Karry
Best movie of this year hands down!
Clevercell
Very disappointing...
Fairaher
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Billy Ollie
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Spikeopath
The Treasure of Pancho Villa is directed by George Sherman and adapted to screenplay by Niven Busch from a story written by J. Robert Bren and Gladys Atwater. It stars Rory Calhoun, Gilbert Roland and Shelley Winters. Music is by Leith Stevens and cinematography by William Snyder.It's 1915, Mexico, and two adventurers are in the throes of revolutionary greed, loyalties and plain stubbornness...It's all rather dull, really, a film not without a good action quotient, yet it drags itself through the slumber with weak characterisations. Winters is shoehorned into the pic as a sort of love interest, but ultimately her character achieves nothing more than under developed dressage, while Calhoun and Roland are saddled with some dire passages of chatter that come off as weak willed time filler. There's some sturdy machismo on show, especially when Calhoun lets fly with his Lewis Machine Gun, the location photography at Morelos (Technicolor/SuperScope) engages the eyes, and the last hurrah battle excites, but this is one that quickly fades from memory, sadly. By this point even the buzzards have had enough... 5/10
kennedya-1
Great film for Gilbert Roland fans. He goes the full nine yards in sartorial fetishism. The thigh-high multi- buckled leather boots, the narrow wrist thongs to emphasise his thewed hirsute forearms, the double flap-pocketed and epauletted safari shirt diagonally crossed with a bullet-laden bandoleer, the mandatory trouser belt above the matching holster belt (if the revolution succeeds, gringo, everyone in "May-he-co" will be able to dress like theece). This ensemble is topped off with the classical Gilbertian contest between his moustache and his cheroot as to which was thinner. In this period he starred in any film in which he appeared notwithstanding his actual billing which was dictated by him being Mexican rather than WASP(apart of course from his waist).
skoyles
In 1955 or perhaps '56 I was taken to the cinema by my Mother to see "The Treasure of Pancho Villa". Having not seen this movie again until today (my thanks to the Turner Classic Movie channel!) I really have to wonder about my Mother. As a ten year old I was impressed by the machine gun, by Rory Calhoun and cannot remember much else. Now, all these decades later, I am surprised, shocked even, to realize what a dark and thoughtful film this is, with a very high body count. It has more in common with the later "The Wild Bunch" than with the cheerful Roy Rogers, Cisco Kid, and Lone Ranger of my childhood. Calhoun is very good as the "gringo" mercenary and shows an unexpected complexity and range; Shelley Winters is fine as the borderline insane teacher; and the supporting cast of Latin actors is very good. But the standout is the heroic and monomaniacal character played by Gilbert Rowland. I almost expected a plot twist in which Juan Castro was really Pancho Villa! This did not happen, and the movie is all the better for avoiding that clichéd twist. Rowland is amazing, wearing the complex character like a well-cut trench coat. This turned out to be a much better motion picture than I had remembered. Well worth a look. And with firearms appropriate ot the period, always a pleasant surprise.
forshage-1
One of the best ending's ever - I am waiting for some body to remake this just for the ending - I saw this when I was very little - and never forgot it. Sure it's corny - but done right - its magnificent!Shelly WInters still looked young and attractive - Rory Calhoun was the oiliest man alive, but the concept was great.An American mercenary with a machine gun, men with pistols and horses, and of course gold!And the ending - with the stacks of gold and the two men against the calvary - well young men play at such things. if it was remade I can see any number of actors as the lead - Russell Crowe or George Clooney come to mine, and of course Antonio Bandaras as the co-star. I highly recommend this movie.