Rio Conchos

source: Rio Conchos

This is an offbeat work which cinematography is very intriguing.An autumnal light,landscapes which borders on ochre (even the river is not blue),in short,a crepuscular western ,with elements we used to find in John Ford's work and a character (O'Brien) whom John Huston would not disown but also,in the shadow,clues which directly lead to violent bloody Peckinpahesque westerns. Take the sequence when Boone discovers the baby:at first sight,it looks like a "three godfathers" rip-off.Like in Ford's movie,we do not see the woman,but here Boone is forced to finish off the mother;and as for the baby,his fate is sealed as well.The connection with John Huston? O'Brien 's character, a confederate general who's still waging a war which is already lost:see him command his ludicrous army,rebuild the desirable mansions of the south;this kind of person is unusual in westerns.Too bad this soldier's part should be so underwritten,he's much more interesting than Whitman's and Franciosa's rather conventional characters - Franciosa whose actor's studio "method" acting is not suited to westerns-. The violence of the final scenes with the Indians when the three men are tortured is particularly stunning,and the directing is ruthless.But the most significant scene shows the baby's bloodstained clothes (his mother's blood). Although too long and sometimes tedious ,its several incredible moments make it all worthwhile. As O'Brien's Henchman, we find Kevin Hagen ,who will be good doctor Baker in "little house" series in the seventies.

This seems quite violent for an American early 60s western, but then I suppose one has to remember that this was the same year as 'A Fistful of Dollars'. The key to the film really is Richard Boone's superb portrayal of Jim Lassiter, the ex-Confederate army scout who has turned into a drunkard and an Indian-killer after the death of his wife and child at the hands of the Apaches. The first scene shows an unarmed Indian burial party in a howling desert wind, who are cold-bloodedly murdered by Lassiter. US army captain Stuart Whitman and his sergeant Jim Brown follow the trail from the bodies to Lassiter, but they seem more interested in where he got his rifle from than in his crimes. He is kept in incarceration in the guardhouse back at the fort until he agrees to tell the officers where he got his rifle. He lets them know that he obtained it from one Pardee, a Confederate guerilla, in Mexico. It transpires that is one of a shipment of US army rifles stolen from under Whitman's command. He agrees to lead them to Pardee, on the condition that they take Rodriguez, a Mexican condemned to the gallows for knifing a man, along with them, as he can speak the local language and knows the country like the back of his hand. The trail leads the four men through Apache attacks, gunrunners, and banditos, until finally they reach Pardee's layer. Everything seems set for a splendid finale, but, unfortunately, the film seems to end in mid-air, so to speak; we do not find out what happens to our heroes, or to the villains. One of the refreshing things about this film is that there is no romantic interest to speak of. The action scenes are very exciting and well handled, the plot speeds along wonderfully, the actors are all very good, and there are some good rugged locations. The scene of the final confrontation is especially spectacular, with Pardee's half-completed grand mansion towering above the valley. The only real quibble is the awful ending. This is a must-see for western fans, a truly entertaining film!

Two ex-Confederates are recruited from a Yankee prison to help prevent a load of repeating rifles from aiding an Apache uprising. On the whole, the screenplay is too complex with too many side diversions to deliver a suspenseful result. Nonetheless, there's another generic kind of problem that detracts heavily. Large-scale westerns like this are always a problem for actors. That's especially the case for the leads. The problem is how not to be over-shadowed by the scale of action in order to maintain star status. Most noticeable here is over-acting among several of the principals: Franciosa as a leering Frito Bandido, Boone as an overly smug revenge seeker, and O'Brien as an unhinged Confederate General. All go into unfortunate overdrive to compete with the explosive action. On the other hand, Whitman is barely noticeable amid the heavy competition (he was soon relegated to TV), while the unfortunate Wagner (Indian girl) could double as a cigar store manikin. Too bad the screenplay didn't take a page from The Magnificent Seven (1960), which it resembles in several respects. There, characterizations and performances are well integrated into the action, without a damaging competition. But then, acting is not what usually draws fans to action movies. And here, there's plenty of gunpowder, from skirmishes, to showdowns, to big pyrotechnics. Otherwise, despite the hoopla of an A-western, the 100-minutes is pretty forgettable.

Pretty bad film with a whole host of stars done in by an unusually poor script. Everyone is seeking vengeance here. Edmond O'Brien comes in towards the end of the film. He is an ex-Confederate soldier seeking vengeance by planning an attack on the 2nd anniversary of Lee's surrender to Grant. He really should have left well enough alone. No wonder no one ever heard of Wende Wagner after this film. With a credit like this behind her, nobody would bother to want to remember. Franciosa's character is one that Gilbert Roland would have played in the real old days. He's conflicted here and that's why he ends up with a bullet. Richard Boone seeks vengeance for a lost wife and child. Stuart Whitman is just about in for the ride to Mexico. A very bad film with little to no meaning.

If you are fan of great westerns and acting you must see this movie. I have not missed many westerns, but up until today I have never had a chance to see this, I knew about it thanks to IMDb and I am a huge fan of Richard Boone whom I consider on of the best Wesern Stars ever, right up there with John Wayne,Clint Eastwood Henry Fonda etc. Others have given the story line better than I could. But Boones performance is a must see, he totally dominates the film is as usual so incredibly believable, probably because in real like he was one tough S.O.B. It is great to see him in the beginning a burnt out shell of an ex confederate officer who's family was butchered by the Apaches and as the story races forward he slowly changes into an honourable man at the end. Some great scenes include the shoot out with the Apaches at the burned out farmhouse and Boones performance in the flea ridden bar was a also a great scene. Boone was so convincing as a tough guy, someone you wouldn;t want to go against. Great cinematography and soundtrack acompany this film which moves along at a fast rate and contains a few well placed plot turns. Highly recommended to any western fan and I hope to find it on DVD

I was kinda expecting a black hats/white hats movie but that's not what this is. The heroes are pretty rotten men themselves. Richard Boone, Stuart Whitman, Jim Brown, and Anthony Franciosa play four rather ruthless characters trying to track down the man selling guns to the apache. Boone in particular is outstanding as the Indian hater who just murders apache on sight! Franciosa is a smiling Mexican who can't be trusted for a second. Whitman and Brown are not quite as bad but they certainly aren't likable either. One of the real attractions in this movie is Wende Wagner who plays this sexy Indian girl. Not an important character and she never speaks a word of English, but you can't take your eyes off her.

Rio Conchos is a story about two men who won't let go and keep seeking vengeance. Richard Boone is a former Confederate soldier who came home to find his family massacred and is wreaking a terrible vengeance on the Indians. Kind of like Ethan Edwards would in The Searchers if left to his own devices. The other man is Edmond O'Brien, Boone's former commanding officer, who is seeking vengeance for the lost Confederate cause and the way it went down in Generals Grant and Sherman's war of attrition. He's hijacked a group of repeating Spencer rifles and is about to trade them to Chief Rudolfo Acosta of the Apaches. When Boone is found with one of the repeaters by the army, he's tossed in the guardhouse and then given a choice of staying there or leading Captain Stuart Whitman to the weapons. After thinking it over somewhat Boone agrees. So an unlikely quartet of Whitman, Boone, Jim Brown, and Anthony Franciosa set out. This group has little regard for each other and that does impede the teamwork involved to successfully pull off the mission of either get the weapons back or destroy them. This was the feature film debut of Cleveland Browns halfback Jim Brown who went on to a pretty successful acting career after his days on the gridiron were through. OF course Tony Franciosa as their Mexican guide/interpreter is as usual the best one in the film. Talk about someone no better than he ought to be. Rio Conchos has enough action to satisfy the biggest western fans around. The ending, shall we say the conclusion of the film and the mission leave an uncertain future for the survivors of the last battle.

An eclectic cast rounds out this rather rugged western film. Craggy Boone stars as a man who hates the Apaches because they slaughtered his wife and child (hardly an original background for a character.) When he is found using a certain rifle to kill his prey, he is arrested and thrown in jail with knife-wielding Franciosa, who is set to hang for murder. It turns out that the rifle is one of a huge shipment that has gone missing and it's up to cavalry captain Whitman and his sergeant Brown to retrieve them. Boone and Franciosa join them in order to aid the mission (and set up dramatic conflict within the contingent.) The foursome travels the dusty terrain of Utah and the American Southwest, encountering Indians and Mexican bandits along the way, all the while mistrusting each other. They believe the guns are in the possession of a dethroned Confederate Colonel (O'Brien), who wants to rebuild the South in all it's glory out West! (He even builds a mansion-like plantation home out of timber with fine furnishings and curtains in the windows, but no ceilings and, in most cases, no walls!) On the way to O'Brien, the quartet also picks up a spitfire Apache girl (Wagner) who tried to do them in with a gang of pals, but failed. If it all sounds pretty standard and pat, it is to a point, but thanks to the entertaining cast, the captivating Jerry Goldsmith score, the location scenery and the rough edges of the story, it manages to be an entertaining film. Boone puts a lot of compelling flavor into his role. Whitman is less impressive, but does a nice enough job. Franciosa is very hammy and indulgent, but keeps it interesting anyway. Brown (a man with an unbelievable physique) has almost nothing to say or do, but still comes across as warm and thoughtful, not to mention strong! He retains his dignity at a time when racial tensions were beginning to start their boil-over. O'Brien has a lot of fun with his outre character. Wagner is nearly unrecognizable in a sketchy character. Her loyalties are divided and her reasoning isn't always clear. (Her character speaks no English in the film.) She would soon enter pop culture history as the loyal assistant to "The Green Hornet" on TV. Several memorable moments occur in the film including a standoff between the men and some Apaches at a deserted house, a torture sequence in which the men are dragged by horses and flogged with straps and the sight of O'Brien's surreal timber estate. This isn't a particularly well known western, but it certainly has merit as it demonstrates the changing level of content in the genre and contains some solid acting.

Dusty, swaggering outdoor yarn features Richard Boone in another one of his aw-shucks, embarrassed-to-be-up-here performances playing a former Confederate Major-turned-Apache hunter who is recruited by Texas Calvary to find the mercenary Confederate Colonel who is selling stolen government guns to the Apaches. Locales and violent action both serviceable, even if the camera-work is continually unsure and the editing sloppy. Boone barks orders convincingly enough, yet he's almost charming when acting sheepish (a response which really suits him). Tony Franciosa tries out his Latino accent as a Mexican cutthroat along for the journey, while Jim Brown shows off his incredible physique and Stuart Whitman looks pained throughout. No surprises here (except for the quick entrance and exit of an infant), and the final showdown is pure formula--a dull one. *1/2 from ****