Barquero *** (1970, Lee Van Cleef, Warren Oates, Forrest Tucker, Mariette Hartley, Kerwin Mathews) – Classic Movie Review 7478

Director Gordon Douglas’s 1970 Barquero is a stylish and excitingly brutish attempt by the Americans to ape the Spaghetti Western style, with bald, grizzled star Lee Van Cleef as Travis, a spunky barge operator ferryman confronted by gang of outlaw fleeing banditos led by black-garbed Jake Remy (Warren Oates).

The gang are escaping to Mexico after a successful robbery when they find their progress is blocked by a river crossing and the barge operator refuses to ferry them across, leading to a stand-off between the outlaws and the locals.

The two favourite Western stars Van Cleef and Oates, and wholehearted work from an expert Western director ensure that the lusty Barquero is by no means badly done, and it does deliver the brutal bloody action for the fans. In the US it is rated R for violence. It now has a UK 15 certificate, though its original rating was X.

An American Spaghetti Western, it is a US production (Aubrey Schenck Productions) filmed in Colorado and Arizona.

Barquero also stars Kerwin Mathews and Mariette Hartley, and features Marie Gomez, John Davis Chandler, Craig Littler, Ed Bakey, Richard Lapp, Harry Lauter, Brad Weston, Thad Williams and Armand Alzamora.

Barquero is directed by Gordon Douglas, runs 115 minutes, is made by Aubrey Schenck Productions, is released by United Artists, is written by George Schenck and William Marks, is shot by Jerry Finnermann, is produced by Aubrey Schenck and Hal Klein, and is scored Dominic Frontière.

Oates, Hartley and Chandler all starred in Sam Peckinpah’s Ride the High Country (1962).

Douglas replaced Robert Sparr (1915–1969), who was killed in a plane crash scouting locations in Colorado.

Clint Eastwood kills Chandler in The Outlaw Josey Wales and Van Cleef in The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7478

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