El hombre de la diligencia

This isn't actually half bad. The acting and production are pretty nondescript, but the story is OK - a distant cousin of "Stagecoach" (1939) - featuring some folks travelling on the stage forced to hole up at a staging post to save themselves from some marauding Apache. To add some spice, there is an old score to settle between the star, Frank Latimore ("Loman") and a judge whom he knows stole his home from him many years earlier. Nuria Torray provides some (thankfully) sparse romantic interest, but essentially this is a siege western with a few somewhat predictable twists and turns whilst they try to keep their pursuers, who are plentiful but luckily couldn't hit a barn door with a shovel, at bay. It's no worse than plenty of American made movies of this genre and though pretty much forgettable it passes 90 minutes just fine.

"Fury of the Apaches" (a.k.a. "Apache Fury") was released the same year as Sergio Leone's game changing western "A Fistful of Dollars", and there is interest in comparing both movies. "A Fistful of Dollars" was swiftly told, unfolded in a gritty manner, and had plenty of energy. "Fury of the Apaches", on the other hand, sticks pretty close to the style of westerns made in the United States in the late '50s to early '60s. It's much slower in pace, has less action, and has far more talking. Also, the way it's directed lacks any flashy style, though it picks some atypical locations in the Spanish desert to shoot on. But for the most part, the movie just plods along slowly with not very many surprises. I think that's because there was more of a Spanish influence on the movie than Italian; the Italians were much better at making lively Euro westerns. Anyway, there's not much to recommend in this movie unless you have great interest in seeing a Euro western that was made in a more conventional style before Leone came along and really shook the genre up.

So-so Paella Western about confrontation between the stagecoach passengers and Indians led by the famous Apache chief Geronimo . This thrilling Tortilla Western packs zooms , thrills , shootouts , go riding , noisy action , chases and Indian attacks . A group of stagecoach passengers (the stiff judge Jesús Puente , his fiancée Nuria Torray , Pastor Serrador, Julio Pérez Tabernero) are attacked by Indians and all of them take refuge at a rest stop . The stagecoach arrives in a wagon station that has come under Indian attack , it is an old , puny fort in ruins , they find out it has been attacked by natives and, subsequently, there are several casualties all around due to the Apache assaults . The judge (Jesús Puente) meets the station master (Frank Latimore) who results to be the man once judged and condemned , and the latter seeks revenge . The wagon is also carrying a large sum of money, and some crooks (Mariano Vidal Molina) use their shrewdness in order to take the cash . All the while the Indians have a very strong reason for wanting one of the passengers, he mistakenly murdered a chief of some friendly Indians. The Indians led by Geronimo attack on and on the wagon train station that is used as a sanctuary by a stagecoach while taking refuge at a scrawny fort .

A routine Gazpacho Western with assaults , treason , go riding , shootouts and drags at times , balancing in ups and downs . The plot summary is plain and simple : a stagecoach is attacked by Apache Indians and then they take shelter at a station , being besieged by the known leader Geronimo . It's a low budget film with ordinary actors , technicians, passable production values and middling results . This moving Tortilla Western blends decent action scenes , shootouts , stirring Indian charges , evocative cinematography and many other things ; all meld together under Jose Maria Elorrieta's mediocre direction . Although the story has been told before , ordinary filmmaking and so-so acting win out , but it results in an acceptable Western adventure flick . It is a combination of overwhelming crossfires and full of villainy , romance , fights and heroism . This is one of the few Chorizo Westerns in which appear Indians , including Apache Chief Geronimo , using Spanish people as extras and stunts . Fair Gazpacho Western with a professional Spanish filmmaker , B-actors , a lot of Spanish secondaries and expert technicians . All in all , this film is predominantly a Spanish film rather than an Italian one . It's a utterly Spanish Western , though by that time to be ordinary Spanish/Italian co-productions in which were clearly dominated by the Italian contingent and the traditional leanings of the Spanish producers of the time have their stamp on the entire proceedings . The Spanish westerns of this era were far more likely to try and emulate their American source material than cultivate a distinctive style of their own the way the Italians were doing but their product , if you like traditional westerns remains watchable . Customary Western that doesn't follows the Sergio Leone wake , but it is proceeded in American models . It's an exciting western with overwhelming shootouts and facing off between the really sieged people and violent Indians . This picture bears remarkable resemblance to ¨Fuerte Perdido¨or ¨Massacre at Fort Grant" or "Doomed Fort" or "Massacre at Fort Perdition" shot at the same time in 1964 with similar director , actors and scenarios . Passable acting by the American Frank Latimore who starred some Westerns , as Spanish as Italian ones , such as ; ¨Charge of Canadian Mounted Police¨, ¨Los Cuatreros¨, ¨Zorro¨ and ¨Vendetta of Zorro¨ by Joaquin Roméro Marchent . Furthermore , Jorge Martin who played a lot of Paella/Chorizo or Tortilla Western filmed in Spain and Jesús Puente , a regular and notorious secondary player . Producer and director took advantage of the atmospheric exteriors from Seseña , Toledo , Colmenar Viejo and Manzanares Del Real , Aranjuez , Madrid and shooting a hastily assembled passable picture . In the movie appears usual support actors of the sixties such as : Mariano Vidal Molina , Aldo Sambrell , Julio Perez Tabernero , Guillermo Méndez , José Sancho , Rafael Albaicín , Frank Braña , Pastor Serrador , Alfonso De La Vega ; all of them performed a great number of Spaghetti/Paella Western .

This is a good-natured Eastmancolor romp with atmospheric cinematography from Alfonso Nieva , though a perfect remastering being necessary because of the film copy is washed-out ; in addition an evocative musical score by Fernando Garcia Morcillo . This "El Hombre de la Diligencia" was middlingly directed by José Maria Elorrieta , a hard-working craftsman who had already filmed other Westerns and adventures . He was a writer and director , especially known for Rosa De Lima (1961), Muchachas En Vacaciones (1958) , and made many other films until his early death at 53 . Spanish writer/filmmaker Jose Maria Elorrieta so consistently mixed the good with the mediocre that it became quite impossible to know what to expect from him next . As Elorrieta had prolific career , working from the 40s to 70s he directed all kind of genres such as Terror : ¨Escalofrío Diabólico¨, ¨La LLamada Del Vampiro¨, ¨El Espectro del Terror¨, ¨Las Amantes Del Diablo¨; Western : ¨Los Siete De Pancho Villa¨, "If You Shoot... You Live!", ¨Hombre De La Diligencia¨ , and adventures as ¨La Muchacha Del Nilo¨, ¨Conquistadores Del Pacifico¨, El Tesoro De Makuba¨, ¨La Esclava Del Paraíso¨ and ¨Hawk of Castile¨. Rating : 5 , mediocre Western movie , entertaining stuff that provides audience amusement . Enjoyable but ordinary production packs enough breathtaking fights , tempestuous romance and exciting situations for a good time . It will appeal to Eurotrash fans and Western movies aficionados .

After being sentenced to prison by a dishonest judge for killing a man in self-defense, a cowboy named "Steve Loman" (Frank Latimore) has since been released and is in charge of a stagecoach way station in the Arizona countryside. That being said, although he harbors an extreme dislike for "Judge Todd Driscoll" (Jesus Puente), he turns down an offer from a few local thugs to kill him and then share the money the judge will be carrying with him on the stagecoach headed for his way station. Traveling with the judge is his fiancée, "Ruth" (Nuria Torray), whose husband was murdered recently and, thanks to the judge's efforts, managed to make some money from the sale of her ranch, which she could no longer manage by herself. The problem, however, is that once the stagecoach arrives at the way station, it is immediately attacked by Apache warriors led by the famous chief Geronimo. To that effect, both Judge Driscoll and Steve Loman realize that, if they are going to survive, they must work together. Now, instead of revealing any more, I will just say that this film was produced in Spanish and, rather than relying on subtitles, the decision was made to dub the film in English instead. Honestly, I'm not sure this was a great idea because sections of the script felt overly simplistic and failed to convey the necessary anger and passion. But that's just my opinion. Be that as it may, while I certainly don't consider this to be a bad film by any means, I wasn't overly impressed with it, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

In an old fort dedicated to the service of change of chivalry, show up three hired murderers and warn Lohman, the manager, who is about to get a stagecoach traveling in the former judge who unjustly condemned to five years in prison , and of course the husband murderer now promised the judge, Ruth, indicating further that brings a suitcase with many dollars. However, Lohman rejects the suggestion of the bandits. But when the judge and his girlfriend, the fort was attacked by Indians.

Not the the most engaging western I've seen. After a promising start with an Apache attack on a Stagecoach, tediousness sets in, thanks to the endless bickering among the occupants of the way station. Not entirely bad though as it gets progressively better midway with some fair drama, but don't expect earth shattering exciting. The hero and villain are bland - the action is ok. It's just a little flat. The scenery is good.