Hombre (1967)

Summary: For a variety of reasons half a dozen people are passengers travelling in a stage coach in Arizona. They are Doris and Billy a young couple, Jessie the manager of a boarding house, Dr and Mrs Favor, he an Apache agent and John Russell, a white man who has been brought up by the Apache. The sixth passenger is Cicero Grimes who has obtained a ticket by threatening a soldier. Because of his Indian background Russell is required to ride with the driver, Henry Mendez. On the second day of their journey they are held up by a gang who turns out to be led by Grimes. They take money which Dr Favor has stolen from the Apache and take his wife hostage, but as they ride off Russell kills two of them and recovers the money. The survivors take refuge in a derelict gold mine, and are found by the villains who still hold Mrs Favor. How will it all end?

Content: No sex or nudity, although Grimes makes an unwanted approach to Doris. In an early scene we see that John Russell is tough, despite his retiring demeanour, when he protects two Apaches with whom he is travelling. In an opening scene the Apache capture a herd of wild horses, the leading horse is impressive. There are a number of scenes setting up the coach travel, John Russell has inherited a boarding house, but is selling it so some passengers relate to that event. Events take place out in the desert, and there are gunfights ending up at the stand off in the derelict buildings of the gold mine.

A View: This film was very well thought of at the time as a “revisionist western” slightly altering the relationship between the Indians and the white men.  It ticks some boxes for me. I love Elmore Leonard’s writing and have always been a fan of Paul Newman who does enigmatic extremely well. It could be that this role does not quite give him enough to do, so really a watch if you are a fan of film history and how the western fits in.

My western viewings tend to be dominated by Clint Eastwood’s outings but here are three lesser known films of the genre: Hostiles, The Sisters Brothers and Slow West.