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So I bought a new box set of Elvis movies. In it was "Charro." I thought it looked refreshing to see Elvis play a more serious role instead of the usual musical. I did some research and found this generally to be poorly received. Well I watched the film anyway. . .

I honestly was expecting this to be utter garbage. The first five minutes went by. I thought it was pretty good so far - I was wondering when it would start to suck. 20 minutes go by. I was being drawn into the plot and finding the action riveting and exciting, with a nice musical score, too (Still isn't bad yet).

Then I get to the climax - - - Original and intense. What was so bad about it? The acting was solid, it had a good script, and I found it a very pleasurable experience. Is it just the general bias towards any Elvis film after the '50s or is it because it's not some hoity toity British trash? I say, if you're a fan of westerns and/or Elvis. You should certainly give this movie a chance.

*** / **** stars.

Elvis Presley plays Jesse Wade who tries to leave a gang of thieves led by Victor French. Jesse's neck is branded in order to frame him for stealing a Mexican war cannon. Jesse becomes sheriff as one of the gang is arrested. The bad guys now threaten the town with cannon fire until the leaders little brother is released from jail. Elvis sings only the title song under the credits. This is a different Elvis, with beard and a hat hung low over his eyes. Well known critic, Leonard Maltin, calls this a BOMB! Produced, directed and written by Charles Marquis Warren, this flick is better than the bad rap it has received. Also in the cast are Ina Balin, Solomom Sturgess, and Lynn Kellogg.

Elvis Presley plays an ex-gunman who has decided to reform. His decision is not well-received by his old gang. They beat him up, and enforce a grisly revenge - they "brand" him, to give him a scar identical to a man WANTED in two countries (Mexico and the USA). The "branding" is, possibly, the most gruesome scene you'll see in a Elvis movie.

This film has a classic Western Plot: Elvis is the representation of the Law - Badman gone good, friend of the Sheriff, and rival for a woman (Ina Balin). Elvis has imprisoned the brother of the Badman (Solomon Sturges, son of Preston). Head Badman Victor French is big brother to the jailed one. Mr. French has a deadly cannon - he says, "Release my brother, or I will blow up your town!" This movie is too rough-around-the-edges to be extraordinary; and, it doesn't tread on much new ground. It does, however, create a world of its own; if you let yourself into this world, you will be entertained for the run of the film. In that way, it's like many westerns - and as good as several "classic" John Wayne films.

Again, this is a rough-around-the-edges film - my vote for the roughest edges are: The background music is too hokey and repetitive; and, I found the Sheriff's wife's betrayal too abrupt to be believable - it is interesting in that it shows the relationship between Elvis and the Sheriff is stronger than the relationship between the Sheriff and his wife; although Elvis' first intent is to meet the Badman's demands by releasing the prisoner, he decides to honor the Sheriff's wishes.

The title song is very good; appropriately, there are no additional songs. The performances are fine - I would taken a little more time creating this film; still, everything about it ranges from adequate to professional. It sounds like an apology (because Elvis Presley made so many awful films), but I enjoyed "Charro!"

******* Charro! (1969) Charles Marquis Warren ~ Elvis Presley, Ina Balin, Victor French

Definately his best film. This film proves that Elvis could act. It's quite refreshing to see a film like this after some of those PATHETIC films like Paradise, Hawaiian Style, or Clambake. I give this movie five stars. Even if you're not an Elvis fan, I reccomend this movie. It's not your typical Elvis movie, and Elvis only sings in the opening credit. With the late Ina Balin and the late Victor French as the bad guy, this movie has a strong supporting cast.

Charro is not an inventive movie by any means but it is quite entertaining. It's a standard western about a man defending a town from outlaws without any unexpected twists. This movie only includes one Elvis song which might be good for some and disappointing for others. As for Elvis himself he's a perfectly serviceable actor and has a pretty good screen presence. He might not have the range but the has the charisma necessary to carry a movie. The movies he makes from what I've seen so far are better than I thought they would be and so I will probably watch more of them in the future.

This was a pleasant surprise. It was made in 1969, the last year that Presley made movies. It is the only movie of his 31 where his character does not sing. Despite this, Presley is able to carry the movie on his acting ability. He is not quite as cool as Eastwood or Wayne at their best, but he does deliver a solid and reasonably intense performance.

The first half of the movie is fine as it sets up a confrontation between ex-outlaw Jess Wade (Presley) and the gang that he rode with. Vince (Victor French) the head of the gang is vicious, especially to his own gang members, but he does care about protecting his idiot brother , Billy Roy (Solomon Sturges) so he is at least a two note character.

In the second part of the movie, believability falls apart with the outlaws using a single cannon to threaten to blow up a town. Since artillery range for a cannon at that time was only about a mile, one wonders why the townspeople cannot just figure out which direction the cannon shots are coming from, ride one mile in that direction and arrest the outlaws. By this time outlaw Presley has been made sheriff of the town (apparently, a criminal history did not disqualify him on the job application). For some inexplicable reason, he chooses to hold Billy Ray prisoner for shooting the previous sheriff, but does not arrest his brother, gang leader Vince, for kidnapping, torture, and blowing up half the town, among other felony crimes. Jess might have thought to study some legal books before becoming sheriff.

In the second half, the movie loses its lyrical quality and resembles an average ho-hum episode of "Gunsmoke" or "Bonanza." What this proves is that Presley had the ability to make quality movies, but he was not good in selecting his material. Still, for Western fans, it is reasonably entertaining, a grade "C" entertainment, made into a "B" one by Presley.

A lot of people put down Elvis movies as having not much value . I'll take an an Elvis movie any day over some of the movies they make today. Some of the silliest movies ever made are some of these so-called action movies. Talk about not being believable. The heroes of action movies always manage to dodge hundreds of rounds of bullets coming at them , sidestep explosions all around them, and come through it all with hardly a scratch on them....Now THAT'S ridiculous! Give me a feel-good Elvis flick anytime over these STUPID films. Was Elvis a great actor? No, he wasn't, but he wasn't all that bad either.

Ex-outlaw Jess Wade (Elvis Presley) tries at going straight but is curtailed when his old gang finally catches up with him, and head bandit Vince Hackett (Victor French) has come up with a truly messed-up punishment. Elvis gets beat up pretty badly and left to die, but uses some basic survival skills and gets his revenge.

If you like Elvis, you won't be disappointed. Elvis, cowboys, horses, and beautiful shots of the Arizona desert, what more could you want in an evening's entertainment? Highly recommended for fans of westerns, as well as fans of Elvis . If nothing else, "Charro" shows that Elvis could've easily been a Western hero in Eastwood's league if he chose to keep with it and got better scripts.

Elvis' acting in the movie Charro! is quite good. He seemed to have his heart into making this film and it shows.

Conclusion - Worth watching 7/10

Been viewing a lot of Elvis' movies of late, and I must say this is one of his best. Certainly heads over most of his "dumbell" musicals he made in the mid 60's. Somehow his first few films are much better than his later ones. CHARRO has in interesting story line and is done in a professional fashion. By that I mean real locations for the exteriors, which is a switch from the cardboard and rear projection effects of his earlier films. Elvis looks very good here, better than some of his previous efforts. He seemed a bid pudgy in a lot of his musicals, but in this one he's trim and looks great in a beard. He does seem to "sleep walk" thru some of his scenes, and there could have been more action, but it's certainly a better film than some of the video guide books make it. Compare this film with FRANKIE AND JOHNNY; KISSIN' COUSINS; PARADISE, HAWAIIAN STYLE; and especially horrible films like HARUM, SACARUM, and CHARRO looks pretty damn good. If you like Elivs, and why would you be reading this if you weren't then CHARRO is a must see. Too bad he didn't make more like this. His next two were pretty bad. Oh, and the actor who played Billy Roy was a "tad" over-the-top.

Jess Wade (Elvis Presley in a straight role , being the only character in which he wears beard) is a reformed outlaw confronting against the members of his old band . The violent band is commanded by Hackett (Victor French of House of prairie) and the hoodlums are Gunner (James B Sikking, future TV star) and his brother Billy (Salomon Sturges, son of famed director Preston Sturges), among others . The gang has robbed from a little town a gold-plated cannon which was used by Emperor Maximilian in his failed battle against popular Mexican revolutionary Benito Juarez . Only Jess Wade can save the town people and his previous girlfriend (Ina Balin , in one of her few movie roles) from his former bunch .

Elvis in a different kind of role , his third Western after 'Love me Tender' and 'Flamingo Star' ; being shot on location at the Apacheland Movie Ranch . Here was given a new opportunity to prove himself as a serious actor and represented a radical departure for him . He considered an important feature and it's indicated by the choice of supporting cast and director . Elvis did agree , exceptionally , to sing the title credits , but there are no songs within the body of the movie . Elvis sports a scruffy beard and a gritty look whose model was obviously the Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Western . Jess Wade character is costumed similarly to Clint Eastwood's 'Man with no name'. Both wore beard , dust-covered and kept a tough demeanor with a cigar in their mouths . Many of the movie's crew and some members of the Memphis friends grew beards to match Elvis's while the picture was in production . Even Colonel Parker , Elvis's manager , grew his beard .

The motion picture was shot on location in and around Arizona's Superstition mountains . Although the film provided Elvis with one of his opportunities to play tough roles , the movie's producers were nervous about the reaction of fans . However , the film was a modest hit and had awful critiques , it was not particularly well received by the legions of Elvis Presley fans who were disappointed by the lack of musical numbers . In fact , this is the only movie in which Elvis doesn't sing , the only song is the one during the titles . Unfortunately , the picture was a dismal critical flop , much of the blame was placed at the feet of director Charles Marquis Warren . Being final film for this director . He was screenwriter, producer and director for Charro , and had previously directed several successful Westerns for cinema and television .

the fans know the story...Elvis wanted to make a real WEstern, no songs. he got it with CHARRO...which could have *used* 2-3! What an embarrassment.

what went wrong? we know the Director/Writer tried to make a Western with Elvis Presley but was forced to do an Elvis Presley Western.

hate to say it, friends...it was Elvis...not that he didn't act well...he didn't act, didn't emote. I'm a big fan but this time I felt sorry for his co-stars, esp. Ina Balin. She plays the Angie Dickinson part.

maybe I gotta sit thru it again. I've seen VIVA LAS VEGAS, TICKLE ME, JAILHOUSE ROCK, KING CREOLE, BLUE HAWAII, FOLLOW THAT DREAM many times..this one, maybe 1.5 times. right now, I gotta say, it's awful. along with PARADISE, HAWAIIAN STYLE I can say they shoulda shelved it.

I don't know what makes me enjoy this movie more, being an Elvis fan or being a fan of western movies (my favorite is El Dorado).

This movie shows some pretty good acting, an impressive soundtrack, beautiful cinematography, some wild action and an Elvis, that is pretty rough and tough. Warren hadn't made a movie for ten years before "Charro" and I think he shouldn't have been producer, writer AND director. He did his weakest job as the writer, his directing is a lot better, but I wonder what Peckinpah might have done out of this story. In fact the two-former-friends-now-enemies plot is typical for Peckinpah. The story reflects a lot of Elvis' own career, most obvious: the bad guy in "Charro" USES the Elvis character to make money, which is exactly what Elvis' real life manager did, too, in fact that guy (who called himself Colonel, although he wasn't) was highly unscrupulous and Elvis too weak (sorry fellow fans but let's face the truth!) to have his own way. This often underrated movie is highly recommendable to anyone who likes western movies. Let me add that this movie is NOT a musical; in one scene Elvis is opening a door to look into a saloon where a band is playing, in one of his awful musical comedies, the man would jump onto the stage and perform some tune, but here he turns around and closes the door.

Elvis Presley was a hugely influential performer with one of the most distinctive singing voices of anybody. He embarked on a film career consisting of 33 films from 1956 to 1969, films that did well at the box-office but mostly panned critically (especially his later films) and while he was a highly charismatic performer he was never considered a great actor.

'Charro' was not a success financially and was and still is critically derided. Seeing it for myself with no prejudice, and as someone who enjoyed most of his earlier films and considered Elvis a very capable actor when the material allowed it (which his early films did but quality dipped significantly in the mid-late 60s), to me 'Charro' is not as bad as its reputation. At the same time, although its departure from the fluff of his later films and its return to the grittier approach of his best films is to be applauded, of his westerns (this, 'Love Me Tender' and 'Flaming Star') it is by far his weakest.

Not his worst film, 'Harum Scarum' and 'Stay Away, Joe' are far stronger contenders for that title and it is better than 'Paradise Hawaiian Style', 'Double Trouble', 'Kissin' Cousins', 'Frankie & Johnny' and 'Easy Come Easy Go' too. At the same time it is no 'King Creole', 'Flaming Star', 'Jailhouse Rock', 'Viva Las Vegas' and 'Loving You' either.

Granted, the scenery is lovely and hardly cheap-looking. Songs are few here, which may be sad for fans but considering how bad a good deal of the songs in some of his later films have been it wasn't a big issue for me. The title song is very good and catchy, and there are some nice moments in the music score. Not everybody likes Elvis' performance here, he does have some uncomfortably stiff moments and he is criminally under-utilised but he is nowhere near as bored-looking or non-trying as most of his late 60s period and he looks great. Victor French is suitably menacing.

On the other hand, Solomon Sturgess shouts his way through his role and overacts embarrassingly. Ina Balin struggles with a very poorly written and misused character. The music score mostly is repetitive and sounds like it belongs better in a low-budget film riffed by Mystery Science Theater.

Characters are underwritten and underused, with some very abrupt situations that don't ring true. The dialogue is stilted and not gritty enough (the atmosphere feeling somewhat safe and bland) with one too many impregnated pauses, the scenery is not done justice by the static photography and slipshod editing and the direction is far too made for TV. The story started off pretty good, but drags badly in the middle and becomes more and more ridiculous until the awfully anti-climactic and insultingly bone-headed ending.

In summary, not that bad but Elvis deserved far better than this. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Released in 1969, "Charro" stars Elvis as Jess Wade, an ex-outlaw whose former gang seeks to pin the blame on him for stealing a gold cannon from a Mexican shrine. Wade ends up trying to protect the Arizona town that holds one of the gang members in jail from the gang's cannon assault.

If nothing else, "Charro" shows that Elvis could've easily been a Western hero in Eastwood's league if he chose to keep with it and got better scripts. Obviously influenced by the rise of the Spaghetti Westerns of the mid-late 60s, this is easily Elvis' best Western of the three he did, the others being 1956' "Love Me Tender" and 1960's "Flaming Star." These prior Westerns had too much of what made Westerns in general laughable before the 60s. There are many exceptions, like "The Last Wagon" from 1956" but -- generally speaking -- the downside of Westerns before the 60s include contrived plot elements, an unrealistic vibe, bad music, white actors playing Natives and dumb Indian dialogue. "Charro" is the least guilty of these sins of Elvis' three Westerns.

"Charro" has a good first and last act, but a weak mid-section. The score and Arizona locations are great, the cast too, but the movie's hampered by the lame second act and a TV-production vibe.

The movie runs 98 minutes and was shot in Apache Junction and Gold Canyon, Arizona, with further studio work done in California.

GRADE: Borderline C+/B- (or 5.5/10)

Charro! Is a surprisingly good film. It features a fascinating story and great action scenes. The film's plot-driving object, a stolen, golden cannon, leads to an exciting, high stakes finale that is a perfect end to a good '60's cowboy B-movie.

Despite what one may hear, Charro! Is more story and less fluff, unlike most of Elvis' other films. And, also to set it apart from his other works, it isn't a musical. Though Elvis does sing the great main theme, there are no music or dance numbers in the actual film. To any Elvis or western fan, this movie is well worth your time.

Outlaw Elvis tries to go straight & get the girl, but the bad guys don't want to let him go!

It's an overall shame to see Elvis finally in a movie where he doesn't have to embarrass himself, and the best they could give him is a western that started out with much more violence and nudity then was rewrote and sadly fills like a neutered episode of The Virginian, and it shows in his performance. The supporting cast isn't nothing to go on about either, other then a fine performance by Victor French as the bad guy. It's not bad and stands as a nice rainy day popcorn western, but, seeing Elvis in something much more grittier and non generic would have been great.

The only singing you will hear from Elvis Presley in Charro is the title song over the credits at the beginning. After that Elvis is all business in Charro!. He even wears a scraggly beard to emphasize this film won't be your usual Elvis funfest.

I liked the idea that Elvis was expanding his range as an actor and maybe he might have done more westerns after this if Charro! had been good. Presley had done two previous westerns Love Me Tender and Flaming Star and he acquitted himself well in both.

But this one was plain ridiculous. Victor French and his gang which includes his idiot brother Solomon Sturges steal a solid gold cannon from the museum in Chapultepec near Mexico City and then schlep the item to the border where French then proceeds to pin the crime on former gang member Elvis Presley. He even brands him across the neck with a running iron to simulate a bullet wound the leader allegedly got. Now that little journey is about 2/3 the length of Mexico.

Never mind, Elvis captures Sturges and holds him in a jail and gets himself appointed deputy sheriff to make it all legal. Never mind that, French threatens to use the cannon to level the town because he was smart enough to bring powder and shot and has in James Sikking one of Stonewall Jackson's old artillery men.

In that other film about a cannon, The Pride And The Passion the weapon was symbolically a phallic symbol and the illusion is drilled into our heads, especially with the ridiculous ending that Charro! has.

Colonel Tom Parker whose instincts for film properties were pretty good and knew Elvis's type of films were going out of vogue in the late Sixties, tried to take him in a new direction cinematically with Charro!. It was just the wrong western to do.

OK, I love Elvis movies a LOT, but he made some serious clunkers all in the name of the almighty dollar and contracts Col. Parker made him sign. Why Elvis couldn't break away and do more films like this, we'll never know. We'll also never know 'what could have been', had Elvis escaped the movie musical grind sooner. This is a pretty good western, I have to say, and I have seen a LOT of westerns and I am a huge fan of the genre. It's pretty cool that he only sings the title song over the opening credits of Charro! and doesn't break into song in the middle of a scene like in his usual Hollywood formula musicals.

He was offered the Kris Kristofferson part in 'A Star Is Born', and I think he would have been GREAT in that. For whatever reason, he turned it down. He was more into making concert films at that time, plus he was deeply involved in his prescription drug addiction and had put on a lot of weight, so maybe those were big issues that kept him from doing more good film roles.

Elvis, I thank you for making Charro! I wish there had been more films like this in your Hollywood resume.

I was never and Elvis fan, my mother would drag me to the cinema to see all his awful films with those dreadful songs, put me off him for life.

However I had ever heard of this one, this is the film he should have made first and kept on making ones like it instead of the aforementioned musicals. Elvis always wanted to be a serious actor but the overbearing Colonel Tom Parker (who was never a Colonel but an illegal immigrant) stopped him.

OK not the best script or direction but Elvis did a good job, yes I could see Clint in the part instead as it was written for him. Nice to see Victor French who would later go on to star with Michael Landon in Little House and Highway to Heaven. Plus an early part for James B. Sikking later to be Lt Hunter in Hill Street Blues and Wishbone from Rawhide.

Bit over long, some plot holes but entertaining never the less.

Not very convincing western, with standard acting from its cast, "Charro!" has a constant homoerotic undercurrent that has been overlooked by almost everybody, not to mention the incestuous tone of the relationship between two villainous brothers. Its real problem is the credibility of the situation (and I do not know much about ballistics), related to a valuable historic cannon that has been stolen from the Mexican army. Presley is framed as the thief and he must clear his name. In the cast, Solomon Sturges (son of famous director Preston Sturges), maybe not a bad actor, overdoes all the scenes he is in (no wonder he had a brief career); Tony Young does a clichéd Latino impersonation, and Ina Balin is as misused as usual.