L'aquila e il falco

This film is set during the US Civil War. Because the US was tearing itself apart, European powers took this as an opportunity to take control of Mexico. They installed a puppet ruler of sorts, Maximillian, and convinced the man the Mexican people wanted him...though most didn't. As for the elected president of Mexico, Juarez, he was forced to run and years of fighting followed. I mention all this because this is the context for "The Eagle and the Hawk".

When the story begins, sometime incredibly unlikely takes place. An American agent (Dennis O'Keefe) teams up with a Texas Ranger (John Payne) to go to Mexico to look into trouble brewing south of the border. Now the notion of a Yankee and a Confederate working together in any capacity during the Civil War seems ridiculous....but hey, that's the plot!

Once in Mexico they learn several things. First, the American agent was looking for a fellow agent and he learns the man was very brutally murdered. Second, there's a local self-appointed leader, General Liguras (Thomas Gomez), who is supposedly aligned with Juarez. Third, there's a man who they describe as a 'German' (he's about as German as Chow Mein!) who is a big man with his own private army of sorts. How do all three of these things fit together? Well, the Yankee and Reb both work different sides in order to learn the truth.

This is a decent movie, with nice color cinematography and location shooting in Sedona, Arizona. However, it's also amazingly short on action and is quite talky. Not a bad film at all, though a VERY unlikely one considering the political affiliation of Payne's and O'Keefe's characters!