Lack of good storyline.

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

RELEASED in 1958 and directed by Henry King, "The Bravados" stars Gregory Peck as Jim Douglas, a grim, laconic man chasing four outlaws who raped & murdered his wife and finds them in a Southwest jail slated to be hanged come morning, but they escape to Mexico as he leads a posse in pursuit. The thugs are played by Stephen Boyd, Lee Van Cleef, Henry Silva & Albert Salmi while Joan Collins and Kathleen Gallant are on hand in the feminine department.Peck is effective as the one-note brooding protagonist. The score by Lionel Newman is surprisingly good for a 50's Western, a decade known for some hopelessly hokey Western credits' songs and scores. It's interesting seeing Joan when she was so young (24 during filming) and Gallant is winsomely ravishing (no wonder Boyd's wicked character was so enamored with her). The film influenced other movies, like "Bandolero!" (1968), "Death Wish" (1974), and Sergio Leone's Eastwood trilogy (and Spaghetti Westerns in general), although Leone of course exchanged realistic characters for cartoony caricatures. The entire first act of "Bandolero!" was taken from this film, although it had an amusing edge while "The Bravados" is deadly serious from beginning to end, which is good (it IS very realistic); but this also makes it somewhat tedious and I can see why some people don't like it. While there's an enlightening twist at the end, "The Bravados" isn't up there with Peck's best Westerns, like "Duel in the Sun" (1946) and "The Big Country" (1958); and it's not as entertaining as "How the West was Won" (1962) or the comic booky "MacKenna's Gold" (1969), but it definitely superior to the somewhat tiresome "The Stalking Moon" (1968). THE MOVIE RUNS 98 minutes and was shot entirely in Mexico. WRITERS: Philip Yordan (script) & Frank O'Rourke (novel). ADDITIONAL CAST: Herbert Rudley & Ken Scott play the Sheriff and Deputy while Andrew Duggan appears as the padre. GRADE: BADDITIONAL COMMENTARY ***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read unless you've seen the film)Douglas (Peck) did not mistakenly kill three honorable law-abiding citizens; after all, they were sentenced to execution for robbing a bank and murdering the teller. In fact, as a member of a lawfully organized posse he was legally authorized to slay them. The message is not that Douglas did the wrong thing, but rather that he did the right thing for the wrong reason based on naively trusting his neighbor's false information.

By 1958 the Works of Anthony Mann and Budd Boetticher, With the So Called "Adult" or "Psychological" Western had Made Their Mark and an Old Salt Like Henry King was Surely Influenced in This One.He Almost Manages it, but the Old School Hollywood was Just Too Ingrained in the Director and His Capitulation to Heavy Handed Religious Apologetics All But Destroyed This Otherwise Excellent Attempt at Pushing the Western Forward.The Story of Revenge and Rage is Well Done Until the Ending that Becomes Laughable (when Gregory Peck exits the Church). But Until the Sledgehammer Ending Where King and Yordan Beat Us Over the Head with Piety and Priests, it's an Edgy, Sometimes Brutal Display of the "New" Western.The Cast, Led by Peck, are All Pretty Good Featuring Lee Van Cleef, Stephen Boyd, and Henry Silva as the Outlaws on the Run, but Joan Collins is Virtually Background Scenery. Speaking of Scenery, the Cinemascope, Technicolor Landscape is an Attraction and Backdrop Some of the "New" Violence.Other Signs that is One of Those New Fangled Types is the Word "Rape" is Used More than Once and an Actual Rape Takes Place On Screen but Out of Sight and is Rather Unsettling.Overall, this is an Above Average Western with a Highly Polished Hollywood Look. It's Just a Shame About the Excessive Use of Religion, Especially in the Final Scenes.

This movie begins with a cowboy named "Jim Douglas" (Gregory Peck) riding into the town of Rio Arriba to witness the hanging of 4 outlaws who he believes were responsible for the rape and murder of his wife 6 months earlier. Although he is treated with great suspicion the sheriff, "Eloy Sanchez" (Herbert Rudley) takes him to the jail to see each of the outlaws face to face. Right after that he encounters a woman named "Josefa Velarde" (Joan Collins) who he met 5 years earlier in New Orleans. Unfortunately, Josefa immediately realizes that Jim has changed quite a bit since then and not necessarily for the better. Not long afterward the 4 prisoners escape and Jim takes it upon himself to lead the posse in their efforts to track them down. Now, rather than reveal any more of the story and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this is a grim western which showcases the talents of Gregory Peck to the utmost. Definitely worth a look for those who enjoy a good western.

When Jim Douglas rides into the town of Rio Arriba he is told they don't want any strangers in town till after four criminals are hanged; he states that he has come to see them die and after surrendering his guns he enters town anyway. The sheriff asks him why he wants to see the men hang but receives no answer and when Douglas goes into the jail to see the men none of them recognise him. That night while the town is in church the men are broken out of jail and flee with a young woman as hostage; the sheriff is wounded so his deputy leads a posse after the escapees. In the morning Douglas joins the posse and they track the men as they head for the Mexican border. As they go Douglas manages to corner the bandits one by one and each time shows his captive a picture of a woman; they all claim not to have seen her but he doesn't believe them. Back in town a friend of his, who he hasn't seen for five years learns his story from the town priest; one day Douglas had returned home to find his wife had been raped and murdered; the gang had been identified by a neighbour and Douglas had been after them ever since. When Douglas finally corners the last of the escapees he learns a shocking truth; one that will affect him for the rest of his days.I've always associated Gregory Peck with the mild mannered lawyer Atticus Finch from 'To Kill a Mockingbird' so it came as a shock to see him playing a character hell bent on seeing four men die; perhaps it is that surprise that made his performance seem so powerful. While Peck's performance carried the film the supporting cast, which included Joan Collins and Lee Van Cleef, did a fine job. The story of a man seeking revenge might be one of the oldest but that doesn't mean it is always cliché; the ending added an excellent twist that I'm sure would have taken me totally by surprise if it hadn't been hinted at on the blurb on the back of the DVD case. With many classic westerns the setting is almost as important as the story and this is no exception; the locations are stunning in a way that makes the action believable. When I sat down to watch this I expected something fairly average but was gripped from start to finish; I'm surprised this film isn't better known as it is a fine example of the genre... if you like Westerns this is a must see.