Rio Conchos

An eclectic cast rounds out this rather rugged western film. Craggy Boone stars as a man who hates the Apaches because they slaughtered his wife and child (hardly an original background for a character.) When he is found using a certain rifle to kill his prey, he is arrested and thrown in jail with knife-wielding Franciosa, who is set to hang for murder. It turns out that the rifle is one of a huge shipment that has gone missing and it's up to cavalry captain Whitman and his sergeant Brown to retrieve them. Boone and Franciosa join them in order to aid the mission (and set up dramatic conflict within the contingent.) The foursome travels the dusty terrain of Utah and the American Southwest, encountering Indians and Mexican bandits along the way, all the while mistrusting each other. They believe the guns are in the possession of a dethroned Confederate Colonel (O'Brien), who wants to rebuild the South in all it's glory out West! (He even builds a mansion-like plantation home out of timber with fine furnishings and curtains in the windows, but no ceilings and, in most cases, no walls!) On the way to O'Brien, the quartet also picks up a spitfire Apache girl (Wagner) who tried to do them in with a gang of pals, but failed. If it all sounds pretty standard and pat, it is to a point, but thanks to the entertaining cast, the captivating Jerry Goldsmith score, the location scenery and the rough edges of the story, it manages to be an entertaining film. Boone puts a lot of compelling flavor into his role. Whitman is less impressive, but does a nice enough job. Franciosa is very hammy and indulgent, but keeps it interesting anyway. Brown (a man with an unbelievable physique) has almost nothing to say or do, but still comes across as warm and thoughtful, not to mention strong! He retains his dignity at a time when racial tensions were beginning to start their boil-over. O'Brien has a lot of fun with his outre character. Wagner is nearly unrecognizable in a sketchy character. Her loyalties are divided and her reasoning isn't always clear. (Her character speaks no English in the film.) She would soon enter pop culture history as the loyal assistant to "The Green Hornet" on TV. Several memorable moments occur in the film including a standoff between the men and some Apaches at a deserted house, a torture sequence in which the men are dragged by horses and flogged with straps and the sight of O'Brien's surreal timber estate. This isn't a particularly well known western, but it certainly has merit as it demonstrates the changing level of content in the genre and contains some solid acting.

I was kinda expecting a black hats/white hats movie but that's not what this is. The heroes are pretty rotten men themselves. Richard Boone, Stuart Whitman, Jim Brown, and Anthony Franciosa play four rather ruthless characters trying to track down the man selling guns to the apache. Boone in particular is outstanding as the Indian hater who just murders apache on sight! Franciosa is a smiling Mexican who can't be trusted for a second. Whitman and Brown are not quite as bad but they certainly aren't likable either. One of the real attractions in this movie is Wende Wagner who plays this sexy Indian girl. Not an important character and she never speaks a word of English, but you can't take your eyes off her.

Two years after the Civil War, an unlikely team of four men go on a mission to find a missing cache of Federal rifles; the trail leads to a private army of ex-Rebels and Apaches, as well as a surreal antebellum mansion built in the middle of the desert along the Rio Conchos River in Mexico. The scouting unit consists of an alcoholic ex-Confederate major and Indian-hater (Richard Boone), a gallant but formidable Army captain (Stuart Whitman), a Buffalo Soldier sergeant (Jim Brown), a likable Mexican cutthroat (Tony Franciosa) and, later, an Apache woman (Wende Wagner). The private army is led by a cracked, bitter ex-Rebel general (Edmond O'Brien).

This 1964 Western has uncomfortable similarities to John Wayne's "The Comancheros" (1961), which also co-starred Whitman. "Rio Conchos" is about on par, but I give the edge to "The Comancheros." Anyway, this was the theatrical debut of Jim Brown, who gave up his football career at its peak to try his hand at acting. He would return to the Western genre with the similar "100 Rifles" five years later.

While not ranking with the best 60's Westerns (e.g. "One-Eyed Jacks," "Ride the High Country," "Hombre," "Nevada Smith," "Bandolero!" and "True Grit"), "Rio Conchos" is a brutal, energetic and colorful Western. It's not far behind "Duel at Diablo," "El Dorado" and "Shalako." I'd put it on par with "The Sons of Katie Elder," "The War Wagon" and "The Undefeated."

The film runs 1 hour, 47 minutes and was shot in Arizona and Utah. The effective and timeless score is by Jerry Goldsmith.

GRADE: B

This really was the last good conventional western action film, just before Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah opened the gate to a new genre. It is a very violent film, if you watch it closely, though not as graphic as what came a couple of years later. It is worth watching for the scenery, action, and most of all, a tremendous cast.

The great Jimmy Brown, Richard Boone, Tony Fransiosa, and ....Stuart Whitman. Wait...Stuart Whitman?!...no...he stinks. hes got no charisma, no screen presence. hes dull, flat...He stunk in everything. But I heard hes one of the richest men in California, so he wouldnt mind my saying so.

Actually, Stuart Whitman, the dullest of the major characters, is not needed at all. The screenwriters should have had the guts to transform the character into Jim Browns role...even make him a black officer. That could have been historically accurate, and even have set up a whole dynamic of tense racial relationships, especially when confronting Boones ex-Confederate racist character. Alas, nobody had the guts in 1964, but it would have been interesting, and the film would be even more highly regarded today.

The film ends abruptly and strangely, but it fits. Pay attention to Wendy Wagner as the Apache chick, shes hot, hot hot! I would have liked to have seen more of her.

Remember, if anybody wants to win trivia contests, "The Dirty Dozen" was not Jim Browns first film. "Rio Conchos" is!

Rio Conchos is directed by Gordon Douglas and adapted to screenplay by Joseph Landon from the Clair Huffaker novel. It stars Richard Boone, Stuart Whitman, Jim Brown, Tony Franciosa, Wende Wagner and Edmond O'Brien. Music is scored by Jerry Goldsmith and Joseph MacDonald is the cinematographer. Out of 20th Century Fox it's a CinemaScope production filmed in De Luxe Color, and primary location used for filming was Moab, Utah.

One ex-Confederate officer out for revenge against the Apache, one Army Captain driven by a sense of duty, one Buffalo Soldier continuing to prove himself and one Mexican convict getting a second shot at freedom. Four men, one journey, a mission to find who is arming the Apache with repeating rifles. Danger, mistrust and hostility are their only companions.

The plot may be routine, and certainly it owes a debt to The Comancheros (Huffaker involved there too), but this is a tough and dark Western propelled by fine acting, quality direction and photography to die for. Structured around a men on a mission basis, each one with their own particular issues, it's very much a character driven piece. It's the time spent in the company of these men that makes the film so riveting, it never gets dull, the character dynamics are such, that we never quite know what to expect from the next part of the journey. Director Douglas also doesn't shy from action, pitting our odd group against Mexican Bandits and Apache Indians along the way, and then delivering a high octane finale that has a few twists and turns to keep it away from being formulaic.

Whitman and Brown acquit themselves well enough, as does Wagner as the sole female of the piece. But acting wise this film belongs to Boone and Franciosa. The former portrays a bitter vengeful heart with ease, with a lived in alcoholic face, his destiny you feel is mapped out from the off. The latter shines as the ebullient character of the group, shifty, sly and as untrustworthy as it gets, Franciosa's play off of Boone gives the film its central pulse beat. But arguably all players are trumped by MacDonald's photography and Douglas' use of the scenery. From pretty much the first frame the landscape is the big character here. Douglas wisely using many long shots to reveal miles of vistas, then knowing when to pull in close to envelope the characters to give off the feeling of mental claustrophobia. Exterior work here belies the budget afforded the film, and all told it's a far better movie than the bigger produced Comancheros. Goldsmith's score is also a plus point, striking the mood from the get go, his arrangements flow at one with the hazardous destiny of the four men.

One of the better 60's Westerns, it's in desperate need of a remastering job being done on it. 8/10