Too much of everything

Thanks for the memories!

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Bandolero was release on July 1 1968 in United States theaters. Bandolero is a 1968 western directed by Andrew V. McLaglen starring James Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch and George Kennedy. Andrew V McLaglen directed the movie.Summary: Posing as a hangman, Mace Bishop arrives in town with the intention of freeing his brother Dee from the gallows. Dee and his gang have been arrested for a bank robbery in which Maria Stoner's husband was killed. After freeing his brother, Mace successfully robs the bank on his own after the gang has fled with the posse in pursuit. Dee has taken Maria as a hostage. The posse, led by local sheriff July Johnson and Deputy Roscoe Bookbinder, chases the fugitives across the Mexican border into territory policed by Bandoleros, whom Maria describes as men out to kill any gringos (foreigners) that they can find. Maria further warns Dee that the sheriff will follow, because they have taken the one thing that July Johnson has always wanted: her. Despite initial protestations, Maria falls for Dee and finds herself in a quandary. She had never felt anything for the sheriff, nor for her husband, who had purchased her from her family.Questions: Why did the outlaws take Mrs. Stonier? Who was the hangman? Did the Hangman have anything to do with Dee Bishop? Why did the sheriff go after the outlaws? Was it for the robbery? Was it for Mrs. Stonier? What happen when the Bandoleros and the sheriff crossed paths? What happen to Dee? Who shot Mace? Who shot El Jeffe? My Thoughts: I really didn't think that Raquel Welch could hold her own in a western picture. However, as in the past I was wrong again. Bandolero has a star-studded cast that featured James Stewart, Dean Martin Richard Greer, and George Kennedy. There was a lot of good action in movie that kept you on the edge of your seat. Raquel Welch was fantastic in this picture. Her ability to speak the Mexican language brought her to the for front of this movie. As also watching Raquel Welch bake in the Mexican sun was worth watching in itself alone. I give this movie 10 weasel stars for Raquel Welch talent and her acting ability

When I first watched the movie I thought it was an okay pot boiler. Raquel Welch is as hot as a woman could be dressed in 1860s clothes. Then I watched it again after reading someone's comments about how some of the characters are the same as Lonesome Dove. If you enjoyed Lonesome Dove, watch this it will become much more interesting. The credits show it was scripted by James Lee Barrett based on a story by Stanley Hough. No mention of McMurtry but there has to be some connection.In both you have sheriff July Johnson with deputy Roscoe chasing a woman who is running with an outlaw named Dee. It's Dee Bishop instead of Dee Boot. Watch it and you will probably find more similarities.If nothing else Raquel Welch is smoking hot and the rest of the cast is really solid. Take a look sometime.

The word "Bandolero!" rolls off the tongue so nicely you would think the film would have a more upbeat feel to it, especially with that exclamation point as part of the title. However the word in Spanish means bandit, and as the film heads into the second half the action gets pretty grim. Dean Martin and Jimmy Stewart are unusually cast as brothers who meet up in the town of Val Verde, Texas. Stewart's character assumes the guise of a hangman called upon to dispatch outlaw Dee Bishop (Martin) and his renegade bunch after a botched bank holdup that left a prominent citizen dead, shot by Dee. I was hoping to see more of Jock Mahoney when I saw his name in the credits, but he was that unfortunate victim, leaving behind a Mexican bride. I had almost forgotten how gorgeous Raquel Welch was, but this film showcases her looks to maximum appeal, without resorting to various stages of undress. Although there is one time during a battle with Mexican bandits where her blouse is ripped from the back, but the scene is played out more for it's savagery than for titillation.George Kennedy provides a competent but heavily understated portrayal of July Johnson, the Val Verde sheriff who puts together a posse to track down the Bishop gang after they flee from the gallows with Mace Bishop's (Stewart) intervention. I thought it was a clever idea for Mace to provide the weapon, but if you think about it, someone would probably have noticed the exchange of the gun in real life, so the way that's handled is prominently done off screen. That actually surprised me somewhat, as I was wondering how the 'break' would occur, and suddenly there it was.The other thing I wondered about throughout the picture was how Raquel maintained her makeup and wardrobe while trekking through the desert with the bad guys. I know you're not supposed to think about those things with escapist entertainment, but the way current films go for reality, the difference is easily noticed. Never a hair or eyelash out of place, even in those extreme close ups.Probably the biggest surprise by the end of the picture is the idea that Dino and Raquel fall in love (remember, Dee Bishop killed her husband), but it took some prodding from big brother Mace to insist that he talk to her. So in the end, Dino gets the girl, but he dies!, leaving a bittersweet feel at the closing credits.

Bandolero! is a run of the mill western which benefits from a watchable cast. This was the only time James Stewart and Dean Martin appeared in the same movie, i believe. The screenwriter James Lee Barrett would also write The Cheyenne Social Club, teaming Stewart with Henry Fonda. A movie which also shares the same cinematographer as this one, William Clothier, who shot billions of westerns.But i'll be honest, being a man and all, i naturally watched this mainly for Raquel Welch. Although at this point in her career, she wasn't given much to do in movies except for wearing skimpy outfits or playing the damsel in distress, the latter of which she plays here. She was still a few years away from taking charge of her own western, Hannie Caulder. A movie that is shockingly still not on DVD, (taps my foot, waiting for an explanation). Despite Welch having a supporting role, you wouldn't know that from looking at the DVD cover which has a big picture of her front and center.Aside from the cast, there's really not much else to rave about with this one. It's just an average western that is a nice time passer while it's on, and then pretty much forgotten within hours after watching it. Something that can be said for pretty much every western that came out in 1968.