One of John Wayne’s best latter-day films also happened to be legendary (and versatile) director Curtiz’ last: he was ill with cancer at the time, and the star himself (who had recently tried his hands at directing for the first time with the large-scale THE ALAMO [1960]) stepped in when the latter proved too weak to work; incidentally, the two had previously collaborated on the atypical TROUBLE ALONG THE WAY (1953) which has just been released on DVD by Warners. Ironically, Wayne – who is at one time called “Big Jake” in the film – would likewise deputize as a director for the ailing George Sherman (who produced THE COMANCHEROS) on another solid Western of his entitled BIG JAKE (1971)!
Coming right in between the farcical NORTH TO THE ALASKA (1960) and the elegiac THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962), it’s neither as comic as the former nor as grim as the latter, but manages to strike a good balance between the two. The film has an interesting episodic structure: Texas Ranger Wayne chasing gambler Stuart Whitman (accused of murder), Whitman meeting mystery woman Ina Balin on a boat (having slipped from Wayne’s fingers), Wayne crossing paths with psychotic arms dealer Lee Marvin (with a prominent scalp), Wayne and Whitman eventually team up to rout the Comancheros – a renegade band with their own strict code of ethics who’s in league with the Indians (they’re led by Nehemiah Persoff, incidentally Balin’s father).
Wayne and Whitman work well together: the latter eventually co-starred in a similar Fox Western, RIO CONCHOS [1964], which is yet to be released on DVD – but, as it happens, has just been shown on Italian TV and I taped it for an instant reappraisal; Marvin has a brief but showy role, Persoff makes a fine villain, and Balin’s strong character is unusual for a Western (though she eventually reforms for the sake of Whitman!). There’s also a good supporting role for Wayne’s son, Patrick; and, while I don’t know how much say Curtiz had in casting the film, it was great to see two alumni of his in nice bits – Henry Daniell (from THE SEA HAWK [1940]) and Guinn “Big Boy” Williams (from DODGE CITY [1939]).
As can be expected, THE COMANCHEROS features plenty of well-staged action sequences (including a climactic bout in which all the various parties involved clash) – all set to a rousing Elmer Bernstein score, fresh from THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960). Watching the film got me thinking about another good Wayne Western from this later period which I haven’t watched in over 20 years – THE WAR WAGON (1967; incidentally, the last of 3 collaborations with Kirk Douglas) – which is actually upcoming on R1 DVD as part of a Universal “John Wayne Screen Legends” set...
