Charro!

Plot synopsis:
Jess Wade, a former member of a gang of outlaws led by Vince Hackett, is tricked into believing that an old flame of his and Vince's, Tracy Winters, wanted to meet him in a seedy Mexican saloon. Jess later sees Billy Roy Hackett, Vince's younger brother, summoning Vince and the other members of the gang into the saloon. Jess, realizing he was set up, orders the bar patrons to leave as a shoot out later ensues. After making a break for the door Jess is later stopped by another gang member, Gunner, and is trapped. Forcing Jess to relinquish his gun and to go with them to their hideout in the mountains, Vince later tells him that the gang had stolen a gold-plated cannon that was used by Emperor Maximilian in his ill-fated fight against popular Mexican leader Benito Juarez. After explaining to him about them stealing the cannon, Vince tells Jess that he let the word get out that, although a now-deceased member of the gang named Norm was the one who helped steal the cannon that it was Jess who stole it and had sustained a neck wound as a result of being shot by one of the guards, according to a wanted poster out on him. Ordering his men to subdue Jess on the ground, Vince takes a branding iron and burns a wound to his neck. Taking Jess' horse, Vince and the gang later leave Jess and take off. Jess does manage to capture a wild horse in the desert and break it in. The gang's motive is to force a ransom from the town they stole the cannon from, but the gang also uses the cannon to hold the townspeople at bay. Only Wade can save the people from his former gang.

Tags: cult, violence

Review:
In it was "Charro." I thought it looked refreshing to see Elvis play a more serious role instead of the usual musical.
Elvis Presley plays Jesse Wade who tries to leave a gang of thieves led by Victor French.
I don't know what makes me enjoy this movie more, being an Elvis fan or being a fan of western movies (my favorite is El Dorado).This movie shows some pretty good acting, an impressive soundtrack, beautiful cinematography, some wild action and an Elvis, that is pretty rough and tough.
Warren hadn't made a movie for ten years before "Charro" and I think he shouldn't have been producer, writer AND director.
The story reflects a lot of Elvis' own career, most obvious: the bad guy in "Charro" USES the Elvis character to make money, which is exactly what Elvis' real life manager did, too, in fact that guy (who called himself Colonel, although he wasn't) was highly unscrupulous and Elvis too weak (sorry fellow fans but let's face the truth!) to have his own way.
Let me add that this movie is NOT a musical; in one scene Elvis is opening a door to look into a saloon where a band is playing, in one of his awful musical comedies, the man would jump onto the stage and perform some tune, but here he turns around and closes the door..
The plot is as good as any other western movie I've seen, John Wayne notwithstanding, and the acting (again for the genre) was quite good.
As much as I like most of his musicals, the three dramatic ones (Love Me Tender, Flaming Star, and Charro) and his supporting appearance in Change of Habit, were by far the best and the ones that showed his real talent for acting..
It's pretty cool that he only sings the title song over the opening credits of Charro!
It's the only movie in which Elvis does not sing at all (the theme song is played over the main titles).
Elvis acts well throughout but not as well and convincingly as in the other Western drama that he did, 1960's "Flaming Star."  The passage of eight years had dulled Elvis' enthusiasm for film-making and, hard on the heels of the taping of his phenomenal 1968 TV special (taped in late June) and one year before his July, 1969 return to the stage, Elvis' mind was on other things.
Elvis does a competent job in "Charro!" but at some points he does not really seem to be 'into it.' I find that somewhat surprising, because Elvis loved guns, horses, and playing cowboys and Indians or cops and robbers and the film could have been a blast for him to do.
It's got a definite made-for-TV look and feel about it, especially compared with the contemporary 'spaghetti westerns' that were so popular (and by which "Charro!" is obviously inspired) but even with older Hollywood fare like "Shane."  After a promising start, "Charro!" comes across to me as a little bit dull.
His role as Jess Wade is just a little too soft -- well, what I'm saying is that if his role were more directly like Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name I think it'd play to some of Elvis' greatest acting strengths.
Just as I think that Elvis' character could have been at least a little harder, so could Victor French's bad guy have been...well..badder.
If only "Charro!" was a creative progeny of the excellent "Flaming Star," steeped in a late-60s spaghetti-western sensibility..
With the late Ina Balin and the late Victor French as the bad guy, this movie has a strong supporting cast..
The "branding" is, possibly, the most gruesome scene you'll see in a Elvis movie.This film has a classic Western Plot: Elvis is the representation of the Law - Badman gone good, friend of the Sheriff, and rival for a woman (Ina Balin).
In that way, it's like many westerns - and as good as several "classic" John Wayne films.Again, this is a rough-around-the-edges film - my vote for the roughest edges are: The background music is too hokey and repetitive; and, I found the Sheriff's wife's betrayal too abrupt to be believable - it is interesting in that it shows the relationship between Elvis and the Sheriff is stronger than the relationship between the Sheriff and his wife; although Elvis' first intent is to meet the Badman's demands by releasing the prisoner, he decides to honor the Sheriff's wishes.The title song is very good; appropriately, there are no additional songs.
It sounds like an apology (because Elvis Presley made so many awful films), but I enjoyed "Charro!" ******* Charro!
(1969) Charles Marquis Warren ~ Elvis Presley, Ina Balin, Victor French.
It's a fairly good spaghetti western film even if you are not crazy about Elvis.
is right up there with the movie Flaming Star (another western Elvis film).I cannot say that Charro!
is an outstanding film - it does not have the quality of The Magnificent Seven or The Good, The Bad and the Ugly but Charro!
it's not that bad of a movie either.Elvis' acting in the movie Charro!
The movie Charro tried to save Elvis' acting career,unfortunately it was a case of too little too late.
the movie had a lot of promise, a great musical film score,good supporting cast,and even a tolerable script, but you can see the interest has gone from Elvis'acting.
It is obvious they based a lot of this on the successful Clint Eastwood "spaghetti" westerns but it lacks the sparkle of Sergio Leone direction.Compare Elvis' acting in this to Flaming Star and the difference is sadly noticable..
Ex-outlaw Jess Wade (Elvis Presley) tries at going straight but is curtailed when his old gang finally catches up with him, and head bandit Vince Hackett (Victor French) has come up with a truly messed-up punishment.
If nothing else, "Charro" shows that Elvis could've easily been a Western hero in Eastwood's league if he chose to keep with it and got better scripts.Elvis' acting in the movie Charro!
Jess Wade (Elvis Presley in a straight role , being the only character in which he wears beard) is a reformed outlaw confronting against the members of his old band .
Only Jess Wade can save the town people and his previous girlfriend (Ina Balin , in one of her few movie roles) from his former bunch .Elvis in a different kind of role , his third Western after 'Love me Tender' and 'Flamingo Star' ; being shot on location at the Apacheland Movie Ranch .
Elvis did agree , exceptionally , to sing the title credits , but there are no songs within the body of the movie .
Elvis sports a scruffy beard and a gritty look whose model was obviously the Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Western .
Although the film provided Elvis with one of his opportunities to play tough roles , the movie's producers were nervous about the reaction of fans .
However , the film was a modest hit and had awful critiques , it was not particularly well received by the legions of Elvis Presley fans who were disappointed by the lack of musical numbers .
In fact , this is the only movie in which Elvis doesn't sing , the only song is the one during the titles .
Compare this film with FRANKIE AND JOHNNY; KISSIN' COUSINS; PARADISE, HAWAIIAN STYLE; and especially horrible films like HARUM, SACARUM, and CHARRO looks pretty damn good.
Elvis plays it straight equipped with a beard to fight his former gang of 'friends' - the leader of which is Victor French in a tour-de-force performance.
A fine supporting cast which includes Ina Balin and Solomon Sturges turning in two admirable screen performances, helps to give Elvis' movie career a boost at this point in the 'Comeback' era of his musical oddyssey.
"Charro!" is a fresh and uplifting western and is a welcome change to hear EP only sing one song in a movie, and this one is over the opening credits.
Elvis delivers a good character portrayal of Jess Wade, and isn't as stereotyped as some of the previous characters from the other films from his mid-60's celluloid repertoire.
Great acting in all parts,and it was the ONLY movie where Elvis Presley didn't get up on a stage surrounded by lots of girls and sing a lot of songs,but NO siree,here is "the king" finally in a role where he plays a tough guy who gets even with a bunch of rowdies who set him up for something he didn't do.
I am a lifelong fan of Elvis Presley and love actor, Victor French, who has appeared in a lot of television westerns such as "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza".
I am also a lover of Western films and think that "Charro" is a darn good movie..great storyline and characters and the music is just great.
This movie only includes one Elvis song which might be good for some and disappointing for others.
For years Elvis Presley had been desperate to do a movie as a drama character with a non singing part.
Spaghetti westerns were still hot so he thought he had finally found the project he was looking for.This was intended to be a TV movie and Elvis thought this would be an opening for him to take his movie career in a different direction.
He is not quite as cool as Eastwood or Wayne at their best, but he does deliver a solid and reasonably intense performance.The first half of the movie is fine as it sets up a confrontation between ex-outlaw Jess Wade (Presley) and the gang that he rode with.
Vince (Victor French) the head of the gang is vicious, especially to his own gang members, but he does care about protecting his idiot brother , Billy Roy (Solomon Sturges) so he is at least a two note character.In the second part of the movie, believability falls apart with the outlaws using a single cannon to threaten to blow up a town.
For some inexplicable reason, he chooses to hold Billy Ray prisoner for shooting the previous sheriff, but does not arrest his brother, gang leader Vince, for kidnapping, torture, and blowing up half the town, among other felony crimes.
Released in 1969, "Charro" stars Elvis as Jess Wade, an ex-outlaw whose former gang seeks to pin the blame on him for stealing a gold cannon from a Mexican shrine.
Wade ends up trying to protect the Arizona town that holds one of the gang members in jail from the gang's cannon assault.If nothing else, "Charro" shows that Elvis could've easily been a Western hero in Eastwood's league if he chose to keep with it and got better scripts.
Obviously influenced by the rise of the Spaghetti Westerns of the mid-late 60s, this is easily Elvis' best Western of the three he did, the others being 1956' "Love Me Tender" and 1960's "Flaming Star." These prior Westerns had too much of what made Westerns in general laughable before the 60s.
"Charro" is the least guilty of these sins of Elvis' three Westerns."Charro" has a good first and last act, but a weak mid-section.
The only singing you will hear from Elvis Presley in Charro is the title song over the credits at the beginning.
He even wears a scraggly beard to emphasize this film won't be your usual Elvis funfest.I liked the idea that Elvis was expanding his range as an actor and maybe he might have done more westerns after this if Charro!
Presley had done two previous westerns Love Me Tender and Flaming Star and he acquitted himself well in both.But this one was plain ridiculous.
Victor French and his gang which includes his idiot brother Solomon Sturges steal a solid gold cannon from the museum in Chapultepec near Mexico City and then schlep the item to the border where French then proceeds to pin the crime on former gang member Elvis Presley.
Never mind that, French threatens to use the cannon to level the town because he was smart enough to bring powder and shot and has in James Sikking one of Stonewall Jackson's old artillery men.In that other film about a cannon, The Pride And The Passion the weapon was symbolically a phallic symbol and the illusion is drilled into our heads, especially with the ridiculous ending that Charro!
has.Colonel Tom Parker whose instincts for film properties were pretty good and knew Elvis's type of films were going out of vogue in the late Sixties, tried to take him in a new direction cinematically with Charro!.
the fans know the story...Elvis wanted to make a real WEstern, no songs.
Victor french, whom you may remember from "Highway to Heaven" or "Little House on the Prarie," did a much better job of acting than Elvis.Maybe the film would have been better if that actually added the Hootchie Kootchie girl, Charo, to the cast..
(1969) * 1/2 (out of 4) Elvis plays a gunfighting outlaw who decides to go straight but his old gang pulls him back in to steal a cannon, which is a priceless gem from the Mexican Revolution.
That, however, is as far as things go because while it was interesting to see a different type of film from Elvis this is still a pretty poor movie when looked at as a straight Western.
Victor French is pretty good in his role but that's about all the film has to offer..
Arguably, Elvis Presley's worst movie--certainly his least interesting--improbably casts the now-bearded star as a former outlaw in the Old West who is abducted by his former gang and set up as the fall guy for a priceless steal: a gold-plated cannon once belonging to the emperor.
I like Elvis as much as the next person and enjoy watching his movies more for his music than anything since most of them were so bad (yes there are exceptions that were fairly acceptable, King Creole being my favorite) but this movie was just bad - plus no singing.
After 30 films of watching Presley sing to everyone including the guy he just beat up, can you imagine trying to take Presley serious in a western?
Presley sings only the title song and only a fan with more time on his hands than brain power could sit through the first 30 minutes.
Presley was showing obvious signs of extreme boredom during this film and you can tell his movie contracts were close to being finished.
The unshaven, dirty western appearance of Presley was not tolerated by fans in 1969 and fans have not changed, So even from the biggest fan, Charro does not come with a recommendation..
A surprisingly good Elvis film.
It was a very good film that kept me interested.Charro!
By chance, Vince's crazy brother Billy Roy (a brilliant performance by Solomon Sturges) comes in and tries to stir up trouble, but Wade is there.
The Hackett gang now threatens Wade (who's now temporary sheriff) and the town to let Billy Roy go or have their town destroyed via the cannon.I found the movie quite intriguing.
The soundtrack is weak; Elvis sings the theme song at the beginning, but the rest of the music is just generic Western acoustic with that 60's flavour.Still, this was a lot better than the Video Movie Guide rated it.
Elvis Presley plays bearded soldier-of-fortune Jess Wade who is framed for the theft of a historic Mexican Victory cannon in writer & director Charles Marquis Warren's explosive horse opera "Charro!" by his chief nemesis Vince Hackett.
In "Charro!," Elvis sings only one song, the title tune.
After he captures Jess during a gunfight in a sleepy town and burns his neck with a branding iron to simulate a bullet crease, Vince lets the word spread that his former friend stole the cannon.
No sooner has Elvis arrived in town than Vince's young, hot-headed brother Billy Ray (Solomon Sturges) shows up itching for liquor and woman.
Elvis' fans didn't respond to this Spaghetti-style western.
When I first saw Elvis in the film as the bearded desperado Jess Wade, I thought Wow!
Back when Elvis was lean and good looking, the independent wrangler approach might have taken him into spaghetti Westerns, and since he could also sing, one can only imagine the possibilities.As it is, Presley provides a fairly competent presence to his character in "Charro!", but as the film wears on, so does he.
Do you think he ever sent for her?If for no other reason, "Charro!" is worth seeing for a non characteristic look at Elvis Presley in a role that would have served much better at the beginning of his career than near it's end.
Nevertheless, "Charro!" differs from all other Elvis movies.
"Charro!" opens as Jess Wade (Elvis Presley) rides into a sleepy Mexican village.
Jess gets the surprise of his life when his old nemesis, Vince Hackett (Victor French), appears with two trigger-happy gunmen.
He shoots Sheriff Ramsey, and Jess takes over for his friend and jails Billy Roy. When he learns about Billy Roy's predicament, Vince threatens to destroy the town with the cannon!
Elvis Presley never played a hero like Jess.
from Elvis's previous westerns Love Me Tender and Flaming Star is the ending.
qualifies as Elvis Presley's most unusual movie.
What hadn't changed was Elvis' eminent ability to entertain.Charles Marquis Warren, who produced, wrote, and directed CHARRO, has an unimpeachable place in the Western pantheon: He developed for television both GUNSMOKE and THE VIRGINIAN and created RAWHIDE.
Elvis' first film, LOVE ME TENDER, was a straight Western, as was FLAMING STAR in 1960.
Maltin rejects CHARRO because it doesn't fit his preconceived expectation of what an Elvis movie should be.
Deep down, I know FLAMING STAR was a better produced and weightier movie and features a better Elvis performance, BUT...
Advertised as "a different kind of role" for Presley upon its release; this movie was supposed to be the launch of his 'serious' film career.