This is the gold standard of gritty Westerns. There are no "good guys" in white hats, only bad men doing bad things for various conflicting ideologies. Pike (William Holden) is a career criminal but the life is starting to grind on him. He wants to get One Big Score and then retreat to Mexico but his past, in the form of a former gang member (Robert Ryan) hired by a vengeful railroad boss, is closing in on him. He links up with a Mexican general (Emilio Fernandez), agreeing to steal sixteen cases of rifles from the U.S. Army in exchange for protection. This puts him at odds with his own teammate, Angel (Jaime Sanchez), who is angry because the general attacked his village and stole his woman (Sonia Amelio). Pike and his second-in-command, Dutch (Ernest Borgnine), must tightrope their way through this pit of vipers if they want to survive.
No joke, this is not a movie you can breeze through. Fortunately, the blu-ray is absolutely stunning, which helps alleviate some of the heaviness of the drama. Just try and focus on the parts of the screen that don't have someone getting shot. For my money, hands down the creepiest scene (and also some incredible foreshadowing) is right at the opening credits where the outlaws pass a group of kids laughing and giggling around something on the ground. The camera pans over finally and reveals the children gleefully watching a handful of scorpions being overwhelmed by fire ants. It's deeply disturbing and sets the tone of the entire movie. I can't say that I necessarily enjoyed the experience but I do feel more complete for having seen it.
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