Vera Cruz

Plot synopsis:
During the Franco-Mexican War, ex-Confederate soldier Ben Trane (Cooper) travels to Mexico seeking a job as a mercenary. He falls in with Joe Erin (Lancaster), a lethal gunslinger who heads a gang of cutthroats (including Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam, Charles Bronson, and Archie Savage). They are recruited by Marquis Henri de Labordere (Cesar Romero) for service with the Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico (George Macready) After an almost-miraculous display of shooting with a lever-action model 1873 Winchester rifle, the Emperor offers them $25,000 to escort the Countess Duvarre (Denise Darcel) to the seaport city of Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico. Trane uses a compliment to the Countess to get the Emperor to double it, impressing Erin with his boldness. During a river crossing, Trane and Erin noticed that the stagecoach in which the countess is traveling is extremely heavy. Erin later discovers that the stagecoach contains six cases of gold coins. First Trane and then the countess discover him looking at the gold. The countess informs them that it is worth $3 million which is being transported to pay for troops for Maximilian's French army. They form an uneasy alliance to steal and split the gold. Unfortunately for their plans, the Marquis was listening from the shadows.
Also involved in the mix is General Ramírez (Morris Ankrum) a heroic Juarista leader. He and the other Juarista leaders soon suspect that there is more to the expedition than the Countess and ambush the column several times. Eventually, the rest of Erin's group also learn that something suspicious is going on and they demand to be let in on the secret. The different groups, including Juarista secret agent Nina (Sara Montiel), conspire to steal the gold for their own purposes. Alliances are formed, quickly dissolved and others are formed. A ruse is successful in getting the gold to Veracruz where the Juarista troops attack the French in a bloody battle over the ownership of the gold. Erin attempts to steal the gold for himself by getting the countess to reveal the location of the ship she had hired to transport the gold. However, Trane arrives in time to stop him. In the end, Trane and Erin face off in a showdown that concludes with Erin's death. Trane leaves the gold and walks through the dead bodies from the battle while the wives and mothers of the Juarista troops search among the dead and wounded for their loved ones.

Tags: murder

Review:
Two soldiers of fortune find themselves in different camps , as "Benjamin Trane" (Gary Cooper was 52 at the time of filming, although his character was only supposed to be a couple of years older than Burt's role) is the good guy and "Joe Erin" (Burt Lancaster) is the bad guy , both of whom along with their motley group (Ernest Borgnine , Jack Lambert , Jack Elam , Charles Bronson) decide serve the Emperor Maximilian .
Anthological performance by Burt Lancaster is fabulous , his character would influence profoundly in Spaghetti Western ; he steals every scene as the black-dressed , smiling gunfighter .
Robert Aldrich followed "Apache" in 1954 with a cheerful, action-packed adventure called "Vera Cruz," which starred Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster sporting a disarming but treacherous grin throughout...
Its chief highlight is a display of sharp-shooting in which Cooper and Lancaster demonstrate the effectiveness of the rifles they are trying to sell to the Emperor Maximilian (George Macready) by snuffing out the torch flames ranged round the palace balustrade..."Vera Cruz" opens during the Mexican revolution in 1866 where two American adventurers decide to join forces and fight for whichever side pay them the most...
The saucy Sarita Montiel, who has fallen for Cooper, implores them to fight for the rebels, while Cesar Romero, an aid to the Emperor Maximilian, asks them to fight on his side...At a ball in the sumptuous Chapultepec Palace, the pair meets the vivacious Denise Darcel who appears as a colorful but doublecrossing French Countess, and soon agrees to escort her on the hazardous journey to Vera Cruz...
Shortly after, she offers to steal the gold and split it with them...In spite of the strong presence of Gary Cooper who lines up on the side of the Juaristas, Burt Lancaster steals the show as the smiling, black-dressed American adventurer, unable to forget Mexico's shining gold...
Cooper and Lancaster well know that when one outdraws and shoots the other, one is the "quick" and the other, the "dead." Ernest Laszlo photography, in SuperScope and Technicolor, captures well the Mexican scenery with glorious shots of Mexico City's famous Chapultepec Castle, and the pyramids of Teotihuacan...Sarita Montiel whose sensuality draws lustful aggression from Bronson's peripheral tough-guy, Pittsburgh, flourished more beauty to this exciting Western....
They drifted South in small groups-- AND SOME CAME ALONE" Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster head the cast as two polar opposite American adventurers who get involved with Maximilian's royal house and Juarez's revolutionaries in 1860s Mexico.
Webb from a Borden Chase story, Vera Cruz very much feels like (is) a precursor to Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch and Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns of the 60s.
He was looking for work as the film industry was being murdered by Congress's seat tax and its new hastily-created TV networks and payments to people to make movies abroad instead of in the U.S. He hired long-in-the-tooth but screen-wise Gary Cooper to play opposite him, and a script was developed by three veteran writers--Borden case, Roland Kibbee and James R.
Vera Cruz is one of those westerns that came out so right, the great thing about it is that although it was big budgeted it did not try to make any statement, it just tried to tell a good story in the best way possible.
The first 20 minutes of Vera Cruz are excellent,  starting with the great score by Friedhofer and the meeting of Cooper's and Lancaster's characters.
The most striking scene is in a plaza,  with a great gunfight followed with the meetings with the main players in the plot including a couple of hundred revolutionaries and Cesar Romero,  whose character serves the Emperor of Mexico,  Maximillian.
But in truth I certainly couldn't see casting either one in the other's part.Burt Lancaster was the producer and star and he got the scenery chewing role of Joe Erin, disarmingly charming and ruthlessly amoral gunfighter down in Mexico working for Emperor Maximilian for a price.
He's leading a mini army himself of gunfighters that include among other, Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson.Along the way Lancaster hooks up with Gary Cooper, former Southern Colonel Ben Trane, who's also looking to restart his life by making some money in Mexico so he can rebuild his plantation in Reconstruction Louisiana.Basically these two play themselves or at least stay true to the image that we have of both Cooper and Lancaster.The prize her is a big gold shipment that Maximilian is sending out of Mexico to pay for more troops from Napoleon III.
Just about everyone in the film from George Macready playing Maximilian to Cesar Romero playing a French marquis down to Lancaster, Cooper, Darcel, and the rest of the gunfighters all have their own plans for the three million in gold they're carrying.
It's about two soldiers of fortune (Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster) who venture into Mexico following the American Civil War to hire themselves out to the highest bidder between the forces of Emperor Maximillian (George Macready) and the revolutionaries led by Morris Ankrum.
Cooper plays Benjamin Trane a former Confederate Colonel who rides in alone and meets up with grinning teethy all in black gunslinger Joe Erin (Lancaster).
The former soldier and gentleman Benjamin Trane (Gary Cooper) meets the gunman and killer Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster) and his men, and together they are hired by the Emperor Maximillian (George Macready) and the Marquis Henri de Labordere (Cesar Romero) to escort the Countess Marie Duvarre (Denise Darcel) to the harbor of Vera Cruz.
Along their journey, betrayals and incidents happen changing their initial intentions."Vera Cruz" is a very entertaining western directed by the great director Robert Aldrich and with excellent performances of Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper.
Ben Trane (Gary Cooper) teams up with Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster), and it seems they are prepared to help whichever side pays the most money.They initially join forces with the French, but later change to the Juaristas.
They have the opportunity of getting away with three million dollars in gold, but Ben Trane becomes emotionally attached to the Juarista cause, while Joe Erin only has an emotional attachment to himself and the money - a showdown is inevitable.It would be hard to accuse the characters in this film of being one-dimensional because they are so over-the-top.
If any group is cast in a bad light it is the American adventurers who are uncouth and bad-natured almost to a man.The action sequences are superbly staged although there is little evidence that the human body contains eight pints of blood - despite the carnage, the whole affair is quite bloodless."Vera Cruz" is a movie without any agenda other than to entertain, and it does that with style.
It's true that Burt Lancaster was the "star" (after all, it was his production) and Gary Cooper was pretty much there for show, but there were some wonderful supporting roles as well and the film had an undeniable verve.
Ben Trane (Gary Cooper), a former Confederate soldier, and Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster), an outlaw, are just two of many who go to Mexico to fight in their revolution; but rather than helping the rebels free their country, they strike a deal with Emperor Maximilian to escort a countess all the way to Vera Cruz.
They are not above double-crossing others, even their 'friends', to help themselves.And believe me, there is a lot of double-crossing going around here.The casting is very good; Lancaster tends to be irritating with the way he keeps smiling and showing his teeth all the time, but acts well and Cooper is terrific as always.
For those who like classic westerns and enjoy action and humor, two of the best actors ever , together: Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster,the gentleman and the thief,fighting against the Emperor Maximilian soldiers during Mexican 1866 revolution.Just for recall the good times movies..
Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster portray western adventurers, who after the American Civil War, are looking to hire out their guns to any cause that is willing to pay a price.
(See the recent OCEANS 11, for example)Against the Lancaster persona and character, VERA CRUZ counters with the epitome of virtue, the old westerner himself, Gary Cooper.
And equally to be respected in matters of violence.The inevitable final showdown between Lancaster and Cooper is to my mind the single best "gunfight" scene in Western films..
Ban Trane (Gary Cooper) and Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster) cross the border to hire their guns for the cause that pays better.
Somehow the two men get to like and respect each other and they are paid by the emperor to take a mysterious French countess through Juarista country to the Port of Vera Cruz.Mexico's colorful outdoor locations are very well used by director Robert Aldrich to give the film some sort of greatness, unusual in early 50's westerns.
Spanish actress Sara Montiel plays a Juarista that gets mixed up with Coooper.Not only for western fans but also for action and adventure movie followers, "Vera Cruz" is a film to enjoy every once in a while.
A year after his debut with "Big Leaguer", he directed two Westerns that are now considered very revolutionary, and along classics like "High Noon" and "Shane", helped to pave the way for the Revisionism of the genre that took place after the 60s; those two films were "Apache" and "Vera Cruz", the first being one of the first Westerns that presented a Western story from a Native American's perspective (or at least tried to do it); and the second one, one of the first Westerns that showed complex amoral persons as main characters, with a blurred line between good and evil, becoming the direct source of inspiration for what later was known as the Spaghetti Western."Vera Cruz" is the tale of two mercenaries, Ben Trane (Gary Cooper) and Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster), who meet in a Mexican town as both have traveled down the border in order to work as hired guns for one of the two conflicting groups during the War caused by the French Intervention in Mexico.
Now, the three will join forces to try to steal the gold, but that means they'll have to worry not only about the Juaristas rebels, but also about the Emperor's army, and about each other too.Based on a story by experienced Western writer Borden Chase, "Vera Cruz" is a very atypical Western for its time, starting by the fact that neither Cooper nor Lancaster's characters are completely "heroes" in the traditional way, as both have hidden agendas, secret motives and are willing to do whatever is necessary to get what they want.
Webb's screenplay is a very well-developed work that show that good research was done when writing the film, as it takes no sides in the Mexican conflict, and contrary to what the Mexican government thought on its time, it's not really a negative portrayal of the country's conflict.Director Robert Aldrich makes a great improvement from "Apache" to "Vera Cruz" that it's hard to believe both were made the same year, as he begins to show the traits that would make him a legendary director in the future, mainly his preference for original stories that push the envelope of the constrains of the genre.
On one side is Gary Cooper, as the stoic Ben Trane, a man who deep inside is a good gentleman, but is forced to becomes a mercenary out of necessity after losing all in the American Civil War. On the other is Burt Lancaster, as the charming yet deadly Joe Erin, a mercenary that truly seems to enjoy his job.
"Vera Cruz" was definitely not a flop, in fact it had a good reception, however, it's true success and revaluation as an influential work in the genre would come years later, as Aldrich's anti-heroic tale of greed and moral conflicts (as well as his harsh cometary on the American imperialism of the post-War) was a very atypical story for the 50s audiences.
Even non-Western fans would find great joy in watching the pairing of Cooper and Lancaster at their best in this excellent adventure film.
Former Confederate Colonel Gary Cooper, nearly left penniless by the Civil War and looking for work in 1860s Mexico, has little choice but to join up with gregarious outlaw Burt Lancaster and his macho gang after being asked by the battalions of the Emperor Maximillian to safeguard three million dollars worth of gold coins in a dangerous trek to Juarez.
First off, you have outstanding scenery ( Vera Cruz was filmed in Mexico instead of a Hollywood soundstage), next you have a great cast including three people who are in the Western Performers Hall Of Fame (Gary Cooper, Ernest Borgnine and Jack Elam), another who should be in Charles Bronson, two incredibly beautiful.women in Sara Montiel and Denise Darcel, and last but not certainly not least, Burt Lancaster in perhaps his best performance as the dressed in black, shiny teeth rattlesnake named Joe Erin.
Obviously the movie's ending will involve Mexico's victory over Maximillian, and the showdown between.Erin and Cooper's Ben Trane ( care to.guess who wins, gets the girl ( Montiel), and gives up his guns?).
Gary Cooper, (Benjamin Trane) and Burt Lancaster, (Joe Erin) play the roles of American adventures who are hired by the forces of Emporer Maximilian, (Geroge Macready) to escort a countess to Vera Cruz.
The action of the film takes place right after the end American Civil War. A middle aged ex-confederate officer Ben Crane (Gary Cooper), who lost all his wealth because of the war and is on his way to Mexico, bumps into a young greedy adventurer Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster) to whom by the force of circumstances he has to stick in order to go on.
Not even the star power of Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster can save this not very good movie.The plot sounds great.
Robert Aldrich's smart-ass take on the western stars Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster as white hat/black hat cowboys, respectively, who sign on with Emperor Maxmillian in post-Civil War Mexico to escort a countess to the port of Vera Cruz.
Two greats of the screen, Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster acting together gave the necessary color and action to this film.
Not really a western in the traditional sense in that it isn't set in the US, but in Mexico, and the "cowboys" are really mercenaries, hired by the opposing sides in the Mexican war of 1866.On that note, the movie is quite interesting from an historical perspective, in that it deals with the relatively unknown Franco- Mexican War of 1866.Good plot, using some of the actual characters from history (Emperor Maximilian, for one).Solid performances from Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster in the lead roles.
Gary Cooper plays Benjamin Trane, and Burt Lancaster plays Joe Erin in director Robert Aldrich's western set in the Mexican rebellion of 1866, where the actors play American mercenaries who are hired by Emperor Maximilian to escort a countess on her way to Vera Cruz, ostensibly for her safety, but they soon find that her carriage conceals a fortune in gold.
Featuring Gary Cooper at his most laconic and Burt Lancaster at his most engaging, along with a wonderful supporting cast, this is one of the classic westerns that any fan of the genre or of the stars should see.As usual in Maximilian films ("Undefeated," "Indio Black"), there's gold at stake, and everyone wants it.
Although in color and with spectacular scenic views-including the actual Halls of Montezuma-"Vera Cruz" still manages a film noir feel as Jo Erin (Burt Lancaster) and Ben Trane (Gary Cooper) pack a ton of double-crosses into the film and Jo Erin exhibits a psychotic joy for killing.
It's a wonder that director Robert Aldrich was allowed to keep so much of this material in the final cut.The film takes place shortly after the end of the civil war as Ben Trane, former confederate officer, has nothing better to do than travel to Mexico hoping to find action in the conflict between the French puppet Maximillian (George Macready) and the Mexican revolutionaries who oppose him.
Superficially Cooper seems a good choice to play a conflicted character like Ben Trane, his strength is the realistic underplaying of his characters, which is effective in many of his films because the audience reads a lot of deep reflection and conflict into the restrained performances.
Defeated Confederate Colonel Ben Trane (Gary Cooper) drifts south into Mexico after the Civil War, hoping to sell his services to whichever army - the Juaristas or Emperor Maximillian (George Macready) and his French allies - offers better pay.
The straight-laced Trane joins up with Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster), a grinning psychopath with a multi-racial gang of American criminals, gunslingers and deserters, and they are recruited by Maximillian's lackey, the Marquis de Labordere (Cesar Romero), to protect a French countess (Denise Darcel) being transported to Vera Cruz.
And if you look among Lancaster's gang, you'll see Jack Elam, Ernest Borgnine, and Charles Bronson (nee Buchinsky) in bit roles."Vera Cruz" is a very entertaining film.
Classic Mexican western, Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster at their most charming..
The supporting cast reads like a list of the 1950s' best character actors: Ernest Borgnine, Morris Ankrum, Charles Bronson, Jack Elam.Gary Cooper underplays as usual.
Certainly did Robert Aldrich not intend to make a movie about reconstruction America, but he rather chose to tell a Western tale set in Imperial Mexico, featuring two of the genres greatest actors, Burt Lancaster as Joe Erin and Gary Cooper as Ben Trane.
In the end, the noble Trane decides that a good cause outweighs a good pay, shoots the selfish Erin, and gives the money to the Juaristas.Though the two American gunslingers and their companions fight for Emperor Maximilian against the Juaristas, the movie permanently alludes to the American Civil War and its aftermath - and Gary Cooper's character is the focal point of these allusions.