The Comancheros

John Wayne is the American Hero enough Said!!!

The Comancheros may not be a classic Western, but it's certainly one of John Wayne's most entertaining star vehicles and hides the scars of its troubled production well. Director Michael Curtiz was dying during the shoot, with the Duke standing in for him behind the camera uncredited on the days he was too ill to work, and for the most part the joins never show. It's impressively staged with the kind of lavish production values that the dying studio system could still bring to the screen, boasting the kind of old-school professionalism that pleased producers and cinemagoers alike and plays well to its stars' strengths. The Duke's straight-talking Texas Ranger who lives by his word makes a surprisingly good double-act with Stuart Whitman's cultured riverboat gambler on the run from a murder charge - and, for much of the first half of the film, Wayne - after killing a judge's son in a duel. Naturally the mismatched pair end up on the same side tracking down the Comancheros who are raiding and indiscriminately killing their way through the countryside, but thanks to some witty writing, good plotting and some especially good action sequences courtesy of Cliff Lyons there's a lot of fun to be had en route to its foregone conclusion happy ending.While the Western was already falling from favor when it came out in 1961, it's a surprisingly forward-looking style of action picture with its mixture of action, wit (be it the Duke mispronouncing French or the villain extolling his ugliness as a sign of character) and sadism for all the family. The buddy movie template may already have been in place but in many ways the plot is almost a blueprint for the subsequent Bond films, pre-title sequence and all, with our heroes going through a series of colourful adventures before infiltrating their way into the villain's fortress, uncovering his dastardly plot and then fighting their way out. Indeed, Nehemiah Persoff's wheelchair-bound mastermind could almost be Ernst Stavro Blofeld as he deals with lackeys who have transgressed the rules of his criminal society as if he were at a S.P.E.C.T.R.E. board meeting, with Ina Balin's sexually liberated femme fatale - introduced in a casino scene - the obligatory Bond villainess who changes sides after a roll in the hay (thankfully with Whitman, not Wayne). It even uses music in much the same way as the early Bond films, trotting out the exciting and expansive main theme not so much for the action scenes but to pep up some of the slower travelling sequences just as the Bond theme used to be used for checking in at airports or hotels. And what a score it is, one of Elmer Bernstein's very best for a Western, and one he obviously had great affection for too: when I saw the film on the big screen in a revival house, he was in the audience as a paying customer.There's a good supporting cast too - Lee Marvin as a half-scalped gunrunner with an attitude problem, Michael Ansara as the obligatory villain's henchman, Joan O'Brien as romantic interest for Wayne, Bruce Cabot and Patrick Wayne among the Texas Rangers and assorted thugs with ugly mugs like Jack Elam and Guinn `Big Boy' Williams (getting a good sendoff in his final film with a juicy cameo as the `real' Ed McBain) as well as finding room for the likes of Edgar Buchanan and Henry Daniell. It's an audience picture writ large, and half a century on it still works.While the old DVD release was extras-lite with an acceptable but not outstanding widescreen transfer, Fox's region-free Bluray is for the most part an excellent transfer, but there are some scenes where it's a shame they didn't use less noise reduction: while it never falls into the waxworks trap of too many over DNRed vintage titles, there's clearly been some work done to reduce the typical grain you'd get in lap dissolves and establishing matte shots every now and then that stick out like a sore thumb compared to the more natural detail elsewhere in the transfer. The 5.1 soundtrack option isn't quite as rich as it could be, particularly lacking bite in the main title sequence, but the alternate Dolby 4.0 track seems a much truer, clearer rendition and there's a surprisingly good selection of extras: a non-scene specific audio commentary by Whitman (who also provides a separate audio interview), Persoff, Michael Ansara and Patrick Wayne, an excellent featuette on the real Comancheros and the fall of the Comanche nation, a surprisingly good 40-minute documentary on the Duke's Fox films that doesn't skirt around some of the films' troubled productions or the star's falling out with studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck, original trailer, an onscreen recreation of the tie-in comicbook adaptation (which has a slightly different ending) and, for the initial copies at least, a very attractive hardcover book presentation (though someone hasn't been too careful with the picture selection, with a still of North to Alaska creeping in there!). About the only thing missing is the thankfully unused alternate title song released as a single that's to be found on FSM's limited edition CD even though the disc does include newsreel footage of Claude King and Tillman Franks receiving an award for it.

I agree with what everyone else has said about the quality of the picture and sound of this Blu-Ray release--it's superb and, for those who want the film in their collections, I would recommend this disk.As for the movie, well, it's John Wayne for crying out loud. At this stage in his career Wayne was to film acting what Alvin York was to marksmanship. He had few equals and no betters and he's a pleasure to watch--and listen to--in every scene.I can't say that for Stuart Whitman, who shares the most screen time with Wayne. The best I can say about his performance is that he does a serviceable job of being John Wayne's foil, he doesn't make any noticeable mistakes, and he looks good. Wayne seems to enjoy working with Whitman, meaning that they have good enough chemistry, but Wayne does all the work and Whitman just soaks up the attention and tries not to screw up his lines. And he doesn't, he really doesn't do anything wrong at all. He's just not a match for John Wayne. My favorite moment between them appears to be a blooper-in-the-making which was saved by the editor. It's when Whitman tosses--quite vigorously--a revolver at Wayne from only a couple of feet away, and Wayne catches it with impressive ease and authority, not even bothering to break eye contact with Whitman. It's a great moment and Whitman, just before the cut, can be seen fighting off the beginning of an astonished and delighted laugh.Lee Marvin storms the screen after Whitman's character has been established and then whisked away, and he and Wayne are enormously enjoyable to watch together, but it's over much too soon and we have to wait a good while for another, comparable performance by the great Edgar Buchanan--this one even briefer than Marvin's but another high point in the film. Jack Elam slouches and lurks with bad intent around the periphery of the last third of the film but he doesn't have enough to do to make much of an impact.Joan O'Brien, who plays Wayne's romantic interest, is also arrestingly good in a very short amount of screen time, and Wayne's 5-year-old daughter, Aissa, who plays O'Brien's daughter, is delightfully natural and equally effective at pulling on Wayne's on our heartstrings.Ina Balin as the bad girl/good girl is wooden. Nehemiah Persoff, playing the leader of the Comancheros, doesn't seem to be enjoying his turn as a Mestizo patriarch and leaves me wishing for Eli Wallach or Ricardo Montalban. Poor Michael Ansara appears to be painfully embarrassed by the leather pants he's forced to wear and is wasted in a minor bad guy action role. Ansara was always brilliant in a good speaking part, but he doesn't get the chance to be good here.The only real problem with the film is its attitude toward the Comanches and Comancheros. They just aren't presented as dangerous folks. They're actually kind of silly. There's a howler of a gunfight between marauding Indians and Wayne's friends at a farmhouse where an endless supply of Yakima Canutt disciples rein-in and plunge an endless supply of horses into the dirt, and great pains are taken to choreograph the deaths to the point of amusement. The lighthearted attitude is not extended to the deaths of any of the white characters who are presented as suffering in earnest. Oh well. It's from 1961, and it's Hollywood, and the movie seems to have been marketed to a younger audience and needed to compete with TV. Still, it strikes a very strange note at times.But hell, it's John Wayne!

The Comancheros blu-ray is simply outstanding,the picture quality is truly excellent,audio too,and this digibook packaging is very classy.I seen this western when it first came to our local Cinema,it was my first viewing of John Wayne on the big screen,1960 or 61,I cant remember,and it has always been a sentimental favourite,I have the dvd,but nothing prepared me for the quality of this blu-ray transfer.The Comancheros Blu-ray is very,very nearly up alongside The Searchers for picture quality,and that,s high praise,it also has a couple of excellent documentary,s too,all in all The Comancheros Blu-ray is a MUST BUY for all Wayne/western fans,Highly HIGHLY Recommended.Davy Cairns,Scotland.ps,It is definitely region free,so will play on all UK players!!!!!

I first saw this movie back in the 70s on TV. It's a hugely enjoyable actioner carried along by John Wayne's star power and a rambunctious Elmer Bernstein score. But it's Lee Marvin who steals the show, as he often did.

Being of the generation that can actually remember going to the cinema to see this film, it is a pure joy to see it again in such stunning detail. The rendering is tack sharp and the colour is vibrant. Great film and wonderful to re-see a good old film!

I won't review this excellent film as there are already good reviews here already I'll just reiterate to anyonewho is thinking of buying it, the blu-ray is excellent quality and all the extra's are on the disc just like the book edition, all that is missing is the book itself and the 2 posters. I've uploaded the cover as it is missing from this edition, I hope it helps anyone undecided.

Blue-Ray is fine and a great price it works ok on my region 2 player. I just wish the UK would get more of the dukes films in blue-ray region 2.had a bit of trouble with delivery, hence only three stars.