hackraytex During the height of the Spaghetti Western era, I was in the Navy and movies on the base were $.25. I did not have a car at the time so I watched a lot of movies and really got into spaghetti westerns. I still like them. This is one of the movies that I can watch every time it is available. Excellent casting all the way around.Robert Mitchum was at the top of his game in this one of making acting look easy and he looked like he was having fun. He once said that it beats working. However, the other character who stands out as having one of his best parts is Victor Buono as an English arms dealer who is strictly in it for the money. The device of focusing on him as he is "thinking" really makes his character stand out. At one point, they are trying to talk him into using his car for a battering ram and all he is ready to get out of town before the shooting starts. The scene focuses on on as he is thinking, "They're trying to make a hero out of me". Not to spoil it but his death scene is really a good one. This is another movie viewers should try so see. It is a winner!

ma-cortes This is a Zapata western set early XX century on the overlong Mexican civil when happened the confrontation executed by Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata against Porfirio Diaz , and , later on , against Carránza and Obregón . A misfit group formed by a bandit priest (Robert Mitchum) , an IRA Irish young man (Ken Hutchinson) and a gunrunner (Victor Buono) , all of them are hired by a Mexican colonel (John Colicos) to kill De la Plata (Frank Langella) , a Mexican tyrant .The picture displays lots of action , battles , tongue-in-cheek , shootouts and a little bit of violence like the brutal killing a little boy . The casting is frankly well , Robert Mitchum (¨Night of the hunter¨ , ¨5 card stud¨ , ¨Bandido¨) is excellent in his usual facade of indifference and lazily acting as a greedy priest and wielding a Thomson machine-gun . Mitchum chewing up scenery in this peculiar role . The newcomer Ken Hutchinson provides added depth as an Irish terrorist with a bitter past ; however , this one being his most important role , as he went back England and only acting in TV movies . Frank Langella (¨Drácula¨) plays an elegant psycho killer who bears a deep hatred to Catholic Church . The famed secondary Victor Buono (¨What ever happened to Baby Jane¨ , ¨Hush , hush..sweet Charlotte¨) plays convincingly an avaricious gunrunner . Enjoyable performance by Rita Hayworth in his last completed film (her previous movies during her downfall were the Italian ones : ¨The bastards¨ and ¨The rover¨) , despite Alzheimer disease . In fact , she had difficulty remembering her lines and the crew believed it was because of alcohol abuse , but only later did they realize they were seeing the early stages of her Alzheimer's condition . Besides , there appears habitual secondaries who usually work in American productions shot in Mexico , such as : Gregory Sierra , Enrique Lucero and Chano Urueta . The motion picture was rightly directed by Ralph Nelson who made other good Westerns as ¨Soldier Blue¨ and ¨Duel at Diablo¨ . This offbeat Western will appeal to Robert Mitchum fans.

Bob-45 Ralph Nelson proved himself to be a great director shooting some really great productions in black and white ("Requiem for a Heavyweight, Lilies of the Field) but his color efforts are clumsy and "TV movie-like" ("Duel at Diablo," "Embryo" and this, "The Wrath of God." Nelson captures not of the epic sweep and poignance available in this material. One could only dream of what director Sergio Leone might have accomplished, even given the awkwardly structured, exposition-laden storyline. Fortunately, Nelson had a wonderful cast (Mitchum, Buono, Hayworth and, most notably, Ken Hutchinson and John Colicos) with which to work. Only Frank Langella seems to indulge in overacting, and he arrives more than 45 minutes after the beginning of the film (my "45 minute" rule: if a two hour movie is still introducing major characters after 45 minutes, the movie is usually a dog. Fortunately, Nelson handles the humor better than the drama and there is an abundance of it, albeit irreverent.The theme of "The Wrath of God" is "redemption through sacrifice." Mitchum did this better in "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison". Sam Peckinpah did it better with "The Wild Bunch". Richard Brooks did it better with "The Professionals". Heck, even Anthony Quin did it better in "Guns for San Sebastian," the movie this one most nearly resembles thematically. Still, there is much to enjoy in "The Wrath of God" to dismiss it entirely, even with the flat, disappointing ending. I give "The Wrath of God" a "5".

hans101067 It's been my experience that many times,reviewers of this strange gem have been puzzled or turned off by the strange plot and readings that the players have provided.This is NOT just a standard western,with rebels trying to overthrow a tyrant.This is a parody of every flm cliche of that particular vintage.Mitchum is doing a burlesque of Bogart or any other reluctant hero fighting a tyrany.Langella is doing Jay Robinson's psychotic Caligula from "The Robe"or"demetrius and the Gladiators".Hayworth is every suffering mother,Colicos is every sly villain,and buono is having the time of his life and career as a virtuoso impersonator of Sydney Greenstreet.Get this film,make lots of popcorn,plenty of beverages,and enjoy.