Review of Vera Cruz (1954) by Jens S — 09 Dec 2008

Western Classic and one of the movies that established Burt Lancaster's Blendax grin. Him and Cary Cooper are meeting in Mexico during the revolution, trying to make their ways as guns for hire (along with Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson and Jack Elam).

During their job of protecting a carriage there is a lot of double-crossing and surprisingly many amoral characters, with Cooper of course being the one with the heart of gold under the rough skin. The interaction between the two main characters, friends and foes against all odds, is what carries this film, despite of a rather low number of real action scenes.

This is old-fashioned Western movie making, for fans of the genre, and yet the film avoids most stereotypes and uses a rather unique setting.