Rio Hondo

Notable Actors: William Shatner! Joseph Cotton! Victor Isreal! William Shatner again!

I leave reservation and travel many miles on my BMX to see this film many moons ago. Me heap excited to see Comanche people on film as me feel tribe under-represented in the cinematic medium. Um Squaw 'couldn't be arsed' so me go on lonesome.

Me not know who William Shatner is but me not remember many ginger folk in tribe. And he two brothers? One of which take Peyote? We not takers of such drugs. Our um only weakness is Steakbake from Greggs on reservation. I see recent picture of William Shatner and he look like he like Steakbake too. Quite a lot.

So there's one Shatner who bad (and he Indian one! Not good!) and one who boring cowboy type who I guess is Indian too). Indian Shatner want kill white man for boom-stick and horses and cowboy Shatner want stick peace pipe in Rosanna Yanni's Happy Hunting Ground.

Also, grumpy old Bastard Joseph Cotton got problems with white ranch men fighting but they seem to kill each other without Shatner getting involved too much, although this meant big gun fight happen too soon. Grumpy old Bastard Joseph Cotton good here, but better in Lady Frankenstien (which good because you see Rosalba Neri's Teepees! And in Slaughter Hotel you see her under scalp!).

Shatner then fight Shatner in end. This a bit bloodier than usual film but crappy too due to cheapness and Shatner crapness. How!

During the 1960s, when Euro westerns were the rage, Spanish filmmakers often had great success making westerns during co- productions with Italy. However, when the Spaniards made westerns on their own, the results were usually dismal, "White Comanche" being no exception. While it's not the worst western I've seen, it's a flat and decidedly unentertaining experience for the most part. Oh, there is a little camp value seeing Shatner in the title role, whooping it up and overacting. However, despite what the title may suggest, the movie isn't really about the white Comanche character. In fact, after first showing up in a couple of brief scenes in the movie's first few minutes, the character doesn't appear again until almost an hour has passed! The movie is more about the white Comanache's twin brother instead. The movie could still have worked, but for the most part it's very boring, slow-moving, flatly directed (even the background scenery is bland), and burdened with an absolutely terrible musical score. Even more forgiving fans of Euro westerns will find this movie a chore to sit through.

Being a Spanish rather than Italian production, I don't think this rates as an official Spaghetti Western – yet, it's been included with a clutch of such efforts in a budget-release Box Set (which I've rented and am currently going through); the treatment itself, in fact, isn't even really evocative of that distinctly baroque style!

The film-makers managed to acquire two American stars for this one: veteran Joseph Cotten and William Shatner (a fashionable commodity at the time thanks to the STAR TREK phenomenon on TV); they actually complement each other quite well, the reliable Cotten being a laid-back yet plain-speaking marshal and Shatner brooding albeit given occasionally to his trademark histrionics – especially since he plays twins, i.e. cowboy hero and the troublesome half-breed of the title!

The narrative also incorporates a subplot involving rival factions fighting for control of the town of Rio Hondo; female interest is provided by lovely blonde Rosanna Yanni (co-star of the two "Red Lips" films by Jess Franco made the previous year), who's assaulted by one Shatner and loved by the other. Eventually, the two siblings face-off in a duel on horseback – which both undertake bare-chested and wearing a bandana (presumably, to confuse the audience as to the identity of the victor)! At the end of the day, the film proves a tolerable diversion if nothing more – unless one counts Shatner's almost campy intensity (particularly in his caricatured Indian portrayal) as an added source of gratification! I should also mention here that the terribly inappropriate jazzy score is a pain to listen to and, besides, the pan-and-scan version I watched had an irritating tendency to jump-cutting within the same shot in search of the current speaker's face!!

It's a good thing that Star Trek prime became such a cult item. I would hate to think that William Shatner would have his career judged by this monstrosity of a western.

It's probably well that critics remember that at the time this film was done, Star Trek was not the big cult item it became. It was an ambitious science fiction show in its first run that drew a loyal steady audience that NBC decided to cancel after three years. It's fan base grew in syndication and THEN Star Trek became an industry unto itself.

So William Shatner in accepting this part had no idea what his future had in store for him. I think if he had he wouldn't have done this film.

It's just plain terrible. It's poorly dubbed, it's music score is the worst I've heard for a western since The Outlaw, the acting is terrible and the plot line ridiculous.

Shatner plays twin brothers who are from an anglo father and a comanche mother. One of them identifies with the whites and the other the Indians. Come to think of it there was an episode in Star Trek prime where the transporter divided Captain Kirk into a good and evil self. That one was far better done than this film.

I'm sure Shatner might have thought he would go the way of Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson in spaghetti westerns. But I think he knew early on what a dog this film was and he overacts outrageously. Especially as his Indian self. Joseph Cotten is around for this also and he looks like he misses those good old days with Orson Welles.

Just think when Bill Shatner did Comanche blanco he had no idea that his immortality was already sealed.

I wondering how William Shatner was involved in this average Spanish western, the premisse wasn't so bad at all, in fact no make sense, a twins brother half bread comanche & white man, but to consider it a crap there a long distance, the picture has a bad reputation by a large majority IMDB's users, however to me was an easily appreciation, therefore l find the answer, actually the people found a outrageous Captain Kirk got engaged in poor picture like that, a step down in your career, a place which he didn't dare to go, the picture itself is watchable and there good and bad moments, in time Joseph Cotten also has some criticism too????

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First watch: 2018 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD-R / Rating: 5.75