Michael Curtiz's The Comancheros was a deceptively complex movie -- so enjoyable, that it masked some of the best character development seen in a John Wayne vehicle that was not directed by John Ford or Howard Hawks, and so well made that it got by with some of the most violent action seen in a major studio release of the era. It also bridged the gap between Ford's The Searchers and the upbeat buddy movies of the late '60s and '70s (The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, etc.). It's 1843 in the Republic of Texas, ...
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Michael Curtiz's The Comancheros was a deceptively complex movie -- so enjoyable, that it masked some of the best character development seen in a John Wayne vehicle that was not directed by John Ford or Howard Hawks, and so well made that it got by with some of the most violent action seen in a major studio release of the era. It also bridged the gap between Ford's The Searchers and the upbeat buddy movies of the late '60s and '70s (The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, etc.). It's 1843 in the Republic of Texas, and Jake Cutter (John Wayne) is a two-fisted Texas Ranger who runs across a gang of white renegades, called the Comancheros, who are trading guns and other contraband with marauding Comanches from a secret hideout in Mexico. Substituting for a repentant gun-runner, he goes undercover as a partner with Crow (Lee Marvin), a vicious half-breed who is a contact man with the Comancheros and knows the whereabouts of their hideout in Mexico. But Crow manages to get himself killed, and Cutter is forced to throw in with Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman), a bystander who also happens to be an itinerant gambler wanted for killing a man in a duel in New Orleans, to complete his mission. It turns out that Regret is a more decent man than most, and he and Cutter, despite some different outlooks on right and wrong, take a liking to each other. Their quest eventually takes them south of the border, where they find the Comancheros and their leader, Graile (Nehemiah Persoff), a bitter, brilliant cripple -- think of The Sea Wolf's Wolf Larsen in a wheelchair -- who has established a landlocked pirate society, and his daughter Pilar (Ina Balin). The only thing that keeps Cutter and Regret alive when they enter the camp is that Pilar and Regret have a history, and she still has feelings for him, enough so that she won't tell what she knows about Cutter and who he is. The two men must play on Graile's greed and Pilar's love in the explosive surroundings of the Comancheros' camp, while figuring out a way to stay alive long enough to get word to the rangers about where they are -- and to survive the attack that must inevitably follow. Director Michael Curtiz was ill for part of the shoot, and Wayne took up the slack, but The Comancheros displays some of the same freewheeling charm and deep passions that informed classic films of his such as Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and The Sea Hawk. Wayne and Whitman between them manage to evoke some of the rambunctiousness of Errol Flynn, and when Balin (one of the sexiest leading ladies ever to grace a John Wayne movie) arrives onscreen, the testosterone level shoots up even higher and the sexual sparks fly. The film's 105 minutes go by very fast, and this is a movie whose ending comes almost too soon. Curtiz's final film is one that leaves audiences with a smile, but also wanting more, which was a pretty good way to go out. John Wayne's daughter, Aissa Wayne (who subsequently went into a law career) appears in a small role. Bruce Eder, Rovi
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Add this copy of The Comancheros to cart. $2.71, very good condition, Sold by Jan Pumphrey's Treasures rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Severna Park, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by 20th Century Fox.
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Seller's Description:
John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, Ina Balin, Nehemiah Persoff, Lee Marvin. Very good in very good packaging. Language: English. Run time: 105 mins. Originally released: 1961.
Add this copy of The Comancheros to cart. $3.25, like new condition, Sold by CBExchange rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fontana, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by 20th Century Fox.
Add this copy of The Comancheros [Vhs] to cart. $3.50, like new condition, Sold by Broadband ERA rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BEAVERTON, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by 20th Century Fox.
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John Wayne, Phil Arnold, Ina Bal. Fine. 1961 Run time: 107. VHS tape, artwork and case in excellent condition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. Orders received before 3PM PT typically ship same day. All profits support the non-profit community.
Add this copy of The Comancheros to cart. $3.50, like new condition, Sold by Fabulous Fiction Book Store rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Oxford, MA, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by 20th Century Fox.
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John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, Ina Balin, Nehemiah Persoff, Lee Marvin. Fine in fine packaging. Originally released: 1961. Language: English. Run time: 105 mins. (m6) VHS movie is in excellent cond, with box in excellent cond; from a private collection, not a video club copy.
Add this copy of The Comancheros [Vhs] to cart. $4.58, very good condition, Sold by Kayleighbug Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from CEDAR GROVE, WV, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by 20th Century Fox.
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Very Good/Very Good. Size: 7x4x1; No Stock Photos! We photograph every item. Excellent condition VHS in original sleeve. John Wayne and Lee Marvin in The Comancheros (1961) Texas Ranger Jake Cutter arrests gambler Paul Regret, but soon finds himself teamed with his prisoner in an undercover effort to defeat a band of renegade arms merchants and thieves dealing with the Comanches known as Comancheros.
Add this copy of The Comancheros [Vhs Tape] to cart. $6.99, new condition, Sold by Spin On This rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Hills, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by 086162117732; 20th Century Fox Home Ent.
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