ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

sammysdad97 I do not write many reviews and will only comment when something is worthy of high praise or to warn against."They Came to Cordura" is a definite "warn against" as it is a fine mess of a movie. Rita Hayworth is 15 years past her "Love Goddess" sell by date and is absolutely wasted here (and probably wishes she were.) Gary Cooper should check for termites with every line reading and is simply too old for this. The acting highlight of this movie was Sam Buffington (a favorite of mine) as a jaded war correspondent who is never seen again after about minute 5 of the film.If only I had been so lucky! There is a pretty interesting cavalry charge against a fixed position held by the banditos in the first 20 or so minutes of the film. Interesting but totally implausible as any officer who had ordered such a charge would have been sacked immediately. Still it provided the only memorable action in a movie which has little.The premise of the movie is absurd. The naivete of Gary Cooper's central character is simply unbelievable in a man of his age with 30 or so years in service. The other characters are stock types and memorable only for who they became in later TV roles (Darren Stephens of "Bewitched", the Chief in "Get Smart" to name two). The wandering in the desert to find the way to Cordura is mind numbingly boring interspersed as it is with set pieces of every man in the group turning against the Major for one reason or another.And the ending is absolutely ridiculous -- one of the worst, least plausible means to The End that has ever been "submitted for your approval" as the characters who so despised the Major enter some sort of Twilight Zone where the men they have been for 2 hours of the movie are completely transformed (by the scribblings in the Major's notebook!) so that they can drag the Major across the finish line that is Cordura.Don't let the fine cast lure you in lest you lose two hours of your life and a lot of your respect for Coop and Ms. Hayworth.

classicsoncall This film doesn't seem to garner much appreciation by other reviewers on this board but I thought it had an interesting concept. It reminded me of Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers", as the soldiers newly tapped for Congessional Medals of Honor were to then be used as a propaganda tool for the country's entrance into World War I. Even today, the idea of 'selling' a war seems like a foreign concept and not to be undertaken in a commercial manner.The film offers a lot of dichotomies to consider, chief among them the idea that a soldier attaining the rank of Major would have been chosen to operate as an Awards Officer even though he himself experienced cowardice in battle. That's Major Thorn's (Gary Cooper) task as he navigates his way through the situations and personalities that challenge his authority throughout the picture. I didn't get the sense that he was cowardly in any way and it required the story to play out in order to show his true colors.Interesting casting for this picture with the likes of Richard Conte, Dick York, Tab Hunter, and Van Heflin who looked like he packed on a few pounds since "Shane". I knew Rita Hayworth was in the cast but when she showed up a a blonde it didn't register. The resolution to the story didn't quite fit with everything that went before, leaving one to wonder what would happen once everyone finally set foot in Cordura. One of the reasons the picture merits it's weak reviews.

ma-cortes This particular Western deals with human conflicts about courage and cowardice . On March 8, 1916, Pancho Villa and his army crossed the border, destroying the city of Columbus, the state of New Mexico. The U.S. government in retaliation launches a punitive operation, which only meets resistance at the ranch called ¨Guerrero¨ . An army officer (Gary Cooper), himself guilty of cowardice, is asked to recommended soldiers (Van Heflin , Richard Conte , Dick York , Michael Callan, Tab Hunter ) for the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Mexican Border Incursion of 1916 . Meanwhile , they meet on the way a suspicious lady (Rita Hayworth) with dark secrets .Coooper is pretty well as an Army major sent to find five men worthy of Medal of Honor and Rita Hayworth is attractive as a shady lady . Robert Rossen directed this unusual Western that explores human conflicts in an intelligent way as representative of this genre such as cowardice and bravery of the soldiers , but is paced with some flaws and gaps , including an unfairly adulterated final . A phrase of Rita Hayworth is developing the evolution of the movie : ¨The man who once was a coward not to say that it is all his life and the man who once was a brave does not mean that all his life living as such". Human conflicts designed by the screen-writers turn tiring , repetitive and somewhat artificial as well as the plot progresses . The search for the contrast between valor and cowardice and reflections on the protagonists results to be forced and unnatural , some discussions are inappropriate for its intended significance . Nice and emotive musical score by Elie Siegmaster with ordinary conductor Morris Stoloff . Colorful and evocative cinematography by magnificent cameraman Burnett Guffey and mostly filmed in Mexico where is set the action . The motion picture is professionally directed by Robert Rossen , though in ups and downs . Rossen was a prestigious writer and filmmaker , directing notorious actors and various successful titles of all kind genres as Noir film as ¨Body and soul¨ with John Garfield , ¨Johnny O'Clock¨ with Dick Powell ; Drama as ¨Mambo¨ with Silvana Mangano, ¨Brave Bulls¨ with Anthony Quinn, ¨Island in the sun¨ with James Mason , ¨Lilith¨ with Jean Seberg , Epic as ¨Alexander Magnus¨ with Richard Burton . His greatest hits were ¨The political¨ in which won Oscar for Broderick Crawford ¨and ¨The hustler¨ with Paul Newman . The real events in which are based this film are the following : For a time Villa,who seemed in line for leadership of Mexico ,enjoyed the sympathetic interest of the US government who then dropped Villa and supported his rival,Carranza.Villa's resentment resulted in the vengeance raid on Columbus.Villa slapped the United States in the face by mounting a surprise raid on the town of Columbus,New Mexico,on 9 march 1916, killing eight American soldiers and ten civilians.In retaliation,President Woodrow Wilson sent General Pershing and a Punitive Expedition into Mexico in hot pursuit of Villa . General Pershing's column included the Seventh Cavalry and Apache scouts,chased Villa deep into Mexico,the Americans captured and killed several of Villa's lieutenants but failed to catch the guerrilla leader.Because of Mexican protests,Pershing's command returned to the US.Villa was assassinated in 1923 when gunman ambushed his car.

whpratt1 Never viewed this film until recently and was completely surprised by the role Gary Cooper, (Maj. Thomas Thorn) played as a rather soft spoken Army Awards officer who was in charge of giving out Congressional Medals of Honor to a group of men. These men fought in the war of 1916 against Pancho Villa and Maj. Thorn rounded up all these men and one woman, Adelaide Geary, (Rita Hayworth) who befriended Pancho Villa's men at her ranch and was being brought back to Cordura for a trial. The story revolves around all these soldiers, Sgt. John Chawk, (Van Heflin), Cpl. Milo Trubee, (Richard Conti) and Lt. William Fowler, (Tab Hunter) who were all awarded this high military award. However, there is a great deal of trouble among the men as they find out about each others hidden past and dark secrets. The men lose their self-control with only one woman among them and there are many problems that occur through out the film. This is a very unusual Gary Cooper film with him being labeled as a coward and good for nothing.