Bandolero! (1968) On DVD

Actor:          James Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch, George Kennedy, Andrew Prine                                                                                             
Director:      Andrew V. McLaglen
Genre:         Westerns
Year:               1968
Studio:         Paramount Home Video
Length:        106
Released:     March 9, 2004
Rating:         Not Rated (MPAA Rating)
Format:          DVD
Misc:            NTSC, Color
Language:      English, French, Spanish
Subtitles  :      English, Spanish

DESCRIPTION:

Bandolero! peaks early, with a long, immensely satisfying opening half-hour in which cowpoke James Stewart saves his bank-robber brother (Dean Martin) from the hangman's noose... by strolling into town and masquerading as the hangman. As the brothers depart into Mexico, with a comely hostage (Raquel Welch) in tow, the action becomes more conventional. It's handsomely shot on eye-filling locations by outdoorsy veteran Andrew V. McLaglen (clever Jerry Goldsmith score, too). George Kennedy plays the lovelorn sheriff in pursuit, leading his half-hearted posse through bandito territory. Credibility suffers with Raquel's fabulous hair, which weathers kidnapping and life on the dusty trail with an unlikely sheen. Stewart and Martin, meanwhile, are too casual to allow the already-relaxed story to build up any real heat. For Western fans, the opening should make it worthwhile, even if it eventually becomes apparent why this one isn't considered a classic.