Charming and brutal

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This is an excellent movie.Blue (Terrence Stamp) is an American rescued (actually kidnapped as a child) by the leader, Ortega (Ricardo Montalban), of a Mexican band of criminals. He is separated from the gang in a failed raid, meets the beautiful and lovely Joanne Morton (Joanna Pettet), and falls in love with her. His former gang and his stepfather want him back, and at any cost to him and anyone who stands in the way or by his side.The movie Blue is based in an excellent screenplay by Ronald M. Cohen, that provides a good story and interesting dialogue for the film's main actors, many of whom were very familiar because of their extensive TV exposure at the time. Karl Malden, Joanna Pettet, and Ricardo Montalban were all very recognizable characters to TV audiences in the 1960's.I don't know if there is any explanation, but Karl Malden appeared in a number of western movies from 1960 to 1970; including the Nevada Smith, How the West was Won, Cheyenne Autumn, The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin, Blue, and Wild Rovers. He did not appear in westerns before or after this decade (1960 to 1970). His performance in Blue is excellent. He plays the resolute character with strong convictions that he does so well.Joanna Pettet was an underrated and under-performing actress. Directors never seemed to take this actor to her potential. She does a wonderful job in this movie, playing both a vulnerable woman and a strong lover. I found myself worrying more about Blue (Terrence Stamp) because of Joanne Morton (Joanna Pettet) character's love for Blue.Blue (Terence Stamp) is the intense young man possessing an extremely dangerous skillset (he is a gunfighter and a killer). He is confused by his conflicting loyalties (his sudden love for a woman he has just met that opposes his gang affiliation).My only negative comment on this film is Terrence Stamp's strong British accent that seems out of place for an American kidnapped by Mexicans.

In spite of a somewhat interesting premise, this turned out to be completely routine, similar to many westerns of the 1960's. British actor Terence Stamp is completely miscast in the title role, playing a Mexican-raised white bandito (gringro) who is cast into American society after stopping one of his compatriots from raping a woman during a raid. The rest of the cast includes some excellent actors (Karl Malden, Ricardo Montoblan, & Sally Kirkland), but they're stuck in cliché roles and can only go through the motions. The beginning and end of this film feature the usual shootouts and horseback chases, while the middle section is mostly the supporting cast talking. And boy do they talk, and it's the kind of talk you've heard in every western ever made. However, Stanley Cortez's color photography is lovely and it takes full advantage of the scenery. In the romantic lead, Joanna Pettet is also very beautiful, but her romance with Stamp's character is unconvincing. It's hardly worth two hours of melodrama and clichés. I'd call this strictly for hard-core fans of westerns.

For some reason I always looked back fondly on this film that I saw in the theater in the late '60s. However, when I watched it again almost 30 years later on VHS, I was really disappointed. Since I know now that lead actor Terrence Stamp grew up in England, I found his American/ Mexican character accent - at that time - not that believable. A few times he slipped back to his native British accent.This is one of those unusual films in which the good guy dies in the end. Many times, that makes for a more dramatic, memorable ending. Howevr, in this case, all it made for was a very unsatisfying finish. This is not something I'd eagerly wait another 30 years to see!

Terence Stamp is an actor of some range, but that range doesn't extend to playing naturalized Mexicans. His extreme unsuitability for his role is apparent as soon as he speaks: his first words - "I'll do that" - are delivered in what appears to be thick cockney; a little later his delivery has a Devon burr. Only when Blue gave an account of his upbringing did I realised he was meant to be American. The mystery is why, having kept their leading man silent for the first forty-five minutes, the film-makers should have allowed him to speak at all.