Western films were a staple in the U.S. for decades. The number of westerns made until the late 1960s was huge and for many studios the bread and butter of their existence. But times and interests change and the western fell out of favor eventually. While this was beginning to happen westerns themselves changed. The stories were less simplistic and the amount of violence within them increased. Most cite THE WILD BUNCH as being the first of these but VERA CRUZ released in 1954 was released long before that.
The Civil War has ended and many war weary men with skill sets that led them to violent careers had no reason to return home. Instead they began takin jobs as mercenaries and thieves. The Franco-Mexican war was taking place across the border and some headed there for work. Like Ben Trane (Gary Cooper), an ex-Confederate officer with more morals than most looking for work as a mercenary.
Trane encounters and falls in with a group led by Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster). Erin has a certain charm about him but is far more cutthroat and violence prone than Trane. His gang consist of Tex (Jack Elam), Donnegan (Ernest Borgnine), Ballard (Archie Savage) and Pittsburgh (Charles Bronson). None of them are to be trusted but Erin keeps them in line.
As the gang travels south they encounter Marquis Henri de Labordere (Caesar Romero), a member of the Mexican aristocracy. He entertains them and then makes them an offer. He will pay the $25,000 to escort Countess Duvarre (Denise Darcel) to the city of Vera Cruz. Erin negotiates with him and gets him to double the offer which he agrees to.
As they travel Trane keeps an eye on things and notices that the wagon seems heavier than it should. One night when they stop in a town to spend the night he investigates and finds Erin doing the same thing. They discover 6 cases of gold hidden in the base of the carriage. The countess finds them there and tells them the money is intended to pay for reinforcements from Europe. $3 million in gold. She agrees to split the money with them if they will help her.
Crosses and double crosses, Juaristas fighting for their cause and the battle within the characters of Trane and Erin that involves their moral cores take place from the beginning to the end of the film. A showdown between the two world weary gunslingers is inevitable.
VEAR CRUZ was part of a two package deal Lancaster had made with United Artists and both films he made, this and APACHE, were directed by Robert Aldrich who would go on to such classics as KISS ME DEADLY, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?, THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX and THE DIRTY DOZEN. His style of directing was always one that presented a macho side of things often highlighted with violence. That all shows in this film.
Lancaster shines in a role most would never have associated with him, a completely amoral character who doesn’t care who he harms along the way. A controversial scene in the film has him threatening the life of a child, something audiences at the time were shocked by.
Cooper does what he always did best. His performances were always filled with subtle nuance. Movements and subtle glances showed his ability to use his body as well as his dialogue to create a character. He was always considered a representation of the everyman and he does so here even while playing a man hired for his ability with a gun.
The film did well at the box office and was later hailed by critics as well. Most later saw this as the film that would inspire those more violent westerns that were later made in the sixties. It’s easy to understand that while watching it. There are certainly elements that display the typical Hollywood gloss to historical films but this one has that ground in the dirt atmosphere as well.
Kino Lorber is releasing the film in Blu-ray format and it looks great with a brand new 2k master. Extras include a commentary track by director Alex Cox, TRAILERS FROM HELL with John Landis and the theatrical trailer for the film. If you love westerns then this is one to add to your collection.
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