Tittilating and exciting describe this movie, which has a opiate effect of luring the viewer in and addicting the viewer. Its a South of the border Western with Robert Taylor portraying an anti hero in charge of a group soldiers who are drafted from the prisons and gallows. He has his hands full just trying to keep them all from deserting. Ty Hardin plays an anarchist who slowly wins over Taylor's confidence and possibly respect. They are among a handful of men who transport beautiful women to the fort to help keep the number of deserters down. Meanwhile, former deserters unite with local natives and try to steal the women. Taylor plays the sort of anti hero who is much more believable and identifiable than the clownish ones of later spaghetti Westerns. Taylor, like Eastwood, wasn't as gifted an actor as his fellow cast members in most cases, so his stoic look serves as that of observer-cynic. However, the writing of "Savage Pampas" is far superior to that of the spaghetti Westerns. The characters are well defined and written well enough that you don't need an Eli Wallach or Lee Van Cleef to pull them off. Still, Hardin was never a slouch in the acting department. His anti hero has more heart than Taylor's, but Taylor's character is still convincing. Like true anti heroes, they're not superhuman murderous machines, but much more in line with the old West. The ending is totally unpredictable, and as far as I know, an unusual fate for Robert Taylor, and Ty Hardin. The music has a fascination to it, and it helps lure you in. One of the great Westerns.
Review of Savage Pampas
