El Diablo

Wonderfully fun film that sometimes takes itself seriously, but mostly just has a lot of fun with the genre. Anthony Edwards is very well cast in his part, and Gossett is just fabulous as the "rode hard" old gunslinger who tries to turn Edwards into a western hero...sort of. Gossett's glorious line about why he shot someone in the back is no doubt destined to become a classic -- "Cuz that's the side he was pointing toward me." Whether you like westerns or not, this is definitely worth watching. And probably more than once.

A very appealing comedy western. Anthony Edwards is very good as a tenderfoot schoolteacher from Boston who attempts to rescue one of his students (who is captured by the infamous El Diablo) without really knowing anything about the West or what his quest is going to entail. Luckily he meets up with a down-to-earth gunman who can help him along the way. Lou Gosset is excellent as the laidback, do whatever it takes gunfighter. When asked by Edwards why he shot a bad guy in the back he replies "Why, his back was to me." They meet up with a few other colorful characters and proceed to attempt the rescue. Good humor, good acting and colorful characterizations abound in this above average made for TV oater.

Colorful characters, played by colorful actors almost push "El Diablo" beyond average, but not quite. There are several laugh out loud situations, but not enough to cover 108 minutes of this uneasy mixture of comedy and western. Lou Gossett and Anthony Edwards carry the film, with nice support from John Glover, Joe Pantoliano, and Robert Beltran. Unfortunately the straightforward fish out of water story is too simple and seems stretched to the max. There are a couple of instant classic lines however, my favorite being "You look a man straight in the back and then shoot him". I'm sure no horses were harmed during this movie either. LOL - MERK

Anthony Edwards plays Billy Ray Smith, a school teacher who sees a young, female student of his kidnapped by a ruthless Mexican known only as "El Diablo" played by Robert Beltran. Billy Ray sets out after this known killer not knowing how to shoot a gun, ride a horse or just about anything other cowboys could do. He is seeking the help of "Kid Durango" who he's read about and thinks is the fastest gun in the west. Along his journey, he meets and teams up with Thomas Van Leek, played by Louis Gossett, Jr. Van Leek is a no-nonsense gunslinger who shoots opponents in the back because "their back is to me." A few more mercenaries join the duo including "Preacher" played excellently by John Glover. When they find Kid Durango. played by Joe Pantoliano, Billy Ray discovers that his western hero is just a convincing novelist. This film was apparently made for TV and should have been seen by many more people. It's a hoot and lots of fun to watch.

Because that's the way he was facing. I loved this western, it was one of the best I've ever seen. Gossett played a practical gunslinger who shot a man in the back if he had to in order to win and stay alive, not because he was a gutless wonder. He took a school teacher with 2 left hands under his wing after the man's fiancee is captured by a notorious murdering bank robber, El Diablo. Watching the instructor learn the ways of the west while becoming a tougher man was both amusing and exciting. Thumbs up.