiled spring grace and those clipped sentences, he exudes a sense of danger despite overdoing the famous grin in just about every scene.

Against all those fireworks, Gary Cooper wisely underplays. He gets the girl at the end - played by beautiful Spanish actress Sarita Montiel - despite looking old enough to be her father plus some.

The Jaurista cause is seen in a positive light, and the whole film was shot in Mexico, often with Aztec ruins as a spectacular backdrop. If any group is cast in a bad light it is the American adventurers who are uncouth and bad-natured almost to a man.

The action sequences are superbly staged although there is little evidence that the human body contains eight pints of blood - despite the carnage, the whole affair is quite bloodless.

"Vera Cruz" is a movie without any agenda other than to entertain, and it does that with style. Like most movies of the era, the filmmakers didn't let historical accuracy or cultural sensitivities get in the way of telling a good story.

The New York newspaper critics did not give this picture a great review, however the people turned out in record numbers to see this great 1954 film and in later years was recognized as a great Classic film. Gary Cooper, (Benjamin Trane) and Burt Lancaster, (Joe Erin) play the roles of American adventures who are hired by the forces of Emporer Maximilian, (Geroge Macready) to escort a countess to Vera Cruz. This all takes place during the Mexican Rebellion of 1866 and this is also a gold shipment worth 3 Million Dollars which only the Countess knows. Benjamin Trane and Joe Erin are very experienced soldiers and Joe has a bad reputation as a gunman and killer, these two men try to out smart each other and then decide to join forces. This film was photographed entirely in Mexico and there is many outstanding fighting scenes and lots of canons going off and swords swaying in the breeze. Enjoy.