Barquero (1970)

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writers:

William Marks (writer)
George Schenck (writer)

Release Date:

29 July 1970 (France)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

It starts with a slaughter. Then the real action begins. Barquero. He had his own life-style. And his own death-style.

Plot:

Jake Remy leads a gang of outlaw cutthroats making their escape toward Mexico from a successful robbery...

Plot Keywords:

One Word Title

Cast

Lee Van Cleef	...	Travis (ferryman)
Warren Oates	...	Jake (Jacob) Remy, Gang Leader
Forrest Tucker	...	Mountain Phil
Kerwin Mathews	...	Marquette, Remy Gang
Mariette Hartley	...	Anna Hall
Marie Gomez	...	Nola, Travis' Woman
Armando Silvestre	...	Sawyer, Remy Gang
John Davis Chandler	...	Fair, Remy Gang
Craig Littler	...	Reverend Pitney, General Store Proprietor
Ed Bakey	...	Happy, Remy Gang
Richard Lapp	...	Poe, Remy Gang
Harry Lauter	...	Steele
Brad Weston	...	Driver, Remy Gang
Thad Williams	...	Gibson
Armand Alzamora	...	Lopez, Remy Gang

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Spain:13 | Spain:18 | West Germany:18 (f) | USA:R | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1970) | USA:GP | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Buckskin Joe Frontier Town & Railway - 1193 Fremont County Road 3A, Canon City, Colorado, USA

Company:

Aubrey Schenck Productions

Movie Connections:

Featured in Warren Oates: Across the Border (1993)

Underrated and forgotten but classic Western

Lee Van Cleef had already become an international star late in his career, following his success in the Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns, when he starred in "Barquero", made in 1970. The film is clearly influenced by the Spaghetti tradition, most clearly displayed in the drugged-up, psychotic villain, Jake Remy, who bares similarities to the character of Indio in "For a Few Dollars More". However "Barquero" is far superior to the many "Spaghetti" imitators and deserves to stand on its own as a great Western.

The plot is fairly simple, beginning with the massacre and plundering of a peaceful town by Jake Remy and his crew of assorted bandits. Their only escape from capture is to cross the river to safety but the only person who can help them is the Barquero, played by Lee Van Cleef, who refuses, and a violent stand-off ensues.

The film is aided immeasurably by the performance of Warren Oates as Jake Remy, in one of his best roles. Remy makes even most the evil Western characters look saintly in comparison, as he kills and butchers anyone who gets in his path (check out the scene in which he sleeps with a woman and then casually kills her) and his only redeeming feature is his loyalty to his men. This is perhaps the only Western in which the bad guy is given more screen time than the hero and is one of the most complex villains ever seen on screen. Remy has a past which he is haunted by, and is slowly driven mad by his determination to cross the river and by the stubbornness of the Barquero.

The film does not really have a hero, as the only two characters to resemble this are the Barquero and Mountain Phil, a truly bizarre character, excellently played by Forrest Tucker. The Barquero is prepared to help the endangered townsfolk against Remy, but only because he wants to bed one of the women and Mountain Phil does not help out of kindness but more so because he is slightly insane.

"Barquero" was directed by the undistinguished Gordon Douglas, although he did direct the classic 1954 Sci-Fi/horror "Them". Fans of Sam Peckinpah will be pleased to see the villainous pairing of Warren Oates and John Davis Chandler, although Van Cleef fans may be disappointed as he is given little to do, besides having to wear one of the worst shirts ever committed to film.

"Barquero" should be seen by anyone who is serious about Westerns and is required viewing for fans of the great Warren Oates.