Old Mexican-American sheriff Bob Valdez has always been a haven of sanity in a land of madmen when it came to defending law and order. His language goes to a purpose: in this case, the way that everything about Western society its race relations, its class disparities, its sexual hierarchies all descend inevitably into the singular outcome of righteous bloodshed. Thus opens the film and sets the stage for the story of Valdez, the constable, who after killing the innocent man tries to set up a collection for his woman and runs into violent reaction from the wealthy, racist white rancher who wanted the man killed in the first place, and who runs roughshod over his own men, the Mexicans who hired out to him. Tanner turns out to be a coward one-on-one. Adapted from the famous novel by Elmore Leonard. The dead manwho was black, which also entered into the issueleft an Indian woman, and Valdez wants $200 to get her back to the reservation. The UK DVD has at least one horse tripping edited. Gritty, well written movie. <p>(It may be a personal prejudice, but I always found the old circus artiste more convincing in roles like this one than in those in Visconti's frescoes.) What Frank and co. doesn't know is that Valdez is a great shot and smart tactician. Adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel (as was Martin Ritt's Hombre - a superior western with some similar themes). Despite Gay Erin's help, Valdez is finally surrounded and captured. "It's my life's goal. And then he thought, You should know when youre going to die. This is a very well respected movie and was directed with a deft touch by Edwin Sherrin. Most actors have to rely on dialog that only reveals plot or consciously explained back-story. Unfortunately for Tanner, he has picked on the wrong man: Valdez is a wily, experienced Indian fighter and a marksman with a rifle. See production, box office & company info, Interesting social commentary by rookie director, Sierra de Gredos ridge, vila, Castilla y Len, Spain. Vincent Canby of The New York Times praised Lancaster's on-screen presence but wrote that, "A lot of fancy flourishes, which I associate with Mr. Sherin's stage work, are apparent in the film, as in its picturesque groupings of picturesque characters, and in a musical score that's much given to comment on the action. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Valdez is freed by one of Tanner's henchmen (Richard Jordan) and, after convalescing, begins waging a one-man war against Tanner, picking off his men with his trusty Sharps rifle. Thank you very much for the response! But, of course, Leonard isnt REALLY a pulp author, any more than Portis is. "She was scheduled to be an old maid till Willard come along. This diverse list makes me think that revenge is about as helpful for explaining what a novel is about as marriage: perhaps the revenge plot, like the marriage plot, is primarily a structuring device that provides a framework in which other issues can be explored and possibly resolved. The moments of brutal violence pack a pretty harsh punch and the ending is pleasingly ambiguous. Report this film, smh another WOKE western. His side was hanging open and draining his life as he looked at the sky. It told the story of Valdez, no first name, a Mexican-American who works as the town constable because he's able to get along with everyone and gives the impression that he knows how to take orders. Although many might not like the ending, I actually liked when the movie faded to black. The supporting cast is very good. Obviously I was aware of the likes of Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Rum Punch, which Tarantino adapted as Jackie Brown, and 52 Pick-Up, but I'm only now discovering films that I'd seen years ago without having an inkling of Leonard's connection with them. The current Letterboxd image is not the poster that fascinated me. I have actually taught City of Glass in my detective fiction class: it was fun to work through something that is definitely using but then rejecting many of the tropes and certainties of the genre. Finally, it might be (mildly) interesting to compare this novel to its original genesis, the short story Only Good Ones (found in the terrific Complete Western Stories of Elmore Leonard, available at a Books-a-Million near you). And it's a little disappointing to see how characters and their motivations were poorly translated by changing certain events that altered the dynamics between some of the key characters. Tanner won't hear of it, however, and punishes Valdez by driving him into the desert with a cross strapped to his back. Valdez asks Tanner for monetary help for the man's wife, but he is ridiculed and almost killed by Tanner's henchmen. To ensure that Tanner will pay he takes as hostage his trophy girlfriend, the beautiful Gay Erin (Susan Clark), the widow of the aforementioned dead man that sparked the ongoing tragedy. Still Valdez has a problem when RL tells Frank of Bob's friend's helping him and this act of betrayal proves once and for all that RL is a greedy lowlife simply desiring to be one of the guys. western, outlaw, cowboy, shootout or gunfight, western, cowboy, outlaw, wild or frontier, historical, epic, battle, historic or fought, racism, african american, powerful, hatred or slavery, www.ultimatemovierankings.com/burt-lancaster-movies/. A Mexican-American sheriff (Burt Lancaster) must resort to violence against a powerful rancher (Frank Tanner, played by Jon Cypher) in order to get just compensation for the pregnant Indian Read allA Mexican-American sheriff (Burt Lancaster) must resort to violence against a powerful rancher (Frank Tanner, played by Jon Cypher) in order to get just compensation for the pregnant Indian widow of a wrongly killed black man.A Mexican-American sheriff (Burt Lancaster) must resort to violence against a powerful rancher (Frank Tanner, played by Jon Cypher) in order to get just compensation for the pregnant Indian widow of a wrongly killed black man. Today, many guitarists sound something like Jimi Hendrix, possibly without even being aware of it. Auch das Schauspiel ist eben nur solide, die wahren Schauwerte liegen definitiv in den Schusswechseln. Valdez shoots one of Tanners men and sends him back with a message. By what name was Valdez Is Coming (1971) officially released in India in English? Recommended viewing. Gay makes it clear she will not return to Tanner. Appalling! Valdez is a low-key, obsequious sort until events force him to kill a man who was unjustly suspected of murder. I just get the impression that he knew deep in his soul how hard-bark people sound. Valdez demands $100 compensation from Tanner to pay the expenses for the wrongfully accused Negros pregnant Apache widow and the sheriff promises his boys will kick in a matching $100 if Tanner pays. This is what I get for watching a movie based solely on the poster. Burt Lancaster plays a Mexican in this one. this is why the genre is dying. Made by fans in Aotearoa New Zealand. Davis (Richard Jordan) shot up the hovel where the wrongly accused man and his Indian wife were trapped. And a film I watched just last month, Last Stand at Saber River, and it would seem that Leonard had a liking for delivering Western themed stories? Very good western, right up there with Lancaster's film of the same year, "Lawman". It shouldnt happen but its happening. A personal revenge that carries suspense, drive and grim realism. While I try to divorce myself from the source material since I'm not reviewing that, Valdez Is Coming comes out as barebones with the story feeling incomplete or perplexing as they let out several scenes out that would've given the actions the necessary context they deserved. On top of this, the story is its own thing as it defies expectations left and right. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Soundtracks submission guide. Aging town constable Bob Valdez (Burt Lancaster) is tricked into killing an innocent African-American man by powerful rancher Frank Tanner (Jon Cypher), whose hired gun R.L. Indeed, the African-American had been trapped in a small cabin at the foot of a rise, and several rifleman had kept him pinned down in the structure. The chief culprit, a wealthy land owner named Frank Tanner (Jon Cypher) refuses to ante up a cent. 8) Magic Mike's Last Dance Ending Explained. Accidentally killing the soldier, Valdez seeks $200.00 compensation for the widow. The proclamation, "Valdez is coming," is the beginning of the end for a cold-hearted American gunrunner who crosses the line when he humiliates a Mexican-American lawman (Burt Lancaster) in this raging action western. Davis finds him and cuts the ropes, freeing the unconscious man. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your account. That leaves Tanner to do his own dirty workif he can. The experience of a man may be hidden by time, but time cannot hide the experienced man. "How old are you?" The grandeur of revenge might as well be the title of a doctoral dissertation on Western fiction, and maybe on the works of Elmore Leonard in particular. In this film Frank seems to be one mean sonofabitch and finds that he is slowly losing his men one by one to a superior enemy he misjudged because of different skin color. This is an insult to Frank who is a racist pig who loathes the sight of "greaser" Valdez. Afterward, Bob Valdez (Burt Lancaster of "Lawman") goes around trying to take up a collection for the African-American's widow. Here he plays a softly spoken (Mexican) constable, who is set up to kill an innocent man. Terrific write-up, and Im happy to see that you enjoyed Valdez as any red-blooded reader properly should. What you say about True Grit seems right to me: it makes the moves but the tone is different. Hot off of reading the Elmore Leonard novel last night, I decided to give the film adaptation a watch since it's still fresh in my memory. Learn more. A few racial epithets later and we realize the man is (a) black and (b) possibly innocent of the crime he is accused of. Leonard's characters talk the way real cowboys and ranchers and trainmen and schoolmarms would talk if they were poets. More than that, I hoped his involvement with the show meant I might get to meet him. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Just below that it reads "Ticket Confirmation#:" followed by a 10-digit number. It takes a minute or so to realize that this is stand-off with a man sealed inside a log cabin. Talk softly and carry a big gun -- a really big gun! The resulting confrontation was instigated by thoroughly nasty land baron Frank Tanner (Jon Cypher), who turns out to be a very bad guy indeed. Tanner and his men ride up. In such knowledge also lies one source of possible identification; they should probably be proportional to the revenge being taken. He orders ranch hand El Segundo (Barton Heyman) and his men to tie Valdez to a heavy wooden cross and drive him into the desert. Leonard's splendid way of inventing odd turns of phrase and similes and making them sound as though there were no possible better way to describe something made him, in my opinion, one of the great wordsmiths of the past century. Lancaster is interesting to watch as he plays the idealistic outsider up against the bigoted majority. On second thought, perhaps, it's not quite that harmless. Taken from an Elmore Leonard novel, Lancaster stars as an aging half-Mexican town Constable who seeks justice for an Indian widow. In the early part of the 19th Century the ladies in Puerto Rico had been Spanish topics and had few particular person rights. Clint Eastwood certainly portrayed the brutal, enigmatic hero as well as it could be done but the purity of Leone's form could probably have carried almost any actor with a similar type of charisma through the story. Please click the link below to receive your verification email. More at Obwohl Valdez vom leben gezeichnet und wirklich fertig aussieht, ist er irgendwie doch zu weich fr diese knallharte Welt. When it comes to keeping the peace, former frontier sheriff. At first, Rosemary resists, but when she hears the baby cry, her mothering instincts kick in, and she rocks the cradle. Although, Tanner is the main obstacle, Valdez is also challenged by Tanner's formidable collection of professional gunmen assembled by his experienced right-hand man, El Segundo (Barton Heyman). I havent read the Leonard novel, but Zachs comments reinforce the impression I got from your description that, while an idea of justice may be the initial motivation, the plot eventually turns into a story of revenge. Cinemark Great unexpected ending! Not very artful and undermined by some flat characterizations and run-of-the-mill elements; but Lancaster is very good and there are some inspired moments. It should be something in your life you plan. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, or Moment of Vengeance, another Leonard story from that plump Complete Western collection). He regularly reaffirms the code on behalf of people who dont have one. I'm sorry I never got to meet him, to tell him how those lines in "The Tall T" inspired me in my own writing, to tell him how proud I was to be part of a show he was at the heart of. It's one of those vendetta entertainments that often frequent the multiplexes in the 60's and 70's when the rules, thanks in large part to Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch", were starting to be broken. He tried to raise his left arm but could not. was Bob Valdez's reply when he was asked when he used to hunt and shoot down Indians to eradicate them from rangeland. In Valdez is Coming, adapted from the co-titled Elmore Leonard novel, Leone's moralistically stark paradigm acquires a conscience and characters that, while as vividly drawn as the Master's, are discernibly more real. The German version is uncut. Comments that are not civil or constructive will be deleted. That Mr. Leonard seemed so pleased with how his style was translated to the screen is a great credit to those writers. By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and We dont have Books-A-Million up here! Valdez is coming! RL Davis is sent on his way when he is told by Frank that he couldn't shoot straight. While the monster is portrayed sympathetically at times, I think his murders of the innocent put him beyond most readers willingness to identify and confirm his status as the fiend that Frankenstein terms him. Hombre? Clearly, actors in talking pictures can't reveal character very well without dialog. Regardless, the film is several notches above the usual Western. 25 Jun 2021. Century the ladies in Puerto Rico had been Spanish topics and had particular! Not quite that harmless er irgendwie doch zu weich fr diese knallharte Welt expectations left and.. 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