The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

Based on a true story, this is an important film that teaches us about racism, assumptions, and what can happen when someone's words are not correctly translated from one language to another. The filmmaker deliberately chose not to use subtitles, so if you don't speak Spanish you may feel a little frustrated because the Americans of Mexican descent speak only Spanish in the film. (90% of the dialogue is in English.) However, stick with the film to the end and you will understand why this director did not use subtitles. The story takes place on the border between Mexico and Texas and exposes the racist and violent history of the Texas Rangers. The film also demonstrates how media manipulation can create hysteria. A newspaper reporter accompanies the Texas Rangers on their hunt for fugitive Gregorio Cortez. The reporter interviews witnesses who fabricate a "gang" and "gang leader" when in fact there were none in this case. Edward James Olmos is mesmerizing in his first film role as Cortez. There is an "Old West" authenticity in this production that reminds us that most Hollywood Westerns are based only in a "Manifest Destiny" fantasy, not fact.

Because I'm a movie buff (and own about 3,000 titles), I am always eager to consume something unusual, or "important" or something key that just slipped by me. I VAGUELY remember when THE BALLAD OF GREGORIO CORTEZ was released (I live in Albuquerque, NM...near where much of it was filmed), and I knew it was important even then, but somehow I missed actually seeing it. But one of my goals has been to work through my collection of Criterion Blu Rays...a self-taught crash-course in movie history. This way, I get to see a wide variety of movies, from a variety of countries and eras. And most of the time, the films are VERY worthwhile, even if challenging. But not always.

THE BALLAD OF GREGORIO CORTEZ is such a film for me. Reading a bit about it (including the essay enclosed in the box) gave me a good idea of why this film is noteworthy. A film focused on a Hispanic leading character. A "gritty" Western before that was really a thing. A film that played with the notion of how miscommunication can cause deep pain, by not translating the spoken Spanish via subtitles...so that we just have to infer or guess what the topic is. I like Westerns, generally, so I was ready for an enjoyable experience.

The scenery is gorgeous, and the film is grainy (Criterion does such a good job of making these home viewing experiences like seeing FILM on a real screen). The color palette is muted. So there is a sense of perhaps seeing this story "back in time." Almost like a slightly sepia-tinted film. It gives a great sense of being in a place AND time.

But the effort to create a realistic story, free from gloss or sheen means we also have a lot of people all talking at the same time (like happens in real life), but makes it very difficult to understand. I finally had to turn on the sub-titles because I couldn't even figure out what person everyone was playing. The sound mix was often problematic...sometimes the musical soundtrack (or even the title song) was on way too loud. It didn't feel like part of a the movie, but like someone had put on a CD in an effort to drown out the movie.

It tells the story of Gregorio Cortez, a poor farmer who has a very unfortunate encounter with a local sheriff and his TERRIBLE translator, which leads to a misunderstanding that leads to tragedy and forces Cortez to go on the run. The town law is after him. The Texas Rangers are after him. How can he possibly escape? And if he's caught, will his story be heard? This is all fine, and sounds like the makings of a good film. But there were too many scenes of lots of men in the posse just talking and talking and talking. The story is told in flashback, which is fine, but the "flashing-back" isn't always well delineated, and you don't always know right away that is what's happening. And the biggest flaw of all is the character of Gregorio Cortez. In the first half of the movie, we mostly see him riding his horse very fast, swapping it out for another horse he is stealing, and then riding fast some more. Seeing a young Edward James Olmos, who is a fine actor, is amusing, but I didn't find myself caring much about his fate. He is mostly stoic in the movie and difficult to read. Perhaps that helps with the idea of the English-speaking viewer not really understanding this man or what moves/motivates him. But to me, it felt like a HUGE failing.

The rest of the cast is fairly solid, and included folks we still enjoy today like Barry Corbin, along with performers like James Gammon, who passed some time ago. It's a great collection of American character actors, working in a noisy, boisterous ensemble (hence, my difficulty in making out the dialogue).

I'm glad I saw the movie. If nothing else, I checked a box that represented a gap in my film knowledge. But as an avid viewer of movies, I was actually a bit bored and the film felt much longer than its 100 minute run time.

This was by far my favorite Olmos movie; he made the entire movie without (except for his last line) saying a word in English and yet tapped into our emotions, making us feel deeply for his character and know his thoughts; this was pure acting genius. The scene where he's talking with his wife and watching their kids play captivated me: I didn't need to understand a word they were saying to see he was a loving family man. Later, as he's alone for so much of the story, he had me sharing his fear and anguish.

It is both an intensely dramatic and a monumentally important film. As with "Salt of the Earth," "Burn," "Fast Food Nation," and such, it is disappointing to see such great films fail to reach a wider audience. I only found this film because it was in a video rental place that I frequented.

Incidentally, when I had the honor of meeting this by-then academy-nominated actor, I told him how impressed I had been with him as Cortez; he gave all the credit to the director. I appreciated his modesty, but I had to insist, his acting was also great!

With a cast and ensemble of satisfactory to great actors, director Robert M Young's "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez" is a compelling chase story featuring notable performances from a younger lead Edward James Olmos and many journeymen (some now late) actors including James Gammon, Brion James, Bruce McGill, and Rosanna Desoto. I liked the realism of the movie to a certain degree, though the music seemed a bit out of place. Cinematography was competent, and you could relate to the injustice of what appeared to happen. From a time from which no-one now lives, director Young seems to want to give a fair shake to Cortez's sad story. Olmos is is up to the task to paint a human picture of a man in fear on the run unjustly, and the movie helps solidify Olmos career earlier. Deserving of a watch and entertaining. 7/10.

This is a heartbreaking true story of a miscarriage of justice as well as an examination of racism and prejudice in early 1900's Texas. Edward James Olmos is outstanding in the title role and gives one of the finest performances in this underrated actor's career. The film also has a fine supporting cast of Western character actors headed by Bruce McGill as a reporter following the posse, James Gammon as a dedicated sheriff and Barry Corbin as the lawyer who takes up Cortez' case. The prison, courtroom and post-trial scenes are emotionally powerful. This is a low budget effort which probably explains the poor lighting and sometimes shaky camera work, but this largely unknown and underrated gem deserves to be discovered for its fine acting and compelling story.