The Wrath of God

To some extent Ralph Nelson's "The Wrath of God" spoofs westerns, but like Nelson's "Lilies of the Field," under the comedy is, I think, a deeply felt belief in divine grace. Both movies focus on unlikely human materials having a vocation they fail to recognize and consciously resist. Herein, Robert Mitchum plays a con man masquerading as a priest and a Catholic martyr in the tradition of Thomas à Becket or Thomas More mistaken by many as a hedonist.

In her last screen performance Rita Hayworth has preternaturally red hair (fire-engine red, not a color of any natural human hair), few lines, and is required to look devout (which she manages to do). As her flamboyantly traumatized and traumatizing son, Frank Langella gets to chew up the scenery, which he does with great relish (before "Dracula," after his memorable film debut in "Diary of a Mad Housewife" and Mel Brooks's adaptation of "The Twelve Chairs"). Ken Hutchinson does fine as the token normal guy who is embroiled in others' plots, including the romantic subplot that involves him with a mute Indian maiden (Paula Pritchett). In a Sidney Greenstreet-kind of role as a corpulent and corrupt gun-runner Victor Buono is suitably droll. Still, it is Mitchum's movie, and he is as compelling when he takes his priestly role seriously as when he plays the usual disengaged but competent existentialist who expects nothin' from nobody. <bt><br> A motley gang of foreign mercenaries getting involved in the confusions of the long-running Mexican revolution and taking a side against their financial interest recurred in a number of late-1960s and early-70s movies, including "The Wild Bunch", "The Professionals", and "A Fistful of Dynamite." The latter two use considerable humor within the genre of expatriates taking sides (which in Mexican settings of different eras includes "Vera Cruz", "Old Gringo", and "Bring Me the Head, of Alfredo García").

Remarkably funny western/revolutionary action pic stars Mitchum as a con artist who poses as a priest and Langella as the South American' dictator he and his friends have been blackmailed into assassinating. Hayworth appears briefly as Langella's tormented mother.

The action is fast and well staged, and the film's humor is so effective that it has often been seen (mistakenly, I believe) as a spoof of its genre, rather than as the fine example it is of the genre at its best. This whole line of reasoning bothers me, because it implies that an adventure movie can't be funny, that it has to take itself deadly serious. Much like "Duck, You Sucker!" this film's irreverent humor is one of its main ingredients, but it does not detract from its standing as a decent action flick. It's in fact closer to the way action pictures are made today -- I would question whether the critics and fans who see this as a "parody" also think that Schwartzenegger's "Commando" and "The Running Man" are also parodies?

As Mitchum's character becomes more involved with Langella's peasant village, giving them the sacrament because they haven't seen a priest in years, he begins to BECOME the priest of his con-game, but his actions keep his friends and Langella guessing as to the extent of his "conversion." This brings up the theme of the appearance becoming the reality, an unusual theme for a western action flick.

Good performances and an unusually good film results.

Not everyone agrees that this a parody. I have read that the film turned out confusing because of problems on the set. Including, Rita Hayworth's Alzheimer's and an actor who had a part for the first six weeks of filming. He was severly injured and couldn't complete his part properly. Therefore the confusion. Everyone wanted to just forget the whole thing but they released it anyway. All wasn't lost however, I personally found it very unique and intriguing. And as a Mitchum fan a rare, wonderful find on the classic movie channel.

I saw The Wrath of God as a sneak preview in 1972 when I was 14. I saw it with my dad at the now long gone Sunny Isle Theater in North Miami, Florida. I recall the film was action packed and concerned a South American Revolution around the early to mid 1900s. These type of films were popular in the 1960s and early 1970s: 100 Rifles, The Wild Bunch, The Professionals, Villa Rides, and the Wrath of God. Rita Hayworth looking surprising young and attractive. I believe she was 52, but looked about 40. Her part was small, and she looked extremely unhappy. Turned out to be her last film. Nothing really great here. Only fair, but lots of action. Only stands out as Rita Hayworth's final curtain call.

A tongue in cheek ,very funny "western" -although it features plenty of death-),not as tragic as Nelson's more famous "soldier blue" .A good chemistry between the three mates ,even though Mitchum is obviously the stand out.I did not go to confession for years ,but if I had a "priest " like him,well....His words are often Bunuelesque ,recalling "Nazarin"(1958) when he talks about the stranglehold the wealthy ones have on religion.In spite of the presence of a positive catholic character (Rita Hayworth's last part,her next-to-last was a strange French movie where she played the role (sadly premonitory)of a woman losing her mind "La Route De Salina" ),it is a very unfriendly look at the catholic Church,not exactly a Hollywoodian politically correct one.

The scene of the execution when the screen becomes completely black ("and it has not taken three days !say one of the condemned persons)is memorable ;and the title is thoroughly justified in the last scene when God's hand punishes the heathen .