Vera Cruz (1954)

82% of critics liked it
(11 reviews)
61% of users liked it
(1,907 ratings)

Produced by Burt Lancaster's own company, Vera Cruz teams Lancaster with the venerable Gary Cooper. The story, set during the Mexican revolution of 1866, casts Cooper and Lancaster as Ben Trane and Joe Erin, two rival soldiers of fortune who team to fight for the highest bidder. The two men come to… More Produced by Burt Lancaster's own company, Vera Cruz teams Lancaster with the venerable Gary Cooper. The story, set during the Mexican revolution of 1866, casts Cooper and Lancaster as Ben Trane and Joe Erin, two rival soldiers of fortune who team to fight for the highest bidder. The two men come to loggerheads when Trane's sweetheart Nina (Sarita Montiel) begs them to fight on the side of the rebels, while the wealthy Marquis de Labodere (Cesar Romero) implores them to offer their services to Emperor Maximillian. Though they still haven't taken sides, Trane and Erin agree to escort the aristocratic Countess Marie Duvarre (Danielle Darrieux) through hostile territory to Vera Cruz. It soon develops that the Countess is transporting a gold shipment to the Emperor's armies. Hardly the most patriotic of souls, she offers to split the gold with Trane and Erin, but they steal it for themselves instead. It takes a while (and several bloody armed confrontations) before the two protagonists do The Right Thing. While it's fun to watch Burt Lancaster try to upstage the taciturn Gary Cooper, the film's best line goes to supporting player Henry Brandon: impassively watching the loutish Lancaster wolf down his dinner and slop wine all over his blouse, Brandon says calmly "Be careful, senor. Some of it is getting in your mouth." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Robert Aldrich
Written By: Borden Chase, Roland Kibbee
Genres: Western, Action & Adventure, Classics

In Theaters: Dec 25, 1954 Limited
On DVD: Mar 20, 2001
Studio: United Artists

Critic Reviews

James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Vera Cruz is one of the better Westerns that no one remembers . . . .
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
It's amazing that Aldrich found time to be simultaneously playful, thoughtful, and angry as well as compact and economical, cramming all this stuff into a fast-moving, action-packed 94 minutes.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Behind Aldrich's humoristic veneer and lush eye lurks a despairing absurdist
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
If you like your westerns with a salsa topping, this one should be spicy enough.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Rousing western set South of Border with Cooper and Lancaster in blazing style.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Randy T

Old school western that's gloriously and shamelessly politically-incorrect. Features genre giants like Gary Cooper, Burt Lancaster, Cesar Romero, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam and Charles Bronson.
jay n

Ordinary western about a whole lot of nothing enhanced by two legendary actors and a decent supporting cast doing what they can to breath life into it.
Jens S

Western Classic and one of the movies that established Burt Lancaster's Blendax grin. Him and Cary Cooper are meeting in Mexico during the revolution, trying to make their ways as guns for hire (along with Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson and Jack Elam). During their job of… More
Western Classic and one of the movies that established Burt Lancaster's Blendax grin. Him and Cary Cooper are meeting in Mexico during the revolution, trying to make their ways as guns for hire (along with Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson and Jack Elam). During their job of protecting a carriage there is a lot of double-crossing and surprisingly many amoral characters, with Cooper of course being the one with the heart of gold under the rough skin. The interaction between the two main characters, friends and foes against all odds, is what carries this film, despite of a rather low number of real action scenes. This is old-fashioned Western movie making, for fans of the genre, and yet the film avoids most stereotypes and uses a rather unique setting.