Hombre (1967) (PG)

The Hombre (1967) – A man raised by the Apache as a child and a white man later in his life faces the bigotry of the white world when he inherits his foster father’s estate.  When the stagecoach he is sharing with some “respectable” white folk is robbed, the only thing that can save them is the man willing to face the evil.

Directed by Martin Ritt                               Starring Paul Newman, Frederic March, Richard Boone

Why I Liked It – A classic modern western that stands up to the passage of time.  The end rings true today just as much fifty years ago.

Near the center of our national mythology is the image of the cowboy.  The rugged individual facing the world alone with a gun at his hip.  That character has been a staple of the movies from their earliest days.  Beginning with penny novels in the late 1800s, to Randolph Scott movies in the ’20s and the introduction of the Lone Ranger in the ’30s to the epic movies of John Ford, the cowboy was king.  Facing down all kinds of “bad guys” (including racist portrayals of Native Americans), the cowboy hero was upright, loyal and brave.  In the early 1950s that began to change.  Movies like “High Noon” brought a more nuanced look at the western and the cowboy hero.  Traditionalists hated the change, but the move towards a more realistic view of that part of our history was inexorable.  In the 1960s the cowboy moved from the hero in the white hat to match the purity of his soul, to deeply flawed human being.  At times, the role moved to anti-hero, lacking the heroic attributes altogether.

“Hombre” presents us with a hero in John Russell (Newman) who has no interest in the social norms of our (white) society.  He owes a debt to the man who raised him.  He leaves his life with the Apache to find what has been left to him.  He owes nothing to the people who surround him and has no interest in pretending.  There is a code of living he carries with him, and wishes for everyone else to leave him alone, by and large.  As it does, society demands he conform.  That clash of cultures leads Russell to the point where he has to make life and death decisions for everyone around him.

“Hombre” retains several traits of the “classical western” then spins them in the modern understanding of the genre.  The result is a movie that holds your attention.

Newman is brilliant, the story presents the ongoing culture clash between white America and everyone else.  Great script based on Elmore Leonard book.  As is traditional, women’s roles are pretty small and unimpressive.  Diane Cilento plays the hard-nosed manager of the hotel Russell inherits, while Barbara Rush plays everyone for her advantage as the Indian agent’s wife.  But neither role amounts to much.  Fortunately the rest of the movie is outstanding.

Rating – **** Recommended