MGM
Directed by William A. Wellman
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)
It's mis-titled, as the "Robin Hood" of this film is actually a Mexican revolutionary in California. His young bride is brutally raped and murdered early in the film by some nasty gold prospectors. His desire for personal revenge fuels his hatred of all Californians, but mostly the greedy gold miners. He joins forces with a real bandit, played marvelously by J. Carrol Naish, and before long they are waging near-war on the hapless Americans. It's unique in the fact that the Americans are the bad guys and elicit no sympathy. We are left to root for the Mexicans, while not exactly perfect are at least less vile. At times the film breaks down into song, giving it an almost operatic quality, but more often resembles a B-western. An odd film from the prolific Wellman that may require additional viewings to fully digest.
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