100 Rifles (1969)

Rifles or Trifles?

100 Rifles is directed by Tom Gries and Gries adapts to screenplay with Clair Huffaker from Robert MacLeod's novel The Californio. It stars Burt Reynolds, Jim Brown, Raquel Welch, Fernando Lamas and Dan O'Herlihy. Music is by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by Cecilio Paniagua.

Arizona lawman Lydecker (Brown) travels into Mexico to arrest bank robber Yaqui Joe Herrera (Reynolds), and lands in the middle of a war between the Yaquis and the Mexican army.

A good blood pumping Oater feasting on Spaghetti leanings, 100 Rifles boasts star appeal coupled with exciting genre staples. Filmed in Almeria in Spain, pic doesn't lack for smooth on the eyes locations either. The dialogue is a mixture of cheese and the philosophical, but it sits well in the production. It's strong on violence, with a number of action sequences very well constructed, while it has a cheeky glint in its eye and for sure is sexy into the bargain. OK, so the cast aren't exactly pulling up any trees, but they are fun to watch as we take in weasel villains and lovable rogues.

Good time to be had here. 7/10

_**Burt Reynolds, Raquel Welch and Jim Brown in an American Western shot in Spain**_

An Arizona sheriff (Jim Brown) travels to Sonora in 1912 to apprehend a half-breed bank robber (Burt Reynolds) who used the money to purchase 100 rifles for his tribe in their fight against a despotic Mexican general (Fernando Lamas). The lawman isn’t interested in his noble intentions and just wants to take him back to Phoenix, but he gets caught up in the political fracas. Raquel Welch plays one of the Yaquis while Dan O'Herlihy is a representative of the Pacific Union and Eric Braeden (aka Hans Gudegast) a German advisor to the ruthless general.

"100 Rifles" (1969) is an American Western curiously shot in Spain, no doubt due to Sergio Leone’s highly successful mid-60’s Western trilogy with Clint Eastwood. I personally prefer this one even though it’s hard to beat the iconic stature of “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966). “100 Rifles” has a more compelling story and is naturally more streamlined. While it would be impossible to top Ennio Morricone’s mind-blowing score, Jerry Goldsmith’s multifaceted piece in this movie ain’t no slouch and was so notable it was reprised in “The Last Hard Men” (1976).

Welch was in her physical prime here and the producers didn’t fail to respectfully highlight her stunning beauty in various apparel. Yet Soledad Miranda deserves a mention in the same department for her small, yet jaw-dropping role in the opening. Soledad was a Spanish actress who was known for working with quickie Euro-filmmaker Jesús Franco, e.g. “Count Dracula” (1970). Unfortunately she died at the premature age of 27 due to a vehicle accident outside Lisbon in August, 1970.

The events take place during William Howard Taft’s presidency 50 years after slavery was abolished in America so there’s no historical problem with Brown playing a lawman taking a job that obviously no one else wanted to further his career.

Whilst “100 Rifles” doesn’t rank with my all-time favorite Westerns, it’s solid enough and is arguably Reynolds’ best Western. There’s a lot of Southwest action and ex-NFL star Brown is a surprisingly good actor. And how can you go wrong with Raquel Welch and Soledad Miranda in their prime?

The film runs 1 hour, 49 minutes and was shot in Andalucía, Spain (Almería and Granada), and Madrid. The magnificent monastery ruins and thrilling train wreck at the close were shot in Madrid.

GRADE: B/B-