Directed by Michael Curtiz, the man who made Casablanca and The Sea Hawk, this film rises above most John Wayne movies of the era. It has enormous scale in the rocky horizons of the Southwest, lots of action and heroism, a young and beautiful Ina Balin, and an inspiring sound track courtesy of Elmer Bernstein, who was working up to his movie soundtrack masterpiece, The Magnificent Seven. It's not a typical Western plot. The Duke and his buddy fall into an evil hidden empire from which there is no escape. It has all the makings of a rustic James Bond situation. If you ever liked any Western, you have to like this one.
Review of The Comancheros
