It's not a Spaghetti Western or any kind of Western, it's a Mexican Revolution Drama.

Rating: 5/10 (22 July 2012)

The main problem with this movie is that it starts out as a Spaghetti Western, but after the first hour of the movie turns into a "historical event" drama. Think of "Reds" or "Dr. Zhivago". Rod Steiger was in "Dr. Zhivago" but here he plays a Mexican peasant turned bandit. Rod Steiger does not look like he is from Mexico, but he is very convincing nonetheless. His character Juan is crude and simple, but not stupid. James Coburn is also convincing as well. His character John is from Ireland and is an explosives expert. So the acting from both of them is top notch. Which is good, because there isn't much acting from anyone else. With perhaps the exception of the doctor, all the other characters are stock characters and aren't developed at all. A majority of all the lines in the movie belong to Steiger and Coburn. It really is an unintentional buddy movie between their two characters, and it's pretty good in that respect. Unfortunately it is unlike most other historical event/epic movies in that there aren't the usual supporting characters. The setting is the Mexican Revolution but it doesn't get into details, it just takes place somewhere in the middle of it. There also isn't any female characters, hence no romantic situations. This is probably another reason why it didn't do well at the box office. It is not a Western. None of the usual themes are present. "The Mercenary" is a spaghetti western that takes place about the same time period, say circa 1914. It takes place in Mexico and Texas. Both movies show an early automobile, early machine guns, but "The Mercenary" (with Jack Palance) is a true western. Sergio Leone starts this movie out in the spaghetti western style, then changes it. Big mistake. Spaghetti Western fans would have felt cheated, and people who enjoy historical epics would have felt cheated since it doesn't have the usual themes associated with that genre. I'd agree with some other reviewers that it is a collection of memorable scenes and sequences, but that as a movie it doesn't cut it. The drama does get heavy, but then the Mexican Revolution was sad times. It eventually devolved into a multi-faction civil war. Also seems like there were bad leaders on both sides. You probably want to pass on this one, unless you are fan of Steiger or Coburn.