Review of Vera Cruz (1954) by Michael H — 28 Jun 2013

An above average 50s western with strong performances and an air of believability. Cooper is solid as his typical stoic self while Lancaster is a bit too over the top to be taken all that seriously but is enjoyable nonetheless. Except, of course, for his stupid grin. Every time he flashes it I imagined what a solid blow would do to his teeth. Anyway, the two of them move between buddy adventurers and greedy rivals throughout the picture, with the tone transitioning from light comedy to heavy drama accordingly.

For the time its particularly sure footed and it has aged better than most its peers. While it gets too caught up in double and triple crosses and whos-really-with-who mischievousness toward the end to really bring home any solid character development, it's its avoidance of the eras many pitfalls and cliches that make it stand out.

The film's setting and style would later be aped repeatedly in the 'spaghetti western' subgenre, though rarely with the same ease and effectiveness.