Rio Conchos

Buy This Item Rio Conchos by 20th Century Fox  Available from Amazon  $19.98  on 11-26-2008     Rio Conchos is a very good western with violence that is still a bit startling when you see it today, much less in 1964. A wagon train carrying 2,000 new repeating rifles has been stolen causing the army to worry where they went. Two soldiers team up with a drunken ex-Confederate officer and a bandit to track down the missing guns. While searching, they discover a Confederate officer, Colonel Theron Pardee, who is trying to start the Civil War all over again by giving Apache warriors the new repeating rifles. The small group must try and stop him as they battle Mexican bandits, Apache warriors, and even themselves. Rio Conchos is a grim western with a very realistic tone. The violence seems out of place for the time, but it is still very effective, most notably in the torture scene towards the end. Jerry Goldsmith turns in another excellent score, sometimes reminiscent of Bandolero. For an enjoyable yet dark western, check out Rio Conchos.<p> Richard Boone gives an excellent performance as Jim Lassiter, the ex-Confederate officer who joins up with the army. At the same time, Lassiter is dealing with the death of his family at the hands of the Apaches. Stuart Whitman is also very good as army Captain Haven, the leader of the small bunch. Anthony Franciosa stars as Rodriguez, the bandit who joins Lassiter and Haven. In his first movie since leaving football, Jim Brown plays Sgt. Franklyn, Haven's right hand man. Edmond O'Brien stars as Colonel Pardee, who hopes to begin the Civil War again. The movie also stars Wende Wagner, Rodolfo Acosta, Vito Scotti, and Kevin Hagen. The VHS is in pan-n-scan so it isn't of the best quality. This movie begs for a DVD widescreen release. For an excellent western with a very good cast, check out Rio Conchos! Reader Reviews Richard Boone carries this rather uneven Western, with superb support from a stellar cast, although Whitman's role is disappointingly small - THE COMANCHEROS is a better choice for Whitman fans. Boone's is a rare blend of tough-guy savagery and rough-edged humanity, and contemporary Hollywood is starved for the authentic manliness that actors like Boone once brought to the screen. Factor in his distinctively droll humor, and you have that indefinable Star Power so elusive today. Granted, the film - as noted in previous reviews - is startlingly violent, but it is not gratuitously so. On the contrary, the movie trades Hollywood-style storytelling for realism. There are no "good soldiers" or "bad Indians" here - only flawed human beings struggling to survive against insurmountable odds.

Rio Conchos Available from Amazon Price: $19.98 Updated on 11-26-2008.

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