100 Rifles (1969)

In 1912 Sonora, Mexico, native revolutionary Yaqui Joe robs a bank to buy arms for his oppressed people, but finds himself sought by an American lawman and the Mexican Army.

Director:

Tom Gries

Writers:

Clair Huffaker (screenplay), Tom Gries (screenplay)

Stars:

Jim Brown, Raquel Welch, Burt Reynolds

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jim Brown	...	Lyedecker
Raquel Welch	...	Sarita
Burt Reynolds	...	Yaqui Joe
Fernando Lamas	...	Verdugo
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Grimes
Eric Braeden	...	Von Klemme (as Hans Gudegast)
Michael Forest	...	Humara
Aldo Sambrell	...	Sgt. Paletes
Soledad Miranda	...	Girl in Hotel
Alberto Dalbés	...	Padre Francisco (as Alberto Dalbes)
Charly Bravo	...	Lopez (as Carlos Bravo)
José Manuel Martín	...	Sarita's Father (as Jose Manuel Martin)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Akim Tamiroff	...	Gen. Romero (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Reynolds plays Yaqui Joe, an Indian who robs a bank in order to buy guns for his people who are being savagely repressed by the government. Set in turn of the century Mexico, it tells the story of his flight into Mexico and his pursuit by an American lawman. They eventually become allies and team up with Welch to take up the cause of the Indians.

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Plot Keywords:

arizona ranger | premarital sex | phoenix arizona | yaqui indian | diversion | 

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Taglines:

All they need is . . . 100 RIFLES

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Genres:

Adventure | Romance | War | Western

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

26 March 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

One Hundred Rifles

Filming Locations:

Villamanta, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$3,920,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marvin Schwartz Productions, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Fernando Lamas' wife memoirs - Esther Williams' biography - during the shooting of the film, Jim Brown defied Lamas to fist fight with him, for fun, so that Brown could prove his physical superiority, but everything went awry for Brown, because Lamas was a karate expert.

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Goofs

After the fight with Lyedecker, Yaqui Joe Herrera is hanging over the cliff from his manacles and a supporting rope is briefly visible.

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Quotes

Yaqui Joe Herrera: I know all about them small town barber shop cutting sheriffs. I know all about them big town, big belly, billy club swinging policemen from St. Louis.
Lyedecker: YOU DON'T KNOW NOTHIN'!
Yaqui Joe Herrera: THE HELL I DON'T! They look you up and down and you're guilty! You don't get no trial, just like we ain't gonna get one now.

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Alternate Versions

Originally rated R upon its initial release, in 1973 the film was edited and re-rated PG. The recent Region 1 DVD by FOX is this PG rated version.

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Connections

Featured in Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003)

User Reviews

Passable Western set in turn of the century Mexico , realized in Spaghetti style , and shot in Almeria , Spain , as usual

Entertaining and amusing Western that tells the story of a thief (Burt Reynolds is of part Cherokee Indian descent) , his flight into Mexico and his pursuit by a Black American lawman (Jim Brown) and both of whom chased by a despotic military governor (Fernando Lamas) and his hoodlums (Aldo Sambrell , Eric Braeden) . As in 19th century Mexico appears a half-breed bank robber (Burt Reynolds plays a native/half-white American and his previous film, Navajo Joe 1966 , he also played an Indian) , he is Yaqui Joe , an Indian who robs a bank in order to buy guns for his people who are being savagely repressed by the government . As the lawman and the outlaw eventually become allies and team up with a female revolutionary (Raquel Welch) to help save them from annihilation and to take up the cause of the Indians.

Stirring and exciting Western with thrills , violence , shootouts , a lot of firing squad and plenty of action in which a misfit group formed by Yaqui Joe and a sheriff join up with a female revolutionary and attempt to take money from a bank to buy arms for their oppressed people but all of them are relentlessly pursued by the Mexican Army . It includes spectacular pursuits in which the pursued protagonists cross impressive landscapes , rivers and mountains . Although quite racy in its day for its interracial sex sizzle of Brown and Welch , it's overblown and tame by today's standards . In fact , this film was apparently one of the first movies to feature a sex scene between people of different races . What it lacks in political correctness it makes up for in fits of action . Although this film was shot in Spain , it was filmed by an American studio -20th Century-Fox- with an American director , Tom Gries , producer Marvin Schwartz , and expert Western writer Cliff Huffaker , being based on the novel written by Robert MacLeod . Nice acting by Burt Reynolds as a mestizo or half Yaqui Indian who finds himself wanted by an American lawman , adequately played by Jim Brown . Raquel Welch is gorgeous and memorably over-the-top as as the woman who forms a strong axis to Brown . This is one of a number of westerns that Burt Reynolds made during the mid- to late 1960s and early 1970s . These include Navajo Joe(1966), Sam Whiskey (1969) and The man who loved Cat Dancing (1973). And gorgeous Raquel Welch giving a mediocre acting ; Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds fell out whilst making this movie, three years later they both starred in "Fuzz" . Support casting and crew are formed by an European (usually Spanish) cast , all of them ordinaries in Paella/Spaghetti Western shot in Spain such as : Aldo Sambrell , Alberto Dalbes , Sancho Gracia , Jose Manuel Martin , Charly Bravo , Rafael Albaicín and the beauty Soledad Miranda as a prostitute .

Superbly photographed by Cecilio Paniagua on spectacular outdoors from Almeria -though the train wreck station shot in Villamanta, Madrid- , including its terrain closely resembles the northeast Mexico/southwest US área and where in the 60s and 70s were filmed uncountable Westerns . The Spanish Cecilio Paniagua was a very good cameraman who photographed several Westerns such as ¨Custer of the West¨ , "Great Treasure Hunt" , and ¨Hunting party¨ , all of them filmed in Almeria . Special mention for the thrilling as well as evocative musical score by maestro Jerry Goldsmith , composed in his peculiar style . The motion picture was professionally directed by Tom Gries though flopped in theatres . This movie was filmed in the same Almeria, Spain, region as director Tom Gries' TV series The Rat Patrol (1966), both starred Eric Braeden . Traveling to Hollywood in 1947, Gries took a job as a talent agent, and eventually went to work for producer/director Stanley Kramer . He entered the production end of the business as an associate producer, then graduated to writing and producing documentaries. Tom switched to television, where he received an Emmy in 1963 for directing the series East Side/West Side (1963) . Tom was an expert director of Western as ¨Breakheart pass¨ , this ¨100 Rifles¨ , and ¨Will Penny¨ that is the best work ever made ; Gries also directed other successes as ¨Breakout¨, ¨The glass house¨ , ¨Helter Skelter¨ and TV series as ¨QBVII¨ , but he also made some real duds . His later output in other genres was routine.