Barquero

"How much is enough, Barquero?"

1970 1h 50m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 54

Western

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Jake Remy leads a gang of outlaw cutthroats making their escape toward Mexico from a successful robbery. Barring their way is a river--crossable only by means of a ferry barge. The barge operator, Travis, refuses to be bullied into providing transport for the gang and escapes across river with most of the local populace--leaving Remy and his gang behind, desperately seeking a way across. A river-wide stand-off begins between the gang and the townspeople, both groups of which have left people on the wrong side of the river.

“How much is enough, Barquero?”

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Cast

Lee Van Cleef
Travis
Warren Oates
Jake Remy
Forrest Tucker
Mountain Phil
Kerwin Mathews
Marquette
Mariette Hartley
Anna
Marie Gomez
Nola
Armando Silvestre
Sawyer
John Davis Chandler
Fair

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gordon Douglas
Writers: George Schenck, William Marks, William Marks
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Gordon Douglas, shot by Gerald Perry Finnerman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dominic Frontiere. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Charles Nelson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lee Van Cleef and Warren Oates and Forrest Tucker carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "How much is enough, Barquero?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0065451 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 54 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gordon Douglas directs. Gerald Perry Finnerman behind the camera. Dominic Frontiere scores. Charles Nelson cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

156 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Gordon Douglas, shot by Gerald Perry Finnerman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Dominic Frontiere. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Charles Nelson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Lee Van Cleef and Warren Oates and Forrest Tucker carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "How much is enough, Barquero?".
7IMDB entry: tt0065451 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 54 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gerald Perry Finnerman
Original score: Dominic Frontiere
Editing: Charles Nelson
Costume design: Ray Phelps
Makeup / hair: Fred C. Blau Jr.
Stunt coordinator: Bennie E. Dobbins
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Barquero (1970)

Also by

Gordon Douglas

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-02-10
★ 7/10
God Damn Barge Man! Barquero is directed by Gordon Douglas and written by George Schenck. It stars Lee Van Cleef, Warren Oates, Forrest Tucker, Kerwin Matthews and Mariette Hartley. Music is by Dominic Frontiere and cinematography by Gerald Perry Finnerman. When is a Spaghetti Western not a Spaghetti Western? When it's Barquero is the answer. It has the feel of a Pasta Oater, from the colour photography and musical scoring, to the pungent dialogue delivered in various guises of grizzle and accents, Barquero clearly takes its lead from Europe. Which as it happens is absolutely fine because this is a hugely enjoyable exercise. "I would give anything in the world to spend the night with you... Except my barge" Plot basically involves a cat and mouse scenario played out on each side of a river. On one side is a gang of thieves led by Warren Oates' Jake Remy, who after executing a robbery in town are trying to leave the country. On the other side is the townsfolk headed by Cleef's Travis, who is the most important man in the play because he owns the ferry barge that is apparently the only means of crossing the band of water. "Back east I read books about men taming the wilderness. I dreamed about those men. They weren't like you. They weren't like you, they were statues that people could look up to. The only resemblance you bear to a statue is pigeon droppings" What unfolds is a twin telling of the character dynamics at work in either side of the camp. Remy is a mercenary bastardo who rules his gang with a rod of aggressive iron, Travis is hard bitten by life and actually doesn't care much for the townsfolk he serves. The two men are battling for supremacy not just of the "barge" situation, but of their psychological well beings. Hostage situations come into play, there's plenty of scowling at each other across the water, some piercing violence and it builds to a grand finale with a battle fit for some viking based epic! Casting aside the cheese laden dialogue, and it's best just to run with it to fully enjoy the picture, it's a production of some serious quality. With two of the genre's best brooders leading the cast, the acting side of things is in good hands. Backing up Cleef and Oates (both excellent) are Tucker (Travis' comic side-kick but still hard as nails) and Matthews (Remy's voice of reason), and although she's under used, the adorable Hartley hits the right notes for the key female role that tempts and taunts Travis' core masculinity. The Colorado location photography is gorgeous, the beautiful shimmering landscapes alive in De Luxe Color. Frontiere's (Hang 'Em High/Chisum) score is dynamite, blending Spaghetti style clangs with military percussion, it swells and explodes at all the key points of plotting. Douglas (Rio Conchos) is unfussy in direction, maintaining interest during the talky character expansion scenes. And finally I simply have to mention the sound mix (Robert Miller and Ben Sad), it's tremendous, the thunder of hooves and the crack of gunfire literally splinters the ears, joyously so. I viewed this in HD on UK TCM on my home cinema system, suffice to say if possible I recommend you see it that way as well! Awash with caricatures and the sort of tongue in cheek scripting that lends it a vibe to not be taken serious, it's clearly not a hidden masterpiece, but this is fascinatingly muscular fun that also looks and sounds tremendous. 7.5/10

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