Hombre

Dir: Martin Ritt

1967

***

I've always been a firm believer that a good war film is an anti-war film but in many respects the same can be said regarding westerns and the revisionist western sub-genre. Towards the late 1960s and early 1970s there were some great revisionist westerns that favoured realism over romanticism, that were more cynical about the lawlessness and attitude of the old west that showed sympathy for the native American and Mexicans who were generally portrayed in a negative light. Martin Ritt's 1967 Hombre does all this but I'm not sure it always did so the best way it could. However, there are key moments in Hombre that really are quite striking and will be eternally relevant. There is a scene whereby a couple of Native Americans are drinking at a bar. They are minding their own business until they are approached by a couple of intoxicated cowboys who don't wish to associate or share the company with anyone of their kind and they begin to bully them. The natives never retaliate or even answer the men, they simply take all the insults with a dignified sadness, knowing that their people have indeed been defeated in many respects. The idea that Paul Newman's character is a white man raised by Apaches is a little obvious but he plays the role well. The film deals, quite subtly, with all aspects of prejudice and prejudice by association. Newman's character inherits money from his dead father which he spends on horses for his tribe. On collecting his money he encounters the townsfolk who all hold resentment towards him on different levels for very different reasons. When he ends up having to share a stagecoach with a small group he is soon outed as a 'white Apache' and is made to ride on the top, rather than in the coach. When the coach is held up by thieves the skilled white Apache is soon favoured. The film's conclusion explores a very hard truth and highlights one of life's cruellest realities. The injustice and prejudice can be seen the world over, it's real and obvious and can no longer be excused for reasons of naivety. Newman plays the character superbly, with very little dialogue written for his character, the great actor relies on his effortless ability to express a thousand words and thoughts with slight actions and subtle mannerisms. The character development and script written for the rest of the group is rich and varied, with Diano Cilento's performance having particular importance as a representation of a balanced society’s opinion and an alternative protagonist for the audience to better relate to. There is plenty to like and I love the film's subtlety, however, in my opinion it isn't a subtle genre. There are other film's that tell a similar story and they generally tell it better. Hombre's strength lies in its performances and script but to be fair, its conclusion is better than most seen in your average western.