Spikeopath Bandolero! is directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and written by Stanley Hough and James Lee Barrett. It stars James Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch and George Kennedy. A Panavision/De Luxe color production, music is by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by William H. Clothier.Initially set in Texas, 1867, the pic in short plot form entails the leading men, ruffian robbers with a glint in their eye, and leading lady, on a road trip of some discomfort. They are being pursued by the law led by George Kennedy, whilst having to deal with internal fighting and a date with blood thirsty Mexican bandits.Bubbling away in the mix is the tale of two brothers (Stewart and Martin) who went different ways during the Civil War, the conversations of such between the two most potent and worth sampling. Add in Welch for dressage and sexual tension, with Kennedy's stoic lawman in pursuit of both her and the outlaws, and it's got firecrackers simmering in the narrative. Hanging and the threat of sexual assault further stokes the fires, all while we are asked to take seriously guys with names like July Johnson and Roscoe Bookbinder!McLaglen directs with competent hands befitting the occasion, in other words let your star named cast operate without mugging for the camera - with the visual ticks of Stewart and Kennedy a joy as opposed to doing down the material. Goldsmith's score is a bit too modern sounding for the time period of story setting, but as expected it's a blood stirrer. While locales are most pleasing as the great Clothier cements his status as a Western genre legend.Ultimately with the cast assembled it really should be a far better film than what it is, but if nothing else, the odd blend of humour and serious themes makes for an intriguing viewing. Whilst as Kennedy slots in to steal the film from his more illustriously named co-stars, it's enough to just enjoy a cast and director comfortably at work. 7/10

Decker187 Not sure why it's being bashed so much. My Mom, sister and I sat down on a Saturday afternoon and caught this "sleeper" quite by accident and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. There's plenty of characterization, good acting, a decent plot and enough gunfighting to satisfy most action enthusiasts. It took me about a half hour to get used to James Stewart being a bad guy, but once I accepted it, I enjoyed the rest of the movie without even giving it a second thought. Only one thing annoyed me: gunfighters jamming their guns forward with every shot. It's an amateur move, and I wish the Director would have left that out, but it's only a minor annoyance. Look up the Director and you'll see that this movie fits his style perfectly. A little different from what you might expect from Mr. Stewart, but definitely worth a watch. Just remember: Don't spit in church, scratch yourself in front of your Ma, or pick your nose.

Robert W. Another IMDb reviewer summed this up perfectly. They called it a "time-filler" and that's exactly what it feels like. The Western genre is a crowded one and there are many films that stand tall above the rest and unfortunately Bandolero is not one of them. James Stewart is no stranger to the genre and I have seen so many of his westerns and they range from amazing to so-so and this sits firmly in the so-so camp. Its almost hard to believe because they seem to have so many pieces in place (including a great cast) but it never takes off for some reason. The direction is sloppy and the pacing of the film is way off from what it should be. A man poses as a hangman to free his brother and their group of bandits. Chased by a determined sheriff they hold up in a small dwelling and are forced to work together to take on a group of Mexican cowboys. Sounds awesome! Delivery of this concept is anything but. Literally you have this build up and its not until the last ten minutes of the film when the showdown happens. Maybe they are trying to establish the characters but it fails in that respect too because these characters (many of them played by iconic actors) feel empty and lack any sort of real depth that make you emotionally attached to them.James Stewart is looking a little long in the tooth in this film and he seems almost bored in the role. He has this quiet drawl and just seems to lack the spark and fire he has shown so many times before in great Westerns. His character had such great potential but it seems like no one cared enough to put the effort in. Legendary actor and performer Dean Martin plays Stewart's brother and the chemistry between them is sadly lacking. In fact, it was barely there. Martin seems like he's trying much harder than the rest of the cast but the script leaves something to be desired and needs so much editing. I'm not sure if I have seen Raquel Welch in anything else. I know that she's considered a legend in her own right but not for this. She is excruciating in this film. She looks bored, she acts bored, her line delivery is awful and the forced and ridiculous romance between her and Dean Martin is...well awful. She single-handedly lowers the quality of this cast and that's unfortunate. She looks so out of place. George Kennedy does a decent job as the Sheriff hot on the trail of the Bishop Brothers. He is very underused and I desperately wanted to see more from his character and the relationship between him, Martin and Stewart but it takes a long time to get around to that too and we hardly see him for most of the middle of the movie.So there is a lot wrong with Bandolero. Its unfortunate because it had a huge budget, a great cast, a decent concept but everyone involved sort of dropped the ball from that point on. The shoot-outs are great, the action scenes are good but it ends up being nearly completely forgettable. Director Andrew McLaglen is a great director, and knows Westerns well but somewhere along the lines, something went off track with this. Its not a total wash, it is still enjoyable, it is indeed a "time-waster." A lot of Westerns are and that's perfectly fine but when you have this sort of cast and budget, you expect something more. 6/10

therascalsarchives I saw this film in the theater in 1971 on a co-bill with ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES (Central-Passaic,NJ) Loved it then and think it still holds up. Raquel Welch's performance never thrilled me in this film and her entire role was either looped by another actress, or she went in and looped all her own dialoge in post-production (I suspect the latter).Dean Martin trades in his tux for a leather holster, and although he's not playing the most convincing outlaw in the world, I always loved the way he portrayed his role here as the "bad egg" brother of Jimmy Stewart who longs to meet a fine woman and turn his life around.The trouble here is that he falls for a prostitute peasant girl (Raquel Welch) Some guys have all the luck!James Stewart is superb as usual, as is the great character actor Will Geer (they played opposite one another in another western classic, WINCHESTER '73) I love the scene between them in the cave where Stewart says "apologize, Mr.Chaney or I'll blow your head off" (words to that effect) Jerry Goldsmith also provides his usual excellent score. A great 20th Century-Fox widescreen film made in the days just before the Zanucks left the studio and the film industry started taking a gradual but steady morality nose-dive.