Cannon for Cordoba (1970)

In 1916, when a Mexican rebel steals cannons from the American army, General Pershing sends out a group of misfits to retrieve the stolen weapons.

Director:

Paul Wendkos

Writer:

Stephen Kandel

Stars:

George Peppard, Giovanna Ralli, Raf Vallone

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Peppard	...	Capt. Rod Douglas
Giovanna Ralli	...	Leonora
Raf Vallone	...	Cordoba
Pete Duel	...	Andy Rice
Don Gordon	...	Jackson Harkness
Nico Minardos	...	Peter
Gabriele Tinti	...	Antonio
John Larch	...	Warner
Francine York	...	Sophia
John Russell	...	John J. Pershing
Lionel Murton	...	Colonel Hammond
Hans Meyer	...	Svedborg
Richard Pendrey	...	Adam
Takis Emmanuel	...	Campo
Janis Hansen	...	Girl

Storyline

In 1916, a Mexican rebel named Cordoba steals six cannons from the forces of General Pershing who's been sent to bring order to the Texas-Mexico border. Pershing assigns a soldier named Rod Douglas to retrieve the cannons. Douglas recruits a trio of misfits and they, along with a Mexican officer and an enigmatic woman, travel 200 miles south to Cordoba's mountain fortress. Explosions and gun battles soon erupt.

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Plot Keywords:

spaghetti western | sex without love | mexican | cannon | battle | 

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Taglines:

They aimed him at Cordoba's fortress, and pulled the trigger! The army followed, to pick up the pieces!

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Genres:

Action | Romance | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence and sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the UK it was released as the supporting film in a double bill with the third "Virgil Tibbs" film, The Organization (1970).

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Goofs

The uniform stolen from a much shorter and stouter soldier fits Antonio perfectly.

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Quotes

Cordoba: The revolution has many friends... for a price.

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Connections

Referenced in Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven' (2000)

User Reviews

Routine but watchable

You've seen this before and, yes, you'll see it again. A maverick soldier rounds up a group of misfits and leads them on an impossible mission behind enemy lines. Along the way there's a bit of sex and a hint of treachery and the climax, complete with explosions and flying bullets, kills off some members of the cast.

As "formula" movies go this is quite watchable, (but also quite forgettable), thanks to bright photography, good art direction, a lively score by Elmer Bernstein, and a slightly better-than-average cast.

Heading this cast is George Peppard who enjoyed a brief but significant "Golden Age" from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" in 1961 through "The Blue Max" in 1966. After that he drifted into lesser movies which usually cast him in "tough guy" roles: soldiers, cops, private eyes, mercenaries, etc. However, he often seemed slightly out-of-place in these roles which were quite different from his best role -- the boyish writer in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." One wonders why Peppard didn't more often pick roles which emphasized his guy-next-door charm rather than his two-fisted toughness.

Part of his appeal in "Tiffany's" was due to his unthreatening sexuality best demonstrated in that scene with Audrey Hepburn where he's propped up naked in bed covered only by a sheet. Later films often tried, usually without notable success, to exploit Peppard's "beefcake" appeal by getting him to take his shirt off. In "Cordoba," for example, he has no less than three bare-chest scenes!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dragon Master

Filming Locations:

Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mirisch Production Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1