Villa Rides (1968)

Mexican rebel Pancho Villa lead a revolution helped by an American aviator imprisonned in Mexico.

Director:

Buzz Kulik

Writers:

Robert Towne (screenplay), Sam Peckinpah (screenplay)

Stars:

Yul Brynner, Robert Mitchum, Maria Grazia Buccella

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yul Brynner	...	Pancho Villa
Robert Mitchum	...	Lee Arnold
Maria Grazia Buccella	...	Fina (as Grazia Buccella)
Charles Bronson	...	Rodolfo Fierro
Herbert Lom	...	General Huerta
Robert Viharo	...	Urbina
Frank Wolff	...	Ramirez
Alexander Knox	...	President Madero
Robert Carricart	...	Don Luis (as Bob Carricart)
Andrés Monreal	...	Captain Herrera
Fernando Rey	...	Fuentes
Julio Peña	...	General
José María Prada	...	Major
Regina de Julián	...	Lupita
Antoñito Ruiz	...	Juan (as Antonio Ruiz)

Storyline

Pulled into the Mexican Revolution by his own greed, Texas gunrunner & pilot Lee Arnold joins bandit-turned-patriot Pancho Villa & his band of dedicated men in a march across Mexico battling the Colorados & stealing women's hearts as they go. But each has a nemesis among his friends: Arnold is tormented by Fierro, Villa's right-hand-man; and Villa must face possible betrayal by his own president's naiveté.

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Plot Keywords:

two gun holster | gun | gun holster | holster | double gun holster | 

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Taglines:

Villa rages! Villa lusts! Villa kills! VILLA RIDES!

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Genres:

War | Western

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the first movie where Charles Bronson appears with his trademark mustache.

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Goofs

In the first flight with Arnold & Fierro, they observe the train approaching a causeway over a valley at speed. They return to Chupadero to report to Villa. The next day, they fly over the train again, which is a few feet past where they saw it before crossing the same valley.

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Quotes

Client in barber shop: Pretty funny games they play down there, huh?
Lee Arnold: What about Villa? Did you hear anything about him?
Client in barber shop: Yeah... Yeah, he escaped from jail in Mexico City. Huerta has practically his entire army looking for him. Must want him pretty bad, huh?
Lee Arnold: Yeah, I guess he does.
Client in barber shop: Hey, Lee. Is this 'Villa' a friend of yours?
Lee Arnold: Yeah, I know him.

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Connections

Referenced in Command Performance (1977)

User Reviews

Macho movie!

Get ready for a macho, macho movie! Starring Yul Brynner as Poncho Villa, Charles Bronson as his trigger-happy sidekick, and Robert Mitchum as the American accidentally caught in the middle of the Mexican Revolution, there's no room for any estrogen in this action flick!

Well, that's not exactly true. While Charles is completely content killing people, Bob quickly gets attached to Maria Grazia Buccella. After a brutal attack on the town leaves Maria ruined in the worst way, Yul shows the soft side of his heart. He feels personally responsible for Maria's traumatic incident, so to help her hold her head up in the community and show his remorse for what the soldiers did, he marries her. How is this a testosterone-fest? Don't worry, guys. If you think Villa Rides turns into a girly movie, that's not the case. It's a very manly movie with constant gunfire and action. If you like the stars and the setting, you won't be disappointed.

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, since there may or may not be a rape scene, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 August 1968 (France)

Also Known As:

Villa Rides

Filming Locations:

Durango, Mexico

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,640,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1