TheLittleSongbird Elvis Presley was a hugely influential performer with one of the most distinctive singing voices of anybody. He embarked on a film career consisting of 33 films from 1956 to 1969, films that did well at the box-office but mostly panned critically (especially his later films) and while he was a highly charismatic performer he was never considered a great actor.'Charro' was not a success financially and was and still is critically derided. Seeing it for myself with no prejudice, and as someone who enjoyed most of his earlier films and considered Elvis a very capable actor when the material allowed it (which his early films did but quality dipped significantly in the mid-late 60s), to me 'Charro' is not as bad as its reputation. At the same time, although its departure from the fluff of his later films and its return to the grittier approach of his best films is to be applauded, of his westerns (this, 'Love Me Tender' and 'Flaming Star') it is by far his weakest.Not his worst film, 'Harum Scarum' and 'Stay Away, Joe' are far stronger contenders for that title and it is better than 'Paradise Hawaiian Style', 'Double Trouble', 'Kissin' Cousins', 'Frankie & Johnny' and 'Easy Come Easy Go' too. At the same time it is no 'King Creole', 'Flaming Star', 'Jailhouse Rock', 'Viva Las Vegas' and 'Loving You' either.Granted, the scenery is lovely and hardly cheap-looking. Songs are few here, which may be sad for fans but considering how bad a good deal of the songs in some of his later films have been it wasn't a big issue for me. The title song is very good and catchy, and there are some nice moments in the music score. Not everybody likes Elvis' performance here, he does have some uncomfortably stiff moments and he is criminally under-utilised but he is nowhere near as bored-looking or non-trying as most of his late 60s period and he looks great. Victor French is suitably menacing.On the other hand, Solomon Sturgess shouts his way through his role and overacts embarrassingly. Ina Balin struggles with a very poorly written and misused character. The music score mostly is repetitive and sounds like it belongs better in a low-budget film riffed by Mystery Science Theater.Characters are underwritten and underused, with some very abrupt situations that don't ring true. The dialogue is stilted and not gritty enough (the atmosphere feeling somewhat safe and bland) with one too many impregnated pauses, the scenery is not done justice by the static photography and slipshod editing and the direction is far too made for TV. The story started off pretty good, but drags badly in the middle and becomes more and more ridiculous until the awfully anti-climactic and insultingly bone-headed ending.In summary, not that bad but Elvis deserved far better than this. 5/10 Bethany Cox

zardoz-13 Elvis Presley plays bearded soldier-of-fortune Jess Wade who is framed for the theft of a historic Mexican Victory cannon in writer & director Charles Marquis Warren's explosive horse opera "Charro!" by his chief nemesis Vince Hackett. Victor French has a field day as the obnoxious villain who sets Elvis up. He uses the cannon to wipe out a platoon of Mexican Federale troops during a border crossing. Elvis must have grown progressively tired with making the same old musical comedies with attractive co-stars where he warbled a song or two. In "Charro!," Elvis sings only one song, the title tune. He isn't shown singing this song. Hugo Montenegro provides an outstanding orchestral score with spunk. Meanwhile, French makes an excellent villain who has no qualms about killing. He is prepared to murder members of his own gang. After he captures Jess during a gunfight in a sleepy town and burns his neck with a branding iron to simulate a bullet crease, Vince lets the word spread that his former friend stole the cannon. Jess recovers from the branding, ropes a horse in the wilderness, and then rides back to the town where his girlfriend, Tracey Winters (Ian Balin of "The Comancheros") runs a saloon. Furthermore, Jess is friends with the local lawman, Dan Ramsey (James Almanzar), and he believes Jess had nothing to do with the theft. No sooner has Elvis arrived in town than Vince's young, hot-headed brother Billy Ray (Solomon Sturges) shows up itching for liquor and woman. Jess captures him and Sheriff Ramsay imprisons him, but Ramsay takes a shot in the arm. Ramsay winds up bed-ridden while Jess takes over as the town lawman. Vince demands the release of his brother or he threatens to blast the town to smithereens with the cannon. Elvis' fans didn't respond to this Spaghetti-style western. Nevertheless, "Charro!" is a good western.The movie "Charro!" and the novelization that author Harry Whittington wrote are starkly different. For starters, Jess Wade and Vince Hackett don't know each other in the novel. Furthermore, Vince doesn't frame Jess for the theft of the weapon. Additionally, Vince's gang mows down the Federales as they cross the river with their rifles instead of the cannon. Whittington does have the scene when Jess smashes Billy Roy's head against the jail bars. The sheriff died during his fight with Billy Roy in the novel instead of lingering beside his wife in the movie.

stalzz64 OK, I love Elvis movies a LOT, but he made some serious clunkers all in the name of the almighty dollar and contracts Col. Parker made him sign. Why Elvis couldn't break away and do more films like this, we'll never know. We'll also never know 'what could have been', had Elvis escaped the movie musical grind sooner. This is a pretty good western, I have to say, and I have seen a LOT of westerns and I am a huge fan of the genre. It's pretty cool that he only sings the title song over the opening credits of Charro! and doesn't break into song in the middle of a scene like in his usual Hollywood formula musicals.He was offered the Kris Kristofferson part in 'A Star Is Born', and I think he would have been GREAT in that. For whatever reason, he turned it down. He was more into making concert films at that time, plus he was deeply involved in his prescription drug addiction and had put on a lot of weight, so maybe those were big issues that kept him from doing more good film roles. Elvis, I thank you for making Charro! I wish there had been more films like this in your Hollywood resume.

lastliberal Vince Hackett (Victor French): You won't be needing my tender care anymore You're free to go, Jess. Anywhere where the Mexican law or Mexican federales can't find you. Or any place north where the American law or the American cavalry can't run you down. You're a famous man, Jess. Don't ever forget it. Jess Wade (Elvis): I won't. This was the King's last dramatic role. He seemed a bit stiff, but maybe that was the script he had to work with. It's just not right to have an Elvis movie where he doesn't sing. He's not Clint Eastwood, for gosh sakes, so why try to put him in a spaghetti western? Victor french, whom you may remember from "Highway to Heaven" or "Little House on the Prarie," did a much better job of acting than Elvis.Maybe the film would have been better if that actually added the Hootchie Kootchie girl, Charo, to the cast.