bandolero

Not since “After the Thin Man” has Jimmy Stewart played a bad guy in a movie. Well, that is until
the much less than perfect Western “Bandolero!” Dean Martin and his boys are locked up, getting
ready to face the hangman for basically being murdering jerks like a lot of Western villains. Enter
Stewart, Martin’s brother and another all around unscrupulous stooge who frees them in a ruse.
He’s got the brains Martin wasn’t blessed with. Martin takes off with his gang, but not before taking
a hostage, the most beautiful woman in town, Raquel Welch.

Stewart robs the bank before he leaves and heads off with Martin’s gang, never telling them he has
the bank money. Sheriff George Kennedy and his posse head after them. Stewart and Martin
being disagreeing about the best course of action and Stewart is trying to keep Welch safe from
the others. Of course, Welch begins to suffer from the typical Stockholm syndrome and starts
falling for Martin of all people. Ugh.

They race off to Mexico and find themselves in a deserted town with the posse and a savage group
of Mexican banditos surrounding them. Yeah, it’s grim and uninteresting fare. Kennedy won’t stop
following them because he thinks he’s got a shot with Welch, even though half of his posse turns
back at the Mexico border and the other half gets wasted by banditos. Then of course the sheriff
has to free Martin’s gang because he knows he can’t take on the banditos alone. He’s also
determined to get the town’s money back too.

The movie isn’t a failure, it just isn’t interesting. There’s nothing that grabs the viewer and says,
“This is dramatically engaging!” or “How unique!” On top of that, why a woman of standing would
fall for her smarmy kidnapper is beyond me, let alone the fact that Jimmy Stewart wears a stovepipe
hat throughout the first half and he stole that from the traveling hangman. Stewart’s character can’
t decide what to be. The writing keeps him on the fence. Is he a bad guy? He stole the money
and freed the gang. Wait, he might be a good guy because he’s doing everything to protect Welch
from them. Then I pull my hair out in clumps.

There are a few contrived conversations as Jimmy learns about Welch's sad past as a bought
woman and Martin whispers sweet nothing promises to her and she believes them, even though
she should remember that they're on the run, he kidnapped her and he's a dead man any way you
cut it.

The ending is rushed and sloppy, culminating in a massive gunfight in an adobe ghost town. Lots
of sombreros and squibs and Welch sporting the biggest hair in movie history until Dolly Parton
showed her up years later. Uninspired and banal. Why oh why have you forsaken me, Jimmy?
Hard to believe this is from the same director who gave us "The Rare Breed" and "Shenandoah."