the 3/9d seats where we then proceeded to bum half a dozen "Strand" from him before settling down to watch "The Comancheros".One of the funniest films we'd ever seen. We neither knew nor cared about historical accuracy - this was a comedy Western for heaven's sake.And how cool in the 1950's sense was Mr S.Whitman as Monsewer Paul Regret,archetypal sophisticated gambler. O.K. he'd killed some guy in a duel,but them's the breaks,right? Mr J.Wayne our absolute hero since "She wore a yellow ribbon" was a Texas Ranger tasked with Regret's extradition and hangin' after a fair trial,natch .When Regret hit Duke over the head with a spade and made good his escape I think it fair to say we were ambivalent about it. A brilliantly eccentric Mr L.Marvin had a lot of fun as the psychopathic Crow and Mr N.Persoff recently an absolute treasure in "Some like it hot" was once more totally unrestrained. Eventually Monsewer Regret in Ford - like fashion was allowed to expiate his crime and he and the almost avuncular Duke became rueful chums. This is what we went to the pictures to see.Not gloomy Swedes playing chess with Death nor inarticulate factory workers getting their best mate's wife in the pudding club before vomitting copiously over their whippets. No,give us bluff,decent honourable blokes who do the right thing in the end and beautiful slightly cool women who can quieten them at a glance. "The Comancheros" was our favourite film of 1961. Happy Birthday,Duke.

of action from start to finish, including several good-sized battles with Commanches and their white allies versus the All-American Rangers in classic "white hat" against "black hat" style. The various story lines seem to be completely separate at many points in the movie but they all eventually come together for a climactic finish. The only true flaws deal with the anachronistic use of weapons from a much later period 1870s rifles and pistols being used in 1843 , but that is a relatively minor point that can be easily ignored in a movie that is obviously not trying to be a history lesson. Wayne is in admirable form in his standard role and seems to be enjoying himself throughout the film.While The Commancheros doesn't have the symbolism and deeper meaning of the most John Ford-directed westerns, if you're looking for a good afternoon movie to sit back and enjoy then this thoroughly entertaining western is for you. Two thumbs up!

falls for her, but she is a matter-of-fact, rather worldly sort whose frank nature makes her intimidating to men and an outcast with other women. We don't learn about her whole background until later in the film, but she is a very intriguing character.Cutter the Texas Ranger catches up with "Mon-soor" and arrests him, with promises to take him back to Louisiana to be hanged. There are some great moments as they get to know each other, but it isn't long before Big Jake is thwarted and Mon-soor is on the run again.Later on, Cutter takes an undercover assignment to bust a huge gun-running operation orchestrated by the Comanches, a notorious tribe in Texas, disguising himself as Ed McBain and hooking up with the operation's main contact, Tully Crow the always very fun Lee Marvin . Things don't go too well, as Crow proves to be such a mean, menacing drunk, that Jake has to shoot him out of self defense.By luck, Mon-soor Paul Regret happens to have been present for this occurrence, and because he proves to be such a good ally for Jake Cutter, the Texas Rangers arrange an alibi for Regret and he is off the hook for the killing in New Orleans. Then the two are assigned to infiltrate the Comanche weapons operation, where they run into not only a ruthless, merciless organized crime-ring, but Paul Regret's flame from the riverboat, Pilar, the daughter of the founder of this operation.I liked this movie a lot because of the comedy, the great characters and the excellent storyline. It's my favorite John Wayne movie.

viewing this film. Secondly the Cinemascope photography is breathtaking even viewing a formatted VHS copy. I remember seeing The Comancheros in the Sheepshead Bay Movie Theatre in Brooklyn as a lad and a theater is where this film should really be viewed.But mostly since the two of them are on the screen together for about half the film, the chemistry with John Wayne as Texas Ranger Jake Cutter and Stuart Whitman as fugitive Paul Regret is what sets the whole tone of the film. Wayne and Whitman only worked one other time together and that was in The Longest Day. They were such a perfect fit it's a pity they didn't do more together.This was also the first time the Duke worked with Lee Marvin. Marvin's character is only on screen for about 10 minutes, but you remember him throughout. This is also the final screen appearance of Guinn "Big Boy" Williams who must have done at least fifteen films with Michael Curtiz back in the heyday of Warner Brothers.The Comancheros deserves an honored place in the performances of John Wayne and can't be beat for entertainment. A MUST for Duke fans.

Western, you have to like this one.

ground, pull out the stash he has there, and then fill the whole thing back up again.Anothing thing I should mention is that this Western has plenty of gunfire. So if that's what you want to see, then you'll like this movie.

plot. The film has an 1860s/1870s look to it - the buildings, outfits and, most of all, the guns are all of the latter period, and many anachronisms have been listed by other contributors. Of course using period guns that needed to be reloaded after every shot would have made for less spectacular battle scenes. So why not set it in the 1870s? After all, the very similar 1964 film "Rio Conchos", also with Stuart Whitman, was set after the Civil War, with former Confederate officers substituting for the Comanchero leaders.I wonder if the cast said anything about this? I gather than Wayne was disgruntled when the year before the Mexican army in "The Alamo" was issued with the wrong guns, but this wasn't evident to any but the most experienced eye.Apart from these anachronistic annoyances, the film makes very good viewing.

with John Wayne delivering a performance that is just plain fun as his character's sense of humor and one liners will have you cackling. Patrick Wayne, Bruce Cabot, Lee Marvin and Edgar Buchanan lend nice support. I give this one an 83/100. It's pleasant to watch!

terrific. All in all, it is a very good film. 8/10 Bethany Cox