One of my all time favorites.

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

best movie i've ever seen.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Mexican-American lawman Burt Lancaster is forced to kill a wrongfully accused black man, during a circus-like standoff. Attempting to collect a hundred dollars compensation for the man's pregnant Apache wife, he's beaten and nearly killed, before suiting up to take the money from the bigwig responsible, one way or another.Based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, this explores familiar Leonard themes of stubbornness and racial/ethnic strife in the west (see also Hombre, Joe Kidd, and Mr. Majestyk, among others.), while also keeping up with Lancaster's pursuit of roles that reflected his views on social justice.As far as the actual movie goes, the first half is fairly unpleasant, though it really hammers home the unrelenting nastiness of the villains. The second half is more action-filled and satisfying, as we cheer on Lancaster's cat-and-mouse games with a virtual army of goons, though I think it's hurt by fact that the credits begin to roll before the ending is completely resolved!If you enjoy this, don't miss Lancaster in Lawman, a very similar film made in Spain at the same time.

God knows what made the Broadway actor/director Edwin Sherin shoot this modest revenge western which I enjoyed immensely as a boy, next to George Roy Hill's "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", Martin Ritt's "Hombre" and Sydney Pollack's "Jeremiah Johnson". All four have more things in common than solely the title heroes' sky-blue eyes ; I would like to mention only what impressed me most (and still does), i.e., the final shot belonging in the gallery of the most memorable ones in the history of western."Valdez Is Coming" is schematic and not very believable, but it has its strengths, too : for instance some fine laconic dialogue in the vein of "The Magnificent Seven", or mostly fine actors with Lancaster in the lead. (It may be a personal prejudice, but I always found the old circus artiste more convincing in roles like this one than in those in Visconti's frescoes.) I enjoyed especially Barton Heyman as charismatic El Segundo, despite the reservations of colleague R.J.Maxwell (which sound justified to me).Remarkable is the participation of the veteran Hungarian cinematographer Gábor Pogány ; his camera-work here is nothing like as spectacular as in, let's say, "Il Cristo proibito", yet there are moments when the viewer's eye rejoices, even given the mediocre non-anamorphic transfer of the MGM's PAL disc.

Easygoing, but crafty and resourceful Mexican constable Bob Valdez (a typically sturdy performance by the always reliable Burt Lancaster) must resort to violence in order to collect one hundred dollars from evil and corrupt rancher Frank Tanner (nicely played to the hateful hilt by Jon Cypher) as compensation for the pregnant Native American widow of a black man Valdez wrongly killed. Director Edwin Sherin, working from an engrossing script by Roland Kibbee and David Rayfiel, brings a plausibly gritty aesthetic as well as a provocative moral complexity to this simple, yet strong and compelling tale of justice, principle, and revenge. Moreover, Sherin not only makes excellent use of the arid desert locations, but also stages the exciting shoot-outs with real flair and skill. The fine acting by the able cast constitutes as another major plus: Lancaster makes for a credible and sympathetic reluctant man of action, Susan Clark gives her role as Tanner's fed-up mistress Gay Erin a substantial amount of class and depth, Frank Silvera does well as Valdez's loyal friend Diego, Barton Heyman likewise impresses as the shrewd El Segundo, Richard Jordan positively oozes as despicable sniveling weakling R.L. Davis, and Hector Elizondo pops up in a small part as a treacherous Mexican gunman. Kudos are also in order for Gabor Pogany's crisp widescreen cinematography and the rousing dramatic score by Charles Gross. The moments of brutal violence pack a pretty harsh punch and the ending is pleasingly ambiguous. Recommended viewing.

Released in 1971, "Valdez is Coming" is a significant Western that champions human dignity. It's a tale of the meek (not the weak) versus the arrogant. PLOT: Bob Valdez (Burt Lancaster) is an aging Mexican-American constable who runs into a ruthless rich cattleman, Frank Tanner (Jon Cypher), who senselessly causes the death of a black man for sport more than anything else. When Valdez humbly insists that Tanner provide a little money ($100) for the black man's pregnant Indian widow he is ridiculed, scorned and ultimately tortured. Valdez pulls out his old Indian-fighting uniform, his antique buffalo rifle and goes forth in the name of justice -- attaining the hundred bucks at all costs and wiping out anyone who opposes him.Burt Lancaster was 57 years old at the time and is almost unrecognizable as Valdez. Some have complained about a blue-eyed man of Mexican descent, but it's not terribly uncommon for Mexican-Americans to have blue eyes, as well as Puerto Ricans (in fact, Hector Elizondo has a minor role in the film and he's a light-eyed Latino). Some complain about Lancaster's accent but I think he comes off authentic; besides, are there any recordings of Mexican-American accents from 130 years ago? Lancaster does a fine guesstimate."Valdez is Coming" is essentially a one-man army tale. It's not so much about revenge, as some claim, but rather justice and simple human dignity. Although I'm sure Valdez was infused with a spirit of vengeance to some degree when he first sets out against Tanner and his henchmen -- especially seeing he was just horribly disrespected and tortured -- any need for revenge is clearly expunged after the mounting blood spilling; by the end of the film it's obvious that all he wants is the $100 and the case would be closed.A hundred dollars is an arbitrary number; what Valdez really wants is Tanner to pay for the senseless death of the black man and acknowledge the existence of his Native widow. Tanner is corrupted by power, pride, greed and racism and looks down on everyone else, especially non-whites like Valdez, the black man and the pregnant Indian. But he makes the mistake of underestimating Valdez because of his meekness, ancestry and disheveled appearance.Speaking of disheveled, one interesting contrast in the film is the difference of Valdez before and after he goes after Tanner. Before his quest for justice he appears spent, unkempt and slightly portly; but when he dons his old uniform and sets forth to attain justice he appears focused, orderly and trim.Throughout it all he's the embodiment of nobility and humility. The more one ages in enlightenment and spirituality the more one acquires humility. We see this wonderful quality overflowing in Valdez from the start (kudos to Lancaster), but it's woefully absent in Tanner.Susan Clark has a significant role as Tanner's woman, whom Valdez kidnaps. Susan is notable for her stunning appearance and non-verbal acting skills.The film runs 90 minutes and was shot in Spain.BOTTOM LINE: "Valdez is Coming" is essentially a one-man army Western. Although it's far less compelling than, say, "First Blood," in its favor are a sense of grim realism and a potent message about human dignity, justice and the superiority of humility over arrogance. It's also a smart film that refuses to spell everything out in a spoon-fed fashion, but it leaves little doubt for those who take into account all the blatant cues.GRADE: B+ or A-WHAT HAPPENED AT THE END? ***Spoiler*** (Don't read further unless you've seen the film). The further Tanner's lead henchman gets into the conflict, the more he sees the truth about both Tanner and Valdez. He consequently calls off his men, saying in effect, "This isn't our fight; you're on your own Tanner."At this point Tanner is stripped of his protective covering and stands alone against Valdez, and he painfully knows he can't beat Valdez in a draw. He's lost and so takes the only reasonable option, paying the $100.This works better than merely killing Tanner as he would never be able to live down such a masterful humiliation. With numerous witnesses to spread the word, Tanner would die a thousand deaths.Rejoice the victory of the righteous, humble man.