The Revengers (1972)

When a rancher's family is massacred by a gang of outlaws, he assembles a mean team of convicts as his posse to pursue the killers.

Director:

Daniel Mann

Writers:

Wendell Mayes (screenplay), Steven W. Carabatsos (story)

Stars:

William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Woody Strode

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Holden	...	John Benedict
Ernest Borgnine	...	Hoop
Woody Strode	...	Job
Roger Hanin	...	Quiberon
Reinhard Kolldehoff	...	Zweig (as Rene Koldehoff)
Jorge Luke	...	Chamaco
Jorge Martínez de Hoyos	...	Cholo (as Jorge Martinez de Hoyos)
Arthur Hunnicutt	...	Free State
Warren Vanders	...	Tarp
Larry Pennell	...	Arny
John Kelly	...	Whitcomb
Scott Holden	...	Lieutenant
James Daughton	...	Morgan
Lorraine Chanel	...	Mrs. Benedict
Raúl Pérez Prieto	...	Warden (as Raul Prieto)

Storyline

The life of peaceful rancher John Benedict (William Holden) is torn apart when his family is massacred by a gang of marauding outlaws and his farm is destroyed. He assembles a team of mean, lawless convicts to act as his posse as he pursues the gang responsible for the deaths of his loved ones.

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Plot Keywords:

gang | rancher | death | convict | footbridge | 

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Taglines:

He bought six men out of hell and they brought it with them.

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Mexico USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1973 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

The Revengers

Filming Locations:

Bavispe, Sonora, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Center Films,Estudios Churubusco Azteca S.A.

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Average Shot Length = ~8.4 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~7.7 seconds.

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Goofs

When the Indians first charge the garrison, the first shot from the defenders' point of view shows dead Indians already in front of the defenses.

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Quotes

Hoop: He's in the hole! Yes, sir, the same hole we was in! I heard that, I almost wet myself laughing.

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Connections

Referenced in Les Chic (1972)

User Reviews

Outdated western

The Revengers borrows the idea of a bunch of unsavoury convicts being sent on a deadly mission that was used so marvellously in The Dirty Dozen, and transports it to the unlikely setting of a western. The convicts are a rough and ready bunch indeed, and their mission is nothing so grand as the saving of the world from the Nazis.... just a humble quest for revenge.

William Holden is a relatively peaceful rancher whose entire family is massacred by brigands. He swears revenge and helps a bunch of Mexican convicts to bust out of jail in order to enlist them as his "hit squad". However, they are such an unpredictable group that even Holden is not safe from their bouts of violence and aggression. By the time he finds his prey, he has witnessed so much carnage that he ponders whether it is truly worthwhile to kill the brigands just to gratify his thirst for revenge.

This movie is OK, but aside from the bouts of post Wild Bunch viciousness, there is little that hasn't been done before. The westerns were getting tired by '72 and it's no exaggeration to say that this one is more tired than most. It also contains a self-defeating wrap-up which renders the previous two hours all but pointless. However, the acting and the action are pretty good, the scenery is ruggedly beautiful, and for fans of the genre it passes the time efficiently. If you're expecting a classic, then you'd be better sticking to The Wild Bunch, in which the same two leading stars find themselves in a much better movie.