Bravados

Gregory Peck is the show in "The Bravados". His performance reminds me of John Wayne in "The Searchers". In both cases the eyes tell the story. Wayne's were full of hate for the Comanches that defiled his niece. Peck's intense eyes are equally important to this film. In the words of one character, Peck has the "eyes of the hunter".

Like Wayne in "The Searchers" Peck is a man with a quest. Jim Douglas is out for revenge against the murderers of his wife. This single-minded mission brings him to the town of Santa Rita, where the four men he has been chasing are scheduled to hang for another killing. The men escape with a hostage and the chase resumes. Nothing will stop Douglas this time. In his mind the four men deserve no pity and they get none. The law failed to hang them, and now it's his turn.

The casting in this film is interesting. The four low lifes pursued by Peck include three pretty good actors, Stephen Boyd, Henry Silva and Lee Van Cleef. Of the three, Henry Silva's character is the most interesting. He plays Lujan, an Indian. Lujan and Peck share something. They lock eyes at the beginning when Peck visits the four men in jail. It is he who sees the eyes of the hunter. He may not know why Peck hunts them, but he recognizes him as a hunter.

Ultimately, Peck becomes a hero to the citizens of Santa Rita, but heroism comes with a price. In this case Peck sacrifices his humanity. In their end there is potential salvation for Peck from a surprising source.

Except for Lujan, the film provides little reason to sympathize with the four badmen. They have been sentenced to be hanged for a murder in Santa Rita. Steven Boyd ruthlessly shoots an old prospector. Later, he rapes their hostage. Even Joan Collins' character who earlier in the film has urged Peck to give up his relentless quest now urges him to track the surviving killers down and kill them.

There is no question about the morality in this film. There is something incomplete in Peck's character. He is empty inside, because the chase seems to be over. The law has apparently done his job for him. He has little to say to anyone when he arrives in Santa Rita, including his old friend Josefa (Collins). His eyes are full of hate, but otherwise he is hardly alive. He tells Josefa that he loved his wife. "I still do," he says. He has left his little girl behind to chase the killers. Near the end when he sees the little girl she hides behind her nanny. She hardly knows her father. The jail break and the ensuing chase seem to temporarily energize him. He becomes the leader of the possee. Ultimately, he rides off alone to extract his revenge. The energy is misleading. Peck knows what he must do and he does it without emotion. He has sacrificed his humanity at the altar of revenge.

This film is not for everyone. It is a bit intense, and Peck's character isn't very warm and fuzzy. "The Bravados" is a humorless film about a serious subject. Revenge isn't pretty and the price is too high. Peck really delivers with a great performance and the plot is definitely creative. The often told story of the man seeking revenge has seldom been told so well.

This is an interesting Western which, as is often the case in this genre, is a tale of revenge. This time, however, there are a few ironical twists. Under the solid hand of director Henry King, this film takes further the point made in OXBOW INCIDENT in 1943, about lynching.

In this case, you have the main character, Jim Douglas (Peck) seeking revenge for the rape and brutal murder of his wife. Peck, in one of his finest performances, portrays a generally balanced and good man driven somewhat over the edge by a desire for revenge. The four "baddies" are all played with considerable zest by Stephen Boyd, Henry Silva, Lee van Cleef and Salmi. The weakest part of the film is Joan Collins. Tough for me to understand why and how she got this role.

Silva, portraying an Indian, correctly identifies Douglas as a hunter. It is Douglas' sad failing that he gets the wrong culprits, and even more so that he thought the real rapist and murderer a good man, who would not hurt anyone.

Douglas ends the film with a tormented conscience for killing three men who were innocent of his charges, but he receives great applause from the local community, grateful to see the town rid of a gang of thieves. The irony of the situation is put across without any moralizing, which adds to the film's virtues.

There are a few unnecessary touches along the way, such as Boyd raping an abductee, but by and large it is a tightly told story, helped by very good cinematography.

Pleasant classic Western with magnificent Gregory Peck who steals the show as a merciless revenger gunfighter . He is relentless in his vengeance , deadly in his violence but he learns that he has become no better than those he hunts . A Hollywood production full of action , exaggerated characters , shootouts and lots of violence . For revenge, he doesn't care why he kills or how ¡ ... . An errant Jim Douglas (Gregory Peck) sees the atrocity over his family and executes a single-handedly revenge, as he ravages and murders each person involved in his vendetta . Douglas has been relentlessly pursuing the four outlaws (Albert Salmi , Henry Silva , Stephen Boyd and Lee Van Cleef) who killed his wife, but finds them in prison about to be hanged . But the prisoners escape and villagers enlist Douglas' aid to capture them . The conflict is a simple one between avenger Douglas and oppressors, nasties bandits commanded by cruel Bill Zachary (Stephen Boyd) . Douglas along with a posse set out in pursuit the outlaws and he faces the vicious bandits.

It's an exciting western with breathtaking showdown between the protagonist Gregory Peck against four heartless bandits . In the film premiere attained success , nowadays is well valued and I think it turns out to be a good classic Western. The picture is fleshed out with a marvelous cast as Gregory Peck who is excellent as a good father turned revenger . Nice too is Henry Silva as the brash Mexican young gun and Andrew Duggan as the amiable Padre . Joan Collins gives a good performance as Jim's former girlfriend , she does a well measured portrayal of a woman who still loves her previous sweetheart and who promises to leave with him which ultimately can never be . Stephen Boyd as a cruelly baddie role also is terrific . The film packs violence , gun-play , high body-count and it's fast moving and quite entertaining. There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing some shootouts or stunts every few minutes . This is a dark downbeat story of an avenger gunfighter perfectly performed by Gregory Peck told with genuine realism and honesty . Stylishly written by prestigious by Philip Yordan-Johnny Guitar- , the screenplay was based on an original story by Frank O'Rourke. The movie was directed with a positive flair by Henry King . There are many fine technicians and nice assistants as Lyle Wheeler and Walter Scott in charge of Art Direction and Set Direction respectively . Good production design creating an excellent scenario with luminous outdoors, dirty and rocky landscapes under a glimmer sun and a fine sets on the Mexican landscapes . The musician Lionel Newman composes a nice soundtrack and well conducted , being helped by the maestros Hugo Friedhofer and Alfred Newman , tough uncredited ; it's full of agreeable sounds, and a haunting musical leitmotif . Sharply photographed with striking cinematography by Leon Shamroy in Technicolor, Techniscope with negative well processed and outdoor sequences filmed in Jalisco, Mexico Morelia, Michoacán,St Jose Perua mountains, Mexico.

Henry King 's direction is well crafted , here he's less thought-provoking and broody and more inclined toward violence and too much action , because he's a expert on compelling Adventure/Western genre . Henry King directed other classic Western as ¨ Jesse James(1939)¨and ¨The gunfighter(1950)¨ with Peck again . Koster was specialist on Adventure genre as proved in ¨Untamed , Captain King , Captain of Castilla , Black Swan , Stanley and Livingstone ¨and many others . Rating : Better than average . Worthwhile watching .

I think I saw this movie many years ago as a youngster ( I was born in 1952). I also, during the course of the movie on AMC, read a few reviews on IMBd and either due to one or two of the reviews or my previous viewing, I knew what was coming at the end. But it was still an emotional jolt. I agree with a couple of reviews, that the very end seemed sweetened up somewhat, but I went through a period in my 20's and 30's when I had grown overly cynical and didn't like 'unrealistic' endings. I have changed somewhat. I can enjoy both 'types' of movies and endings now, I believe. I am more discerningly cynical now, I hope. Where something really smells like manipulation for the wrong reasons or for greed, I trust my doubts and cynicism to kick in. 'The Bravados' deserves your trust simply because it shows a universal human weakness among terrible, heart-wrenching circumstances in a somewhat 'realistic' setting. Luck plays too big a part at times for the hero (Gregory Peck with great screen presence) during the chase. But if you disagree with his conclusions about his own actions at the end...think again.

John Wayne's Ethan Edwards, Jimmy Stewart's Howard Kemp, or any number of roles Kirk Douglas has played have nothing of the intensity of Gregory Peck's Jim Douglas in The Bravados.

Peck is perfect casting for the part because he's playing against type. If Atticus Finch's wife had been a homicide victim, I think this is how we would see him. Totally lose a moral compass and become a relentless stalker. It's what makes The Bravados work, because we identify Gregory Peck with an innate decency.

Peck's house was robbed and his wife raped and murdered by intruders. Peck has a line on them, they're four killers who've been caught and scheduled to hang for a bank robbery in a town several miles away where a bank teller has been killed.

But they escape with the help of the hangman, Joe DeReda soon to become a stooge. These are a quartet of the nastiest villains ever, Stephen Boyd, Albert Salmi, Lee Van Cleef, and Henry Silva all of whom have played villains with relish on the big screen. One of them, Boyd, in fact is a rapist, they take young Kathleen Gallant the daughter of the town's dry goods merchant along as a hostage.

Charles Bronson never executed bad guys with as much relish as Peck did. They are convicted murderers who've escaped, there's no law to answer to.

Peck may be doing some public service homicides, but there's a higher law he must answer to for the preservation of his own soul. In fact the ending brings quite a twist to the tale.

The Bravados is one of six films directed by long time 20th Century Fox director Henry King who is most known for doing nine films there with Tyrone Power. In fact the first couple that Peck did were probably properties that were meant for Power, but Darryl Zanuck switched them for his new up and coming leading man.

This one however is all Gregory Peck's film, I'm not sure Power could have done a better job. Peck gets some able support from the villainous quartet and from Joan Collins as an old flame he finds that has settled in the town the four have savaged.

Special mention should go to Andrew Duggan as the priest in the town where apparently everyone is Catholic. Duggan does a good job as the padre who gives just the right spiritual advice and counsel to a troubled soul.

Themes like rape were not exactly subject matter for westerns before the Fifties. The Bravadoes succeeds both as Saturday matinée shooting and as serious adult drama. It shouldn't be missed when broadcast.