scheelj

A great cast headlines this enjoyable Errol Flynn western. Randolph Scott and a young Humphrey Bogart co-star in an action-packed story that starts at a Civil War prison camp and ends thousands of miles away in a desert with an old-fashioned circle-the-wagons gun battle. Flynn plays a union spy sent to stop a Confederate officer, Scott's character, who is trying to smuggle a gold shipment into the South. Humphrey Bogart plays an amusing role as a villainous Hispanic bandit who also wants a piece of the gold. A bit cheesy in parts, but this is one of Flynn's better westerns. Not too shabby. 3 out of 5 action rating

See it – Like all good Sam Peckinpah directed films, this one is exciting from start to finish. This movie came right before he did "Wild Bunch," and you can see the similarities in the fight scenes. Starting with "Wild Bunch," Peckinpah began pushing the envelope and trying to get away with more and more (violence, nudity, etc). I like "Villa Rides" because it's kind of his last normal, old-fashioned movie. He doesn't try to get all Tarantino on us; he just makes a great action movie. Yul Brynner (with hair) is pretty good as Villa, considering Brynner is actually Russian (not Mexican). A young Charles Bronson steals many of the scenes as Villa's tough, Bad-A right hand man. The movie also co-stars Robert Mitchum. This is a big epic full of sweeping battle scenes and a great cast. I'm surprised more people haven't heard of it. 4 action rating

See it – This WWII gem is almost impossible to find, but it is an underrated war classic that shouldn't be forgotten. It has a clever title, considering it is about a man who loves war, but is also quite a "Casanova" with the ladies. Steve McQueen plays a reckless, hotshot bomber pilot more concerned with women and personal glory than the safety of his crew. But his friendship with his trusted co-pilot, played by Robert Wagner, is put to the test when they both fall for the same girl. For the haters out there who think McQueen was a one dimensional actor, you need to watch this movie. It is one of his best acting performances, hands down. He does a magnificent job of playing a man too confident for his own good. Unfortunately, this film is very talky, and there are only 2 aerial battles. But the final battle is a heroic conclusion to a movie that deserves the "epic" label even more than Memphis Belle. 2 action rating.