The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

FYI--This DVD has no captioning of any sort, so if you are hard of hearing you are out of luck.Aside from the unusual setting, the presence of two great stars and some good supporting actors to play tough guys, there isn't all that much about this film that makes it rise above the ordinary. Now I am not saying it's a bad film--just one that isn't exceptional despite the cast.During the US Civil War, the European powers took advantage of this by deposing President Juarez and installing Maximillian I (and last)--a pawn of the French and Austrians. Naturally, most of the Mexicans were less than overjoyed by the imposition of this leader and not surprisingly civil war broke out in Mexico and it lasted several years. This movie begins just after the US war ended--and American adventurers are heading to Mexico to offer their services to the highest bidder--which would be Maximillian. Burt Lancaster is the leader of a group of thugs and there's nothing admirable about any of them--they are scum. But, they are well-cast scum, as Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam and Charles Bronson (here, billed with his real name 'Charlie Buchinski')! Another guy arrives and also offers his services to Maximillian (Gary Cooper) but he seems like a decent sort--and why he's in Mexico is perplexing. They are all hired to escort a lady and her caravan--but the lady is secondary--the gold hidden in her carriage is the real treasure. Naturally, the Americans figure this out and the rest of the film is a struggle over ownership of this shipment.This film has the usual assortment of gun battles, machismo and manliness. However, the film lacks personality as none of the characters have much depth. Lancaster mostly smiles with his teeth clenched, Cooper is nice...and bland and the film never seems all that interesting. Watchable for fans of these actors but otherwise pretty forgettable despite the unusual setting.

A couple of American mercenaries head to Mexico hoping to profit from the revolutionary war there. Cooper and Lancaster play characters that are complete opposites: one is quiet and long in the tooth and the other is brash-talking and flashes a toothy grin. It is not hard to guess which actor plays which role. Lancaster, dressed in all black, hams it up while Cooper is subdued. The film is generally entertaining but the script is too routine to raise it above mediocrity. Romero is smooth as a Mexican army official. Darcel and Moniel provide the love interest while the supporting cast features the likes of Elam, Borgnine, Bronson.

I had a junior high school teacher once, Mr. MacGowan, who asked us to list the qualities a man should have. Others quickly piped up with "tough," "strong," "fearless," the usual. But when I said "smart," I faced open opposition. Old Mr. MacGowan, though, nodded and wrote it on the blackboard. "Vera Cruz" illustrates the point, being smart beats being tough any day.This is a terrific film about Maximilian Mexico. 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. This film, though, has a humanity that the other films (and, in fact, most westerns) completely lack. Everybody - and I do mean everybody - is plotting and scheming and figuring who they absolutely have to cut in and who they safely can cut out, like an old-fashioned "Survivor." It's all sleazy in a good way. Everybody tries to outsmart everybody else, but in the end, one of them is smarter than them all and makes the only decision about the gold that makes sense.Which isn't to say that everything in the script is original. Cooper plays the usual western loner who comes in and alters everybody's destiny, blazing a path for Clint Eastwood a decade later. Lancaster plays the usual local gang leader who sees the newcomer as both a new challenge and an opportunity. How they resolve their varying motivations and influence on each other, and acknowledge their temporary usefulness to each other, forms the core of the tale.The most interesting and, indeed, idiosyncratic moment comes when the two dusty outsiders meet the Emperor, played marvelously (as always) by George "Paths of Glory" Macready, at his fancy court. The two gunmen and the Emperor have a shooting competition at which the Emperor actually does quite well, though of course he ultimately loses. It's a marvelous moment, with the setting quite European but Cooper and Lancaster wandering in and chewing as much scenery as they can. Cesar Romero overplays the Emperor's grinning henchman as only he could, the effect of his natural exuberance heightened by the comparison with the tightly restrained Cooper, Lancaster and Macready.There's an engaging story to tell, and it actually follows real events remarkably closely. Denise Darcel and Sara Montiel are around to look beautiful, and Ernest Borgnine has a good moment or two. Even Charles Bronson shows up to uphold the "tough guy" standard. But all along you know who has to win in the end, who has to get the gold, and how it all must end. Even with the lack of surprise, it makes for a terrific ride.

I saw this film years ago(mid late 1950's) in a B theater that was unable to handle "Superscope" and CinemaScope. The result was everyone was super tall and skinny making it at the time more laughable then it was enjoyable.Flash forward to the present and I found myself on a kick to see some Robert Aldrich films. Since I love old westerns I thought this one might be pretty good given the director and the two stars. Basically I wasn't disappointed. It had good action and the story moved along quite crisply. Good start to the film in introducing the two protagonists Lancaster and Cooper and a tense standoff in a plaza. Great ending.But the film also had its hammy moments although I suspect it was unintentional. Lancaster's white teeth constantly flashing became more of an annoyance then anything else. Boy great teeth for the 1860's. Some of his gang were comical more than anything else and one poor sap was given to dancing (sorry can't remember his name) and of course became a caricature. Grant you it wasn't unusual given the time. The love scenes were more hilarious then anything else as both love interests were mismatched to the men involved although at least Lancaster and Denise Darcel gave it a whirl. But Cooper who is stilted at the best of times was just plain laughable with his love interest in Sara Montiel. Best part was Lancaster slapping Darcel around.Other parts that were unintentionally funny was that they were supposed to be headed to Vera Cruz which is on the Gulf of Mexico coast in the south of Mexico. At one point they had them headed north through the pyramids of Teotihuacan. Okay I guess it was for effect but anyone with even some knowledge of Mexico would find it just silly.So what was there to like? Well it was noted that this film had an impact on Sergio Leone who did the spaghetti westerns. The setting in Mexico and the gunfight at the end between Cooper and Lancaster was great. Reminded me of course of the final gunfight between Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda in Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West. Even gave Lancaster and Cooper good face.But they should have mentioned some clear influence on Sam Peckinpah particularly his classic The Wild Bunch. The village scenes and especially the assault on Maxmillian's forces by the Juaristas especially brought back fond memories of the final clash in the Wild Bunch. We even had Cooper and Lancaster grab a hold of the repeating machine gun ala Holden and Borgnine in the Wild Bunch. Great influence and a great scene.Would have loved to have rated it higher than the 6 I gave it but the hammy parts and the stilted love scenes (kind of why bother) dropped the score.