The Proud and Damned (1972) User Reviews

Despite the Rumors, it's not Lethal

[mstomaso · 5/10 · 31 August 2007]

The Proud and the Damned is an historical-fiction western starring Chuck Conners and a relatively unknown, but not bad, cast. The film appears to have been filmed in the Chihuahuan Desert, though the setting is inexplicably identified as South America early-on.

Conners leads a group of refugee confederate soldiers traveling through a country in the middle of its own civil war. Apparently, Conners' boys have taken a few odd jobs as mercenaries en-route, and both sides in the present conflict want their help.

The film is essentially an American-made spaghetti-western, without the plot convolutions and tension (or Clint Eastwood) that made this genre so interesting. About mid-way through the story, the film meanders and seems fated to fizzle into oblivion rather than going out with a bang, but it does eventually wander back to its track. The script is occasionally bloated, but not bad. Once in a while, the film actually presents some interesting anthropological points. The acting is surprisingly OK. And the sets, scenery and cinematography are good.

It won't kill you. This is a much more entertaining western than I had anticipated. However, I will limit my recommendation to fans of western movies.

Good Looking But Unsatisfying

[FightingWesterner · 5/10 · 27 September 2009]

Chuck Conners (who's always great) leads his group of good old rebels all the way to South America, into a nameless country where they're paid by a tyrannical general (and Charles Manson lookalike) to go to a rival town and report back whether or not the place will roll over easily if invaded.

Once there, they realize the place is quite peaceful and defenseless, tempting some of Conner's men to stay.

This is low-budget but well made with good locations, though it's soon hijacked by a silly subplot involving one of Chuck's nitwit boys becoming lovesick (after a minute or so) over a local girl, despite the fact that neither of them speak each other's languages!

To further ruin things, Chuck Conner's is then banished from the town by mayor Caesar Romero due to a second silly subplot involving a gypsy girl and then promptly hung by the evil general! Did his contract run out before shooting ended?!

This is well directed throughout but the final battle between the towns is poorly staged and not worth seeing since Chuck got killed!

Only for Western Film Die-hards

[carol-160 · 4/10 · 23 May 2005]

Chuck Connors is featured in this western about a group of American civil war veterans traveling in South America. After being run out of one country they wind up as the "guests" of a Columbian General intent on conquest. In a situation where they don't have a lot of choice, they agree to go to the town of San Carlos to spy out the city and report back to the General. While in San Carlos they wind up being the "guests" of the mayor played by Cesar Romero. Two subplots unfold involving women and the group, leading to predictable conflict and violence, with a surprising twist for the group's leader, played by Connors. Ultimately battle breaks out with elements of treachery and surprise. Marred by some dumb dialog, this film is recommended only for die-hard western lovers.

Too Shallow

[Uriah43 · 3/10 · 7 December 2013]

After the Civil War has ended 5 Confederate soldiers led by "Sergeant Will Hansen" (Chuck Connors) have left the United States in search of a new home somewhere in South America. After being chased out of one country they find themselves caught between two rival armies involved in their own civil war. One side belongs to "General Martinez" (Andres Marquis) who demands that these 5 soldiers spy on his enemy for him or risk death. Not having much choice they agree and ride into the village of San Carlos to gather as much information as they can on the other army led by "Dom Miguel" (Cesar Romero). While doing so a couple of them meet two attractive women named "Maria" (Maria Grimm) and "Carmela" (Nana Lorca) who impact their lives in ways neither man can imagine at the time. Anyway, so much for the plot. As far as the movie was concerned I thought some of the characters were too shallow, the action sequences were rather dull, it wasn't well-written and the story just seemed to fall flat. That said, I honestly wasn't too impressed with the overall finished product and as a result I rate this movie as below average.

Odd in many ways...

[rustygilligan · 3/10 · 5 May 2017]

I love westerns, but even THIS one was hard to swallow. A major stars dies too early, and the plot made no sense after his death. Half the movie was in Spanish with no subtitles. The constant re-use of footage and audio was annoying. The horses were better characters than most of the actors. Sorry to see Chuck Conners and Cesar Romero involved in this.

"I wouldn't give you a plug nickel against fifty honest to God brass button soldiers."

[classicsoncall · 3/10 · 24 November 2005]

Chuck Connors and Cesar Romero head an otherwise unknown cast in this tale set in South America in 1870, as Will Hansen (Connors) leads a group of four ex-Confederate soldiers now plying their trade as mercenaries. Hansen is the only member of the band that seems to have any hint of a hard edge, the rest are just a bunch of good old boys with no drive or direction of their own. The South American setting could be just about anywhere since no country is ever named, but it might just as well have been Mexico for the portrayal offered by the two opposing forces. On one side, General Alehandro Martinez offers Hansen and his comrades pay in exchange for information on the opposition in the valley town of San Carlos. Cesar Romero is the mayor there, determined to protect his town, but one wonders from what. The conflict between Martinez and Romero is never made known, maybe that's why Hansen and his men have no emotional involvement in the proceedings.

It would be difficult to describe the action in the film - there is none. There are two romantic angles involving Hansen and a gypsy woman, while one of his men named Ike (Aron Kincaid) tries to woo a senorita from the local convent. If the film's pace wasn't slow enough as it was, it's accentuated by the doleful strumming of a guitar from time to time, bringing one's attention to the fact that nothing is going on.

All doesn't go well for Hansen though, since he missed his appointment with General Martinez, he'll have to pay for that indiscretion. That prompts his men to think for themselves for the first time, and they take a stand with the citizens of San Carlos. You'll have to watch the film to see how far that goes, but even amidst the flying cannonballs, it's kind of anti climactic. One never feels any empathy for this bunch, and that's what makes the movie largely forgettable.

If you're a Chuck Connors fan, you'll be better served by any single episode of his "Rifleman", which will have more story and excitement to it in twenty six minutes than this hour and a half sleeper. The only thing I found interesting in the film was how much Connors appeared to have aged in the decade since the Rifleman series ended. Oh wait, maybe it happened during the filming!

"This is not our war"

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 2 September 2013]

Chuck Connors, Aron Kincaid, Smokey Roberds, Henry Capps, and Peter Ford, play the title roles in The Proud And Damned. Probably this film's only distinction is it's the only film I've seen and reviewed that was shot in Colombia. Fitting as the location for the action is some unnamed South American country.

These five are Confederate veterans who've gone south and have kicked around selling their military experience as mercenaries and now just want to go home. But time and circumstance force them to get involved in a local war between a would be dictator in Andres Marquis and Cesar Romero the Alcalde of a medium size town who is not happy about Marquis challenging his hegemony.

Our cast looks distinctly unhappy in their roles and deliver the perfunctory performances to prove it. Even Jose Greco merely recycles only a part of what he gave to his role in Ship Of Fools as a gypsy whore master. We do however get to see Greco the great flamenco dancer in a number in the film.

This whole crew looks like it's waiting for their salary checks to clear.

Boring South American western

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 15 December 2015]

THE PROUD AND THE DAMNED is an odd, zero-budget western that was filmed in Colombia. That novelty value is about the only thing this has going for it as otherwise it's a completely routine oater that feels like a low-budget, low-effort riff on THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. The storyline involves a group of rather dull mercenary types who hole up in a small village during a revolution and soon find themselves getting involved in the action.

Although there's plentiful action in this movie, none of it is very good. It doesn't help matters much that the quality of the print I saw was absolutely pitiful, one of the worst-looking westerns ever. The Colombian locations are effective but the direction is very poor and this feels like an old 1930s-era film rather than a '70s movie. Chuck Connors and Cesar Romero co-star.

A realistic and enjoyable classic western!

[MovieMan-112 · 7/10 · 18 July 1999]

"The Proud and The Damned" is a western that should be seen by any big western fan. You know the good guys from the bad guys by the way the dress (Good guys wear different clothes and the bad guys wear a funny-looking blue uniform with a red scarf around their necks). This film should have won an award for "best costume design" because every time i saw the bad guys running around in those unique, blue, western leisure suits, I laughed my head off and was immediately blown away with the artistic talent and creative efforts in thinking of those uniforms. We all know mexicans didn't wear those kind of clothes. The film has it's "shoot-outs" with cannons, it's original dialogue ("Hey Will, do you think they'll be waiting for us over by that hill of mud?...."You bet your tail!"), and it's daring anti-climax (The good guys lose) that makes it a very realistic piece of american/mexican cinema. Watch for Cesar Romero's final scene as he demands that Chuck Connors pays for the food that he and his men has eaten in a mexican whorehouse....( Cesar Romero)- "Pay for your food mister!" (Chuck Connors) - "The women and the sex we pay for but the food's free, Mr. Mayor cuase I say so." Marvelous

It sat on the shelf for three years....and that pretty much says it all.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 10 March 2020]

"The Proud and the Damned" is a film that was made in 1969 but not released until 1972. This means, most likely*, that the powers that be knew it was a stinker of a film and would lose money...so it just sat in limbo for three years before ultimately being released. Because of this, I had very low expectations for the picture.

The film is about a group of Confederate soldiers who decide to become mercenaries after the US Civil War ends. So, they head to war-torn South America where their services might be needed. Unfortunately, the local authorities seem to know why they are there and order them to leave the country. However, a local mayor (Caesar Romero) sees need of their services and he invites them to stay as his guests. What exactly does he want them to do? See the film...or not.

So is it any good? Well, it's not terrible...but it is, at times, terribly dull and a bit cheap. It's certainly not as bad as I expected....though I expected the worst. Cheap looking despite it's location shoot in Columbia, South America.





*In at least 90-95% of the cases, being shelved is a sure sign of a terrible film. One exception was "Arsenic and Old Lace". When the studio made it, they agreed not to release this Cary Grant film until the play ended its Broadway run. Surprisingly, it was such a hit that it, too, was shelved for a few years until the play closed.

Magnificent Seven met the Wild Bunch in Poverty Row

[searchanddestroy-1 · 8/10 · 26 October 2018]

It is so obvious that Ferde Grofe Jr was more than inspired by Sam Peckinpah's WILD BUNCH and John Sturges' MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. It kas place in mexico where former Confederate soldiers, outcasts, cross the Mexican border before being tragically involved with a Mexican renegade geeral, brutal, blood thirsty high rate officer. Then our bunch will decide to save a poor village from the villain....Even a dumb could see what I am talking about. A typical seventies western. Counter culture best example. Melancholy, gloominess, lost ideals, friendship in bitterness....Everything I have always craved for in a movie. Ferde Grofe has never been a great not even a good director, but let's be indulgetnt and fair, he is not the worst ever either.

This Is Truly Awful

[sddavis63 · 1/10 · 11 January 2009]

"Awful" is not a word I use often to describe a movie. There's usually some redeeming quality that at least raises it to the level of just plain "bad." "Awful" is the word here, though. Chuck Conners stars as the leader of a band of ex-Confederate soldiers who find themselves caught in the middle of a South American civil war in 1870. Aside from the last 10 minutes or so there's precious little action or adventure here, and there's a lot of just plain dumbness. Ike (Aron Kincaid) falls head over heels in love with a girl he meets for 5 minutes at a local monastery (true!) and at one point brings a guitar playing buddy of his to the monastery to serenade her while the nuns look on! Then he spends the rest of the movie gazing forlornly into the distance with puppy-dog like eyes. Meanwhile, Hansen (Conners) becomes a sort of protector/lover to a gypsy girl whose own people have cut off one of her ears. Aside from Conners and Cesar Romero as the leader of the town of San Carlos we have here largely unknown actors (unsurprising, since how would they get anyone to cast them in anything significant after this disaster?) 1/10

The Five Amigos

[nogodnomasters · 2/10 · 4 January 2021]

Five ex-Confederate soldiers venture into Columbia in 1870. Rather than open up a successful restaurant with Tex-Mex food, they get in the middle of a war between two cities. They are supposed to spy but end up getting distracted (a woman) and delayed.

Rather poor quality DVD transfer. The action was light and the drama boring. The end battle was silly with soldiers running in an open field at a fortified position.

Cheese Grater.

[hitchcockthelegend · 2/10 · 8 July 2017]

The Proud and Damned is written and directed by Ferde Grofe Jr. It stars Chuck Connors, Cesar Romero and Andres Marquis. Music is by Gene Kauer and Douglas M. Lackey, and cinematography by Remegio Young.

1870 and five ex Confederate mercs arrive in South America and become embroiled in another Civil War of sorts...

Pretty poor offering, a pic that was completed in 1969 but wasn't released until three years later, one can only think that after viewing it, some financial backer saw it for the dud it is and refused release! The plot principal is sound, the fact it's a Western filmed in Columbia and set in South America (the place unnamed) is an interesting point of note, plus Connors and Romero at least have fans from which to launch potential for cult fandom. But hopes of a good film are dashed quite early.

Is being boring a valid criticism? Well yes it is, and this is a snore bore. The cast turn in auto-cue acting, all of them saddled with direlogue, the editing is messy, and the musical score irritating as it fluctuates between sorrowful guitar to bandido marching music, with some flamenco type jolly that's out of place as well, and what little action there is is laughably constructed. A bold turn of events in the narrative is worth a point at least, as is the outcome of it all - though it doesn't really make grounded sense - but ultimately this is one that deserves to stay obscure. 2/10

Proud and the Damned

[BandSAboutMovies · 2/10 · 25 November 2023]

Once Confederate soldiers and now mercenaries, Sgt. Will Hansen (Chuck Connors), Ike (Aron Kincaid), Hank (Henry Caps), Jeb (Smokey Robards), and Billy (Peter Ford) have just come from Texas to Colombia. In hours, they're captured by General Martinez (Andres Marquis) and forced to join the rebels and report back what they discover from them.

Will also soon meets and falls for a gypsy girl named Mila (Anita Quinn) whose father is so angry about her dating a white man that he cuts off her ear. Will responds by shooting him because the holidays are gonna be weird after this. So because Will gets detained, Martinez finds him and hangs him. Yes, that's right, the hero of the story dies before the end. The rest of the mercenaries - who never make any money from their soldier work - join the rebels, get revenge and get killed. Except Billy. Because of dumb luck, he fell off his horse and missed the deaths of his friends.

This was directed and written by Ferde Grofé Jr., who also made Hellraiders and Judgement Day. He finished shooting in 1969 and the movie wasn't released until 1972, so it didn't seem to work out all that well. At least Cesar Romero got some work.

A Good Day to Die

[Wuchakk · 5/10 · 3 July 2016]

Released in1972, "The Proud and the Damned" tells the story of five ex-Confederate soldiers, led by Sgt. Will Hansen (Chuck Connors), trying to find a new home in South America after losing the war. A Napoleon-wannabe "general" (Andres Marquis) hires them to reconnoiter a village where the guys either party it up or romance local gals (Maria Grimm & Anita Quinn). Cesar Romero plays the mayor of the town while José Greco & Nana Lorca are on hand as dancing gypsies. The rest of the ex-Confederates are played by Aron Kincaid, Smokey Roberds, Henry Capps and Peter Ford.

This is a low-budget and relatively obscure Western that doesn't get very good ratings, and I can understand why. Some of the acting is dubious and a few of the action sequences are less than convincing, not to mention there's zero build-up to the romance. It's overall a mediocre Western with some lambasting it as subpar or even "unforgiveable trash," as one critic put it.

If you can overlook these flaws, however, there are several items that make the movie worth catching: Connors is a quality Western protagonist; the Columbian locations are scenic and authentic (say what you will, but quality locations cost money); the Latin-styled Western music by Gene Kauer & Douglas M. Lackey is quite good; this is a unique Western in that it takes place in South American (presumably Columbia); and the six protagonists are likable with good camaraderie. I say SIX because I'm including the honorable Capt. Juan Hernandez, played by Conrad Parham.

I also like how unpredictable the movie is despite the predictability of the plot. In other words, just because you THINK you have the story figured out doesn't mean it's necessarily the way it's going to pan out. Also, despite the palpability of the low-budget I found myself involved in the story & the characters by the second half. Lastly, I can't help but respect the audacity of the unexpected and puzzling Climax.

The film runs 96 minutes and was shot in Columbia.

GRADE: C

Chuck Connors fan, enjoyed it

[crawford · 8/10 · 5 June 2022]

Interesting characters, good for the 60s/70s era, and I'm a big Chuck Connors fan so I enjoyed watching it. Sure it's not an Oscar winner but for a Sunday afternoon it got the bill for my Westerns viewing.

classic and well acted

[oscar-35 · 20 September 2012]

*Spoiler/plot- 1972, A small group of post-war Civil War Confederate soldiers become 'soldiers of fortune' in South America in 1870. Dramatic problems occur to them.

*Special Stars- Chuck Connors, Cesar Romero

*Theme- Sometimes you can't walk away from a fight or war.

*Trivia/location/goofs- Mexico shot. Look for many main cast members to be first-time film performers and are being 'Introduced' in the film's credits

*Emotion- An enjoyable film, much like a very low budget 'Magnificent Seven' film. Chuck Connors has a wild gypsy lover in this film and an implied sex scene. Unfortunately his character is hanged too early in this film. Cesar Romero's role is classic and well acted.