The Great Western Blogathon – Hombre (1967)

This is part of the The Great Western Blogathon being held by Catherine over at Thoughts All Sorts

Tnx for letting me participate!

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“I got one question. How you gonna get down that hill?” – John Russell

Number of Times Seen – 1 (9 Apr 2018)

Brief Synopsis – A white man who grew up with the Apache Indians is the only hope of a group of stage coach riders as they are pursued by outlaws.

My Take on it – This is a film that I knew nothing about before watching it and I now believe that it is one of Paul Newman’s best roles.

He plays his character in a soft spoken manner but is full of brilliant ideas in order to try and ensure his own survival based on his dual upbringing among the Indians and among the men who “rescued” him and brought him back to live among the white men.

The supporting cast is great and they help raise the tension of the situations as things start to get more and more complicated.

The first half of the film starts off pretty slowly, but once it hits the halfway mark, things speed up to give us such an enjoyably thrilling and unpredictable Western.

They manage to show a very brutal perspective of the West but that is part of the charm of this film because it doesn’t sugarcoat any of it.

This films deals with racism, sexism, selfishness and even survival in realistic ways that help make the story feel quite genuine.

I’m so happy that I came across this film and can’t wait to eventually see it again at some point because it’s that good!

Bottom Line – Excellent film that features one of Newman’s greatest roles. His character is soft spoken yet always has a plan and is willing to do what is necessary.  Great supporting cast help raise the tension of the story as things get more and more complicated. This is quite a brutal look at the old West and shines because it doesn’t sugarcoat things.  This film deals with racism, sexism and numerous other issues in ways one would never quite expect and that is what makes this film feel so realistic in the way it portrays it all. So glad I happened across this film. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Filming on “Hombre” coincided with that year’s Academy Awards. Co-star Martin Balsam was a Best Supporting Actor nominee for A Thousand Clowns (1965), and not having received permission to leave the set, Balsam sneaked off to attend the ceremony. He won the Oscar.  (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10)

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