the leading man is my tpye

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Although an Italian/Spanish/French production and shot in Spain, "Chino" (1973) isn't a genuine Spaghetti Western on account of director, John Sturges ("Magnificent Seven") being an American (although he didn't finish the film; Duilio Colett did). More Importantly, "Chino" lacks the typical comic book tone and one-dimensional/amoral protagonists of most Italian Westerns, e.g. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." On the contrary, "Chino" is ultra-realistic and features flesh & blood protagonists.THE PLOT: Chino Valdez (Charles Bronson), a half-breed, runs a horse farm in the desert and is usually persecuted when he goes to town. A 15 year-old runaway named Jamie drops by and Chino decides to hire him. Meanwhile, a neighboring rancher is starting to fence-up the wilderness and Chino falls for his beautiful half-sister (Jill Ireland).I stayed away from "Chino" all these years because I was told that it was a slow, lackluster and uneventful Bronson Western. Well, it might be sort of slow, since the story focuses on the characters and their drama, but it's not lackluster or uneventful. I was surprised at how good it is. The theme is the dying of the Old West and everything that went with it. Big time ranchers are moving in and fencing-off the land and Native Americans are becoming extinct across the landscape, except for Reservations. Being a half-breed, Chino seems to stir-up trouble wherever he goes through no fault of his own, which results in a saloon fight here and there. Thankfully, Jamie is too young to be bigoted and they develop a sort of father/son relationship. If you enjoy horses you'll love "Chino." It features the running of a herd in open pasture, cameos of a magnificent stallion, the birthing of a foal and its life with Chino & Jamie, the bareback riding of a group of Natives, Chino's great drive of some horses into town and an unexpected horse mating scene. Fittingly, that last one is the set-up for Chino making the moves on his woman, lol.There's also a fairly long Native American sequence where Chino introduces Jamie to the band of Indians that are basically his family. There's a sleeping-in-the-tepee scene that's reminiscent of a similar scene in "Dances with Wolves," which came out 17 years later. Also, as Chino entertains the idea of hooking-up with a sexy squaw Jamies meets a sweet young thang.Unfortunately the story didn't end the way I would've liked it to end; it left a sour taste. But then I reflected on the movie and accepted it. In view of the film's main theme -- the twilight of the Old West -- I suppose it ended the way it had to. Besides, not every story ends on a "everyone lived happily ever after" note.In any event, "Chino" breaches the ceiling of greatness as a simple, yet compelling drama that takes place in the soon-to-be-gone Old West.The film runs 98 minutes. GRADE: A-

Some of the best films in which Charles Bronson stared in can said to have been the very best. However, there are a couple which are never off the mark. This is one of them. The movie is called " Chino " and in this reviewer's opinion is like a item of wet clothing, hung out to dry. Charles Bronson plays Chino Valdez a native America who has am isolated ranch in the New Mexico plains. One day a teen age lad named Jamie Wagner (Vincent Van Patten) arrives on his ranch looking for work. Reluctantly, Valdez hires him and set about to teach him the horse trade. At nearly the same time Valdex is smitten by an English woman called Catherine (Jill Ireland) who falls for him. Despite the rest of the town clamoring for Chin to stay away, thing on his ranch never do get off the ground as the Catherine's brother is someone who decides Chino is not the right man for his sister. Despite the Bronson presence and the fact that this is a John Sturges film, it lacks the magic of their combined efforts in other movies. Still, much can be garnered from this offering. In this case, Van Patton does add his youthful presence and conspires to ask the question, why does it end the way it does. This is very unlike Bronson. ***

I watched this movie a few days ago and at the time wasn't overly impressed. However, I find myself still thinking about it and therefore I can't deny it made a lasting impression. This is certainly one of the more unusual westerns you will ever watch and I would add this is definitely one of Bronson's better films. I watched a really bad print of this on VHS and wish I had something better to view this film again. I'm sure I would like it even better second time around.I think that maybe the real genius in this movie is the way it accurately captured the isolation early pioneers actually encountered in the vastness of the old west. Bronson is a man living alone on a horse ranch and "living" is about it. Unexpectedly he befriends a young drifter and then even more unexpectedly falls in love with a very beautiful woman. Then his life really become complicated. However, all the while, you sort of sense that he expects things to work out wrong because that is just the way life goes for a man like him; someone who learns to mostly just depend on himself and just accept whatever comes as whatever comes. In a way its a sad film...but you have to realize that life out there on the frontier battling the elements, ruthless land barons, and loneliness wasn't exactly a bowl of cherries. The landscape, overcast skies, and the sets do a fabulous job helping create the somber atmosphere that is, in my opinion, the real star of this film. This is a spaghetti western but this time around the various elements of Italian films are brought out in their better light. This is a serious piece of film and worth watching for a number of reasons. It is not an action filled shoot em' up but rather a character study and realistic portrayal of how hard times and hard living were in the tough old west. Nicely photographed too. This movie reminds me of stuff like Will Penny, Tender Mercies, or even Monte Walsh. Not as good as those but pretty close. Yes, there are flaws but its still interesting and unique...and fun to look at I might add.

This is a loser-movie that makes very little sense. Bronson was riding high around the time this was made so I can't figure out why he did it -- unless it was as a favor to director John Sturges who was bottoming out in his career. It's hard to believe that the man who made "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape" made this. As for the plot -- something about a half-breed rancher fighting over land...falls in love with his enemy's sister (Jill Ireland)...gets beaten up and run out of town, drives his horses away first, then leaves. Not exactly the most uplifting film you'll find. Not exactly the most coherent one either. I hope somebody made their house payments with this one. A complete waste of time.