MovieChat Forums > Valdez Is Coming (1971) Discussion > missing scene or am I confused

missing scene or am I confused

posted 8 years ago by sul-4
4 replies | jump to latest

saw on TCM couple nights back, maybe about 4th time I've seen it in 25 years.

I think it's a great western, but I thought there was a scene in there I didn't see this time, or did I conflate the movie with another western?

In one of the scenes where Valdez picks off riders with his Sharps, the shots are filmed from the POV of the riders, and a rider would get shot off his horse long before you hear the report of the rifle. Was that there and I missed it? Never there, confused?

A couple things bothered me on this viewing.

1. Valdez needed to up the ante, pay for Diego's place that was burned down.

2. When he realized that El Segundo had prolly gotten above him to the pass, he sent the woman away. My sense was that he was going to dig in for a last stand.
Agree, disagree? Yet, when he went to the ground with the horses, he didn't come up shooting.

3. El Segundo character was inconsistent. Yes, he gains respect for Valdez, but he was an amoral bully, it's more consistent with his character in the beginning, who would torture the weak, if he were to kill off Valdez, who'd killed ten of his men, and they were his men.

Clearly El Segundo was intelligent, anticipating Valdez's moves, but there was no early hint of fairness or respect.

[–] darkavenger77 8 years ago

In one of the scenes where Valdez picks off riders with his Sharps, the shots are filmed from the POV of the riders, and a rider would get shot off his horse long before you hear the report of the rifle. Was that there and I missed it? Never there, confused?

I just watched the last half of it on Encore Westerns. I'd say there was something missing in those scenes since I counted 4 riders being shot, then El Segundo says he killed 5 men. I don't recall seeing then shot and then hearing the shot, but was not looking for that when I watched it.

Ignoring politics doesn't mean politics will ignore you.
-Pericles paraphrased in <100 characters

[–] syberian_guy 8 years ago

Also one of my favorite Westerns! I'm not sure if there is a missing scene, as you suggest. There have been other Westerns with snipers picking off horse men, like Joe Kidd. Could you be confusing it with another film?

Yes, there are plot holes, as you pointed out, but really how many perfect movies are there?

Regarding El Segundo: I think he only saw Valdez as weak in their early encounters. He is a man who only respects strength, which is what he saw in Valdez by the end of the chase. That's what the movie was about. Valdez was a killer who deplored that part of his life as he aged, but became a killer again when pushed into a corner. El Segundo, and Tanner, learned that about Valdez the hard way.

[–] indioblack117 8 years ago

The thing with seeing the rider fall then hearing the shot was THE HUNTING PARTY

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

They show him shooting four. It is stated that he shot five.