Despite the fact that most of the westerns
made at this time (early '70s) were "deconstructionist"
westerns, which either spoofed or subverted the themes of
this genre, occasionally a traditional western got filmed.
The Revengers is a traditional western.
John Benedict (William Holden) returns to his ranch, only
to find all his cattle stolen and his family murdered.
He vows to exact revenge on Tarp (Warren Vanders), the varmint
who did this to him.
He recruits a treacherous gang of convicts, bribing the warden
for their release, and makes his move.
When the attack fails, the convicts aren't interested in making
another try.
Instead, they shoot him and, leaving him for dead, head off
to follow their own concerns.
On her way to a new landholding, Elizabeth (Susan Hayward)
stumbles upon the injured man, and nurses him back to some
semblance of health.
She begs him to drop his revenge plan, but he resumes his
quest, receiving unexpected help along the way from Hoop (Ernest
Borgnine), one of the renegade ex-convicts.
Cast:
William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Woody Strode, Roger Hanin,
Reinhard Kolldehoff, Jorge Luke, Jorge Martínez De
Hoyos, Arthur Hunnicutt, Warren Vanders
Director:
Daniel Mann |
