Barquero

For other uses, see Barquero (surname).

Barquero is a 1970 American Western film starring Lee Van Cleef and Warren Oates, produced by Hal Klein and directed by Gordon Douglas.^[1][2]

Barquero
Film poster
Directed by	Gordon Douglas
Written by	George Schenck William Marks
Produced by	Hal Klein
Starring	Lee Van Cleef Warren Oates Forrest Tucker
Cinematography	Jerry Finnerman
Edited by	Charles Nelson
Music by	Dominic Frontiere
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	September 3, 1970 (1970-09-03)
Running time	115 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Barquero was Lee Van Cleef's first American-made film since 1962's How the West Was Won. It was also his first starring role in an American Western.

Plot

After stealing a shipment of silver and weapons, the brutal and unstable Remy and his band of mercenaries must cross a river in order to flee into Mexico. Travis, the maverick owner-operator of a barge that ferries people and goods across the river, learns that Remy and his band are on the way. Travis and his woman, Nola, transport the nearby settlement's inhabitants and a group of passing settlers to the river's far side. When Remy and his band arrive, Travis refuses to cross back to pick them up, knowing that Remy and his men will kill everyone else after they cross the river. A tense standoff develops between Remy and his gang, and Travis and the inhabitants and settlers, who occupy opposite sides of the river. Remy is advised by Marquette, a Frenchman he trusts. Travis is greatly assisted by Mountain Phil, a friend of his who is similarly independent-minded in the way he lives. Both Remy and Travis have to contend with dissenters within their own camps. It all explodes into a violent and bloody battle, leading to a final confrontation between the two.

Cast

• Lee Van Cleef as Travis
• Warren Oates as Remy
• Forrest Tucker as Mountain Phil
• Kerwin Mathews as Marquette
• Mariette Hartley as Anna
• Marie Gomez as Nola
• Armando Silvestre as Sawyer

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote in its review when comparing Barquero to star Lee Van Cleef's Spaghetti Westerns, ""Barquero," has carefully held to the format of those popular horse operas from abroad: stark color, clanging music, perpetual gunfire, stacks of corpses and a plot heavily punctuated with murderous glares, growls and squints."^[2]

See also

• List of American films of 1970