Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Matthew_Capitano Most of the actors in this sloppy western are screaming through half the film. Meanwhile, Elvis stands around looking like a dumb dog wearing a scratchy beard and a funky hat.A lame story, a lamer script, and some of the lamest acting (especially by Presley) ever trotted out of a troupe of wannabe actors provides the filler for the near hour and forty-five minutes the viewer must sit through during this exercise in silliness. Advertised as "a different kind of role" for Presley upon its release; this movie was supposed to be the launch of his 'serious' film career. Only one problem, really........... Elvis couldn't act his way out of a horse trough.

zardoz-13 Elvis Presley plays bearded soldier-of-fortune Jess Wade who is framed for the theft of a historic Mexican Victory cannon in writer & director Charles Marquis Warren's explosive horse opera "Charro!" by his chief nemesis Vince Hackett. Victor French has a field day as the obnoxious villain who sets Elvis up. He uses the cannon to wipe out a platoon of Mexican Federale troops during a border crossing. Elvis must have grown progressively tired with making the same old musical comedies with attractive co-stars where he warbled a song or two. In "Charro!," Elvis sings only one song, the title tune. He isn't shown singing this song. Hugo Montenegro provides an outstanding orchestral score with spunk. Meanwhile, French makes an excellent villain who has no qualms about killing. He is prepared to murder members of his own gang. After he captures Jess during a gunfight in a sleepy town and burns his neck with a branding iron to simulate a bullet crease, Vince lets the word spread that his former friend stole the cannon. Jess recovers from the branding, ropes a horse in the wilderness, and then rides back to the town where his girlfriend, Tracey Winters (Ian Balin of "The Comancheros") runs a saloon. Furthermore, Jess is friends with the local lawman, Dan Ramsey (James Almanzar), and he believes Jess had nothing to do with the theft. No sooner has Elvis arrived in town than Vince's young, hot-headed brother Billy Ray (Solomon Sturges) shows up itching for liquor and woman. Jess captures him and Sheriff Ramsay imprisons him, but Ramsay takes a shot in the arm. Ramsay winds up bed-ridden while Jess takes over as the town lawman. Vince demands the release of his brother or he threatens to blast the town to smithereens with the cannon. Elvis' fans didn't respond to this Spaghetti-style western. Nevertheless, "Charro!" is a good western.The movie "Charro!" and the novelization that author Harry Whittington wrote are starkly different. For starters, Jess Wade and Vince Hackett don't know each other in the novel. Furthermore, Vince doesn't frame Jess for the theft of the weapon. Additionally, Vince's gang mows down the Federales as they cross the river with their rifles instead of the cannon. Whittington does have the scene when Jess smashes Billy Roy's head against the jail bars. The sheriff died during his fight with Billy Roy in the novel instead of lingering beside his wife in the movie.

ThePhrozenPhoenix So I bought a new box set of Elvis movies. In it was "Charro." I thought it looked refreshing to see Elvis play a more serious role instead of the usual musical. I did some research and found this generally to be poorly received. Well I watched the film anyway. . .I honestly was expecting this to be utter garbage. The first five minutes went by. I thought it was pretty good so far - I was wondering when it would start to suck. 20 minutes go by. I was being drawn into the plot and finding the action riveting and exciting, with a nice musical score, too (Still isn't bad yet).Then I get to the climax - - - Original and intense. What was so bad about it? The acting was solid, it had a good script, and I found it a very pleasurable experience. Is it just the general bias towards any Elvis film after the '50s or is it because it's not some hoity toity British trash? I say, if you're a fan of westerns and/or Elvis. You should certainly give this movie a chance.*** / **** stars.

classicsoncall When I first saw Elvis in the film as the bearded desperado Jess Wade, I thought Wow! - what if his career had taken a turn like, say, Clint Eastwood's. Elvis Presley as Rowdy Yates on 'Rawhide'. Back when Elvis was lean and good looking, the independent wrangler approach might have taken him into spaghetti Westerns, and since he could also sing, one can only imagine the possibilities.As it is, Presley provides a fairly competent presence to his character in "Charro!", but as the film wears on, so does he. Though arguably one of his better films, it seems like the thrill is gone at a time in his career when 'The King' was attempting a major comeback. The bearded face does indeed create an amazing transformation of the Elvis persona, and is one of the highlights of the picture. It doesn't go far enough though; without achieving that flat out Lee Van Cleef mean, and matched against an adversary who's also less than sheer malevolence, the movie loses much of it's potential.The film's finale in fact seems to blow up as quickly as one of those cannon fired dynamite packets. When Vince Hackett (Victor French) falls apart and simply gives up, what the heck happened to Gunner (James Sikking) and Mody (Charles H. Gray)? I mean, they just disappeared! Then, as the town re-groups and Jess prepares for the trip to Mexico, Mrs. Ramsey (Barbara Werle) plants a kiss on him, when in just the prior scene she was ready to beat the snot out of him, blaming him for her husband's death! How exactly did the reconciliation take place?Even with the disconnects, it was cool seeing Paul Brinegar once again as Doc Opie (there's that 'Rawhide' connection again). Ina Balin, looking radiant and very much like a high school sweetheart of mine, doesn't have much to do here as Presley's romantic interest, but even that seems wasted by the end of the story. Do you think he ever sent for her?If for no other reason, "Charro!" is worth seeing for a non characteristic look at Elvis Presley in a role that would have served much better at the beginning of his career than near it's end. But that's a whole other conversation. I wonder how Clint would have been in "Jailhouse Rock".