Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #139777 in DVD
• Released on: 1998-05-29
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Japanese
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 92 minutes

Amazon.com
Not so much a spaghetti Western as a Gazpacho Western, from Spanish director Eugenio Martin, starring Telly Savalas, very funny and effective as the charismatic Mexican revolutionary, Pancho Villa. The story follows Villa's campaign to overtake General Goyo and thus take over the Mexican government, along the way invading the land of the "gringos" to replenish his weapons. Largely played for laughs, Pancho Villa wanders here and there, but remains fairly entertaining throughout. Chuck Connors deserves special mention as the martinet Colonel Wilcox, who at one point has a mess tent full of officers chasing a single fly, because, you know, a dirty army is an inefficient army. Connors receives the best entrance of anyone in the film: an extreme close-up profile of his enormous chin. It's Colonel Wilcox's single-minded zeal that results in a two-train head-on collision at the film's finale that would make Gomez Addams envious. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews

One zany Mexican Revolution
Read any online movie review and chances are you will find at least one writer who carps endlessly about the various historical inaccuracies of such and such film. As though that is the end all and be all criteria for a good period film. Well, I imagine such a person would have a field day with this version of Pancho Villa starring Telly Savalas. The only problem is no one would care. Simply put, Pancho Villa is a jokey and light-hearted action film. At least it tries to be. In actuality, it's slow-paced and only mildly diverting. As portrayed by Telly Savalas, Villa is a boorish, self-centered bandit recently deprived of his hair while held captive by nemesis General Goyo(Antonio Casas). Clint Walker plays his American friend Scotty, who goes to Columbus, New Mexico to buy arms for Villa. Double crossed by the dealer, Scotty barely survives an ambush and makes it back to Villa to report the bad news. Ever the glory seeker, Villa comes up with the brilliant idea to cross the border into Columbus to get revenge, except do it under the guise of a military invasion. From there, all sorts of hijinks and gunplay ensues, including a game of chicken between two trains manned by Villa and Chuck Connors as a wild-eyed, spit-and-polish, calvary colonel. Plenty of noise, but curiously little energy. Savalas and Connors duel with each other in the scenery chewing department, hamming up their respective roles as if it were their last. 'Ol Telly even gets to sing the closing song over the credits! And director Eugenio Martin would redeem himself for this film and the excreable Bad Man's River with Horror Express. Some kudos go the DVD by MasterTone, which has a fairly clean looking print and letterboxed it to boot. Certainly as good as I've ever seen this movie.

Savalas is at his best!
Telly Savalas rarely has his own starring role movies, but when he does, look out. Pancho Villa scores on all levels. It is an excellent western, action/adventure film, and an excellent character study of Villa. Savalas along with a talented cast was unfortunately overlooked at the Academy Awards. He definitely should have one for this magnificent portrayal of one of the most notorious bandits in history.

Clint Walker speaks!
Telly Savalas and Clint Walker are together again, in this fanciful version of Pancho Villa. Mr. Walker gives a very verbose, and masculine performance.