Hombre

Elmore Leonard wrote a few Westerns in the '50s that became successful films and this one along with "3:10 to Yuma" still stands out as one of the best of its kind. Kevin Costner has stated in interviews that this film really influenced him in the making of his revisionist Western "Dances with Wolves"--and one can see why. A suspenseful Western with a social consciousness rarely found in films of that era, "Hombre" scored with a solid cast of pros, with Newman in his best Western role ever even over "Butch Cassidy" or "The Left-Handed Gun". Though he plays a stoical character who was raised by the Indians, his John Russell finally reveals himself in the end to be a man of compassion even over his apparent hatred of the White man when he takes action to save a white woman who professed prejudice over the Indians and humiliated him in an earlier scene. A excellent story with great dialogue and a fine villainous turn by Richard Boone--how can you miss?

Based on an Elmore Leonard novel by the same name. the story is somewhat typical for Elmore Leonard which means it's somewhat eccentric for anyone else. Paul Newman is Hombre & he's a half-breed (no offense meant) who has been living as an Indian. He's approached by a white acquaintance who tells him that his white father has died & that he should look into his inheritance. Hombre cuts off his long hair & dons the white man's clothes but not the white man's ways. He ends up on a stagecoach with other passengers who don't appreciate who or what he is. To them he's a cold-blooded individual seeking only his survival. Of course he gives in but not completely; it will be his way which is the Indian way. The ending is a good one.

Paul Newman is excellent in his title role. This is his most dramatic western & perhaps his best, not counting Butch Cassidy... which wasn't a "straight" western. Richard Boone co-stars as the sadistic heavy & is very good also. Frederic March, in a character role, is good. The film is directed by the underrated Martin Ritt who directed Newman in five previous movies; in fact, this one made four movies in a row for the pair. Hombre might be the best of the bunch.

very good movie and quality of product very good.paul newman great actor and richard boone very good bad man.

Hombre (1967)


Hombre (1967) staring Paul Newman as John Russell is one of my favorite westerns. It is based on the book by the same name written by Leonard Elmore.

In it Russell a blue-eyed white raised in part by a white man, then by the Indians, inherits a house in town.

He boards a stagecoach and tries to sit with the Whites inside, but the Whites don't want to have anything to do with him. He is asked to ride up top (kind of like sitting in the back of the bus). Later on the stagecoach is robbed by several white men and a Mexican. Russell manages to shoot one of the White men and recover the gold stolen by the Indian Agent riding inside the stagecoach. The Whites are only too glad to walk with Russell now, but wouldn't ride with him before.


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In The end Russell kills the banditos trailing the party and the Mexican asks with his dying breath, "What was his name"? He'd been calling him Hombre up to that point which is Spanish for Man. The Mexican thought of Russell as a Man even if the Whites did not.


Gunner May,2007

In the mid to late sixties the Western was running out of steam and one of the popular fashions of the time was to invert the traditional storyline of the Indians being the bad guys and the Settlers (read Whites) being the good guys. Now, in reality, most of the better Westerns weren't that crude or binary, but it was the accepted shorthand for the genre. This movie is a pretty darn good example of the inverted type. However, given Paul Newman's especially blue eyes it is hard to accept him as the Indian. So, what they did was make him a White man raised among the Indians and who views himself and is viewed by others as if he were an actual Indian.

This is a story of racism, greed, lust, betrayal, vengeance, rivalry, violence, and cruelty. You know, all the cheerful and happy stuff of life. And the bad guys in this movie are terrific. Fredric March is supposedly a pillar of society and is shown to be more of a moral swamp. Richard Boone is honest in his villainy and brightens the movie in his confrontations. He really expects to have little trouble in getting what he is after and is frustrated by this strange hombre (he doesn't know Newman's character's name, John Russell, for most of the movie).

The movie isn't happy with one or two bad guys. It takes every character and strips them bare until the core of who they really are shows through. At least, what the fashionable fiction writing of the 1960s believed was at the core of each of us shines through.

The final confrontation is pretty grim, but heroic in its way. There is lots of good dialogue, but even better acting. Much of the film is done with facial expressions and we have to pay attention with our eyes to understand what is really going on with each of the characters.

I recommend this movie. It is very worthwhile to watch, if a bit grim. And it is a nice piece to remind us of the social politics of the 1960s. And, what the heck, it shows Paul Newman in his prime. Plus, it has Richard Boone and a bunch of other fine performances!