Joaquin Murieta, le rebelle

Wealthy Spaniard Ricardo Montalban loses his land and roams the west, joining up with redneck Earl Holliman's band of mercenaries, including Slim Pickens and Rosey Grier. They're hired by a Mexican landowner to escort his wife to San Francisco, a mission that masks an ulterior motive.

This has pretty good production values for a late-sixties/early-seventies made-for-television movie. It's fairly decent too, but a lack of action and focus in the first hour keeps it from being as good as it could have been. Basically, it's a TV show that looks like a feature film.

Still, it's worth watching for the great performances and characterizations. The charismatic Montalban is perfectly cast as a wise, cultured hero. He and the likable, but shifty Holliman contrast nicely and play well together, for a while at least.

Released theatrically in Mexico in 1969 (and on TV in America in 1971) and directed by Earl Bellamy, "The Desperate Mission" is an American Western released to TV starring Ricardo Montalban as Joaquin Murrieta, the real-life 'Mexican Robin Hood' who was the inspiration for Johnston McCulley's Zorro. The movie focuses on Murrieta just after losing his land, his wife and everything else. Disillusioned, he joins a dubious band of Americans hired by a wealthy man (Anthony Caruso) to escort his beautiful wife (Ina Balin) away from the lawless countryside to safety in San Francisco, but more's going on than meets the eye. Earl Holliman, Jim McMullan, Slim Pickens and Roosevelt Grier play members of the gang whereas Miriam Colon plays a spiritual senorita who's along for the ride.

Depending on one's point of view, Murrieta was either an infamous bandit or a Mexican hero. So many tales have been birthed around him that it is hard to disentangle the fantastical from the factual. Some evidence suggests that he wasn't one man, but rather three to five, whose exploits were combined. Coinciding with "The Desperate Mission," there's a general consensus that gringos drove Murrieta from a lucrative California mining claim in the mid-1800s and, in succession, his wife was ravished, his sibling lynched, and Juaquin himself horsewhipped. From there, the story that the movie conveys is pretty much fictional or, at best, speculative.

The history of "The Desperate Mission"—shot in Mexico and released theatrically there—shows that it's not some ordinary TV Western. It may not be a big-budget Western like the contemporaneous "The Wild Bunch," but it ain't no cheapo TV flick either. In any case, Ricardo shines as the protagonist and easily carries the movie. Despite Murrieta's embittered disillusionment you can tell he's a noble man underneath and definitely doesn't fit in with trash like Shad Clay (Holliman). Speaking of Clay, you know he's a snake from the get-go, albeit a snake with charm. They're easy to spot if you know what to look for. Likable Rosey Grier has an interesting peripheral role. In fact, the supporting characters in general are well-defined and performed adeptly by the actors. The story is engaging because it's about finding yourself after being momentarily lost, not to mention the courage to stand up for what's right, and then follow through.

The movie runs 96 minutes and was shot in Durango, Mexico.

GRADE: B

In my reassessing process of my movies in chronological order "The Desperate Mission" which I had watched in 1978 on TV in my teenager years, aside one more time in cable TV circa 1998, I'had never hear about this picture ever since, waiting for DVD format whereof never came, so my last hope lies in the Youtube, where has several western channels, it was there waiting for me, just subtitles in English, an average image not restored yet, anyway it will do.

The stablished Spanish farmer Joaquin Murieta (Ricardo Montalban) loses his ranch and wife in burning flames after an onslaught perpetrated by outlaws in order to spelling him there at the behest of powerful landowners in a lawless territory, he headed to a near city, however in a middle at well of water Murieta stumbles at his fate, when meeting the outlaw Shad Clay (Earl Holliman, yes that friendly guy from Forbidden Planet) after tries steal his horse, the skilled Murieta overcame the possible loss, left behind his opponent on foot to be back to the city.

Just arriving in the small village, Shad Clay appears, he controls a bunch of men, three key members draw attention of clever mind Murieta a stronger black guy Morgan (Roosevelt Grier) who is bought his freedom for meager twenty dollars, the newbie Arkansaw (Jim McMullan) whom he saves from the gallows due he stolen a horse and finally the older Three-Finger Jack (Slim Pickens) which Shad overpowers by fear, sudden comes a Spanish man Campos sent by Don Miguel Ruiz (Anthony Caruso) to contract mercenaries to escort his wife Otilia Ruiz (Ina Balin) to delivery her in safety until San Francisco whence she'll travel back to Spain.

On the long journey upon a leadership of the dubious Shad Clay and Murieta as just Partner on the hard assignment, soon the wiser Murieta figures out how he'll dealing with Chad's gang through their bonding with crook Chad, slowing he'll exposing to them that they didn't owe nothing to him, undermining the forsible connection between Chad and their followers, suddenly appears an unexpected matter that will change the course of the upcoming events, La Madonna of Gold carried underneath of stagecoach will triggers the greedy and betrayal, then came up the worship of catholic Saint on Spanish background, under the pleas of Mexican servant Claudine (Mirian Colon) at last Murieta surrenders upon their catholic roots.

Aside it was made for TV it has a clash of opposite religious people, meanwhile the Mexicans have a strong influence of catholic Spain, the Americans are usually pragmatic over this issue, further the noiseless struggles over Murieta and Chad is easily sensed by a keen eyes of the viewers, it' just a matter of time of an irretrievable showdown, I wonder it came out officially on DVD, although I' have strong disbelief it's going to happen.

Resume:

First watch: 1978 / How many: 4 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 7.25.