ThiefHott Too much of everything

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

ma-cortes In the late 1800's , in the thunderous Argentina , where the boundary between Indians and Europeans was marked by "Fortines" (little forts) manned by conscripted soldiers . There is a pillbox in the middle of the Pampa surrounded by Indian tribes , this fort is commanded by a stiff commander (José Nieto) who along with his captain named Martin (Robert Taylor as the lead) decide to bring women from Buenos Aires , for not deserting soldiers . To help do this , the captain brings in a party of women to keep his soldiers happy . Meanwhile , the army captain tries to tame the open plains of Argentina which are dominated by Indians and bandits . As the movie centers on the forced transportation of a group of women (Isabel Pisano , Rosana Monteros, Laya Raki , among others) , hookers and convicted of crimes and banished to the fortines to alleviate the loneliness of the soldiers . Being attacked by Indians and cutthroats whose gang is made up of army deserters led by Padrón (Ron Randell) . Remake of 1946 Argentinian film ¨Pampa Barbara¨ (1946) with Luisa Vehil directed by Lucas Demare and Fregonese himself. The script is at times a little bit stilted , moody and dramatic , but does a good job of capturing the violent environment , including brutal killings and beheading , as well as breathtaking battles and gorgeous outdoors . It narrates in Spaghetti Western style the gradual rolling back of the native Indians of Argentina from their ancestral lands by the Europeans and their descendants as well as settlers , cattlemen and army soldiers . Savage Pampas is glossy and sleek , but somehow doesn't manage to rise to a superior quality . In spite of efforts towards authenticity , the film fails on some non-sense scenes and other disconcerting events . The veteran Robert Taylor in his last film plays a rugged army captain and his nemesis , a rebel deserter , is well played by Ron Randell . Fine acting all around, especially from the support cast that included some of the best secondaries of the period , usual in co-productions (Spaghetti Western , Peplum) like José Jaspe , Julio Peña, José María Caffarel , Angel Del Pozo , Milo Quesada , George Rigaud , Sancho Gracia , José Nieto , Enrique Avila , Barta Barry . Excellent production design by the Oscarized Gil Parrondo (Gil was an unfailingly good production designer in more than 80 movies over 50 years). Colorful and evocative cinematography in Superpanorama 70 by Manuel Berenguer . Thhrilling and atmospheric musical score by Waldo De Los Rios .The motion picture was professionally directed by Hugo Fregonese , though has numerous flaws and gaps . Direction by Fregonese maintains a steady pace and is partially as good in interiors as in outdoor action scenes . Hugo Fregonese is familiar remember the Argentine director for his Hollywood work , that began with One Way Street in 1950 and included some biggies such as Blowing Wild (1953), his biggest hit . Fregonese started in Argentina, and Pampa Bárbara , first version , is the first first film he directed he is listed as co- director with Lucas Demare . He had done his apprenticeship with Demare as assistant director in two previous films. Hugo was an Argentina director who emigrated to Hollywood, then became technical adviser on latino themes at Columbia Studios in Hollywood, and subsequently under contract at Universal from 1950 to 1952 filming ¨Man in the attic¨ with Jack Palance , ¨Blowing wild¨with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck , ¨Decameron Nights¨with Joan Fontaine , ¨Harry Black and the tiger¨with Stewart Granger . Spent the rest of the decade in Europe directing Euro-westerns as ¨Apache's last battle¨ , this ¨Savage Pampas¨ and potboilers as "The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse" , Terror as "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" before finishing his career back in the country of his birth . Rating : 6 , acceptable and passable . Worthwhile seeing for marvelous landscapes and breathtaking outdoors from Argentina and Spain.

chipe This is one of the worst Westerns I have ever seen. Sad that it was one of Robert Taylor's last movies. It has some things that you have never seen in a movie before. Often that would be a good thing -- edgy, bold innovation, cutting edge, push the envelope, etc. Here you know it was never done before because it is so awful! ***spoilers*** The biggest theme of the movie seems to be that soldiers will fight, dessert and re-enlist if they are offered prostitutes. That might be interesting if there was some nudity, raw realistic language, believable characters, etc. But no. There are no interesting characters for the audience to follow, none to commiserate with hero Taylor -- no girlfriends, no male friends even. Plus the dubbing is awful. There must be good stories involving Argentina, the Pampas, Indians, deserters, and civil war there, but you won't find it in this silly movie. Most of the movie involves Taylor's Captain character escorting jailed-women-let-free if they would "comfort" the soldiers. On the way to the fort, the women and their soldier escorts fall in love (!!), so the soldiers refuse to continue to the fort. Meanwhile they are attacked by white rebels (many of them deserted soldiers joining the rebellion because they are offered prostitutes) and Indians. The soldiers and comfort women end up in a church surrounded by the rebel-bandit-Indian forces. Taylor leaves to get help from the fort. He is captured by the bad rebel leader and staked out to die alone slowly in the sun. A friendly girl rescues him. He continues to the fort and returns with a small number of soldiers. The larger rebel-deserter-Indian force has the church surrounded and are having fun waiting/stretching out the time to attack the church. Nice guys. Taylor sneaks into the bad guys camp and kills the chief, sneaks back out, and the superstitious Indians decide to leave. There is still the matter of the larger rebel-deserter force, but Taylor tells them they will have amnesty if they retire to the fort with their prostitutes. That leaves the rebel leader alone to fight Taylor -- man to man. They fight with swords and spears, but Taylor ends things by drawing his revolver to shoot the rebel leader dead! Really. Then Taylor dies from his wounds.

Desiree1954 A sad and dismal almost final ending for Robert Taylor. His handsome looks faded by time, drink, and possible lung cancer, Robert Taylor presents a depressing lifeless figure in this 3rd rate South American produced Western. As a big fan of Taylor, I really don't want to remember him in this film. Of course, this is easy to do, as this movie has virtually been lost to time. It's clear that Robert Taylor didn't have his heart in the role of "Captain Martin". He looks weather beaten, tired, and just plain worn out. His build is just too thin and he appears in ill health. Even the feel of this whole movie is that of people "Beaten-Up" by the passing of time and hard living. Savage Pampas is "savage" to watch. There is little to like and it's not even a pleasant night at the movies. Savage Pampas is just a dismal footnote in the faltering career of Robert Taylor.

dinky-4 This south-of-the-border western, (and we're talking way way south), has a lot of promising elements. There's the novel quality of its unusual setting, (the Argentine pampas in the late 1800s), attractively photographed to emphasize its sweeping openness. There's the lively situation of some lusty soldiers escorting a group of attractive hookers on a cross-country journey. There's plenty of action -- Indian attacks, knife fights, the siege inside a burning church, etc. And the cast offers an intriguing mix of macho types: Robert Taylor, Ty Hardin, and Ron Randell. Still, the movie never succeeds in mixing these ingredients into a suitable dish because there's no recipe here, no strong plot-line to connect these elements. Too often it's simply a string of related episodes which keep you mildly interested while you're waiting for the main story to arrive and take hold.Acting honors go to Ron Randell who makes his bandit character more interesting than the script might indicate. Robert Taylor, in his fading days and looking quite saturnine, lends a bit of dignity to the proceedings, even when he's staked out on the ground in spreadeagle style. Ty Hardin gets to display some of that twinkle-in-the-eye charm which, sadly, was often missing when he wound up in glum, humorless parts. Curiously, he's never given a chance to show off his bare chest. Casting Ty Hardin in a movie and then making him keep his shirt on is like hiring Fred Astaire and then telling him not to dance!