BY DOUG OSWALD
Robert
Mitchum is Martin Brady, an American hired gun living in exile in Mexico in “The
Wonderful Country,†a Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber. While waiting on the
Rio Grande for his contact for a gun smuggling job, Brady decides to escort the
wagon north to Puerto, Texas, and pick up a cache of guns on behalf of his employers, the
Castro brothers. Pancho Gil (Mike Kellin),
another agent of the Castros, arrives to escort the guns they’re buying from a
man named Sterner, but Brady insists on picking up the guns himself. When one
of Brady’s associates reminds him that he’s a wanted man in America, Brady
states, “I want to see the other side of the river.â€
Arriving
in Puerto, a tumble-weed startles Brady’s horse and he breaks a leg in the
fall. He’s aided by Dr. Herbert J. Stovall (Charles McGraw), who sets his leg. Ben
Sterner (John Banner, Sergeant Schultz of “Hogan’s Heroes†fame) receives his
500 silver Pecos in payment for the guns. We learn Brady killed the man who
murdered his father and he believes he’s a wanted man, thus his self-imposed exile
in Mexico.. We later discover this is not the case after the U.S. Army and the
Texas Rangers approach him about working for them to prevent the Castro
brothers from selling guns to the Apaches.
Major
Stark Colton (Gary Merrill) wants Martin to help the U.S. Army stop the Castro
brothers from selling guns to the Apaches. The Castros are a couple of regional
Mexican tyrants, one a governor and the other a general. Texas Ranger Captain
Rucker (Albert Dekker) wants Brady to join the Rangers, all past crimes
forgiven. Meanwhile, Helen Colton (Julie London), Colton’s beautiful wife,
meets up with Brady. Rumors spread about the two of them, resulting in Brady killing a man bullying his friend “Chico†Sterner (Max Slaten Ludwig) followed
by his return to Mexico to confront the Castro brothers.
The
wonderful country in “The Wonderful Country†may be that place between borders,
cultures and people on the other side of the river or in the next village. It’s
the place one longs for after leaving home, but can never fully return to. More
Mexican than American after his years in exile, Brady wants to return home, but
discovers it isn’t possible. He’s seen by the Castro Brothers as a “gringo†and
by the Americans as some sort of hybrid Mexican not to be trusted.
Pedro Armendáriz is a welcome addition to the
movie as Governor Don Cipriano Castro in a small role as the
political half of the notorious Castro brothers. General Marcos Castro (VÃctor Manuel
Mendoza), is the military half and they play Brady against one another holding his
past as collateral for his service until he’s had enough and refuses their
orders. The Castro brothers are discussed throughout the first half of the
movie, but their welcome appearance, especially that of Armendariz, is a bit of
a let down because they have next to nothing to do other than give Brady new
orders and to share their mistrust of each other.
“The
Wonderful Country†boasts many merits, but it has a complicated plot
which is slow paced and filled with underdeveloped dramatic elements and
characters. I wanted to see more of Armendariz, Merrill, Banner and Kellin as
well as a more fully developed relationship between Brady and Helen. We never
fully learn about Helen’s past, why she’s unhappy with her husband or what she
sees in Brady. We also don’t really get a satisfying reason for the gun running
operation between the Castro’s, Sterner and the Apaches other than to have a
gun battle between the U.S. Cavalry and the Apaches as well as several cross
border visits for Brady and other members of the cast. Baseball great Leroy
“Satchel†Paige has a small role as Army Sergeant Tobe Sutton and Jack Oakie
makes an appearance as Travis Hyte.
The
film is based on the novel by Tom Lea, who also has a cameo as the barber who
gives Mitchum a shave. The 1959 United Artists release was directed by Academy
Award winning editor Robert Parrish (He also co-directed “Casino Royale†(1967) and directed “Fire Down Below,†“Journey to the Far Side of the Sun,†“Lucy Gallant, “The
Purple Plain,†“Saddle in the Wind†and more
than a dozen other movies). Parrish had a distinguished career as editor/actor/director. He also wrote the best selling 1988
autobiographies “Growing Up In Hollywood†and “Hollywood Doesn’t Live Here
Anymore†where he chronicles his experiences as a child actor in Charlie Chaplin and
Our Gang comedies to his WWII service, relationships with many classic
Hollywood greats and his editing/directing career.
Produced
by Mitchum’s production company, D.R.M. Productions with Mitchum credited as
executive producer, there’s also a great score by Alex North. In the end, the
sum totals of all those other interesting elements do not add up to a cohesive
movie. it needs a tighter plot and and even the 98 minute running time seems a bit padded.. The Kino Lorber Blu-ray looks and
sounds terrific, preserving the beautifully filmed widescreen image. The disc
includes the theatrical trailer for this and two other Mitchum releases as the
only extras. "The Wonderful Country" is a flawed but entertaining film and the Blu-ray is a welcome addition for fans of Mitchum and traditional Westerns.
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