Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Richie-67-485852 We got a Western with Mitchum for starters. Then, add Indians, Calvary, love interest, gun play, Mexico, drinking, fighting, horses and some history and we got a decent movie on our hands. Mitch handles his accent rather well and the story is an interesting one. He is a gringo who had to live in Mexico but realizes that may change if he changes. Of course the love interest has something to do with that decision along with other circumstances. Good supporting cast here too. Good movie for eating a burrito or some tacos with a tasty drink or a nice cut of beef. Have some pan dulce (sweet bread) for dessert as there is all that in the movie and more. Even some beef jerky and pumpkin seeds will work for the full effect. Nice scenery and filmed on location i.e. Mexico. BTW...They are always having an over throw of power or position or some sort of revolution in that country because everyone is always jockeying for power and of course more money. It goes on to this day too. Enjoy amigos & pards

Spikeopath Based on a story by artist Tom Lea (who cameos as a barber), The Wonderful Country stars Robert Mitchum, Julie London, Gary Merrill, Charles McGraw & Pedro Armendáriz. It's directed by Robert Parrish, the score is from Alex North with Floyd Crosby & Alex Phillips on cinematography around the Durango location shoot.A rich western that admirably crams in a lot of genre based themes and boasts a lead protagonist of high complex value. Tightly directed by Parrish (Saddle The Wind), who is aware that this needs no action overkill, it's really with Mitchum and Robert Ardrey's script that the film owes its success. Give or take a couple of missteps with the accent (he is playing a gringo pistolero) Mitchum dominates with his stature and laconic form of acting. He's playing Martin Brady, a man who finds himself being pulled emotionally on both sides of the Mexican/American border, the contrast between both lands, and Brady's persona too (he's effectively a man without a country), is very interesting. There's a number of well drawn characters who file in and out of Brady's life, all serving purpose to the plot, with Julie London's love interest thankfully having a more darker edge than others that were often seen in the genre. There's even an appearance of Baseball Hall Of Fame inductee Leroy 'Satchel' Paige as part of an all black army regiment. Yet another strand in this multi angled movie.Very sedate in tone but with deep character drama at its core, Parrish's film is a thinking persons movie. Some critics have called it routine, while others have said it's complicated! I just think it's a film that needs to be watched more than once to fully digest its themes. It's not one for the action fan as such, but it is excellently written and performed by the principals. It's also a truly gorgeous movie visually and aurally. A fine film that rewards further on repeat viewings, especially for fans of the great Robert Mitchum. 7/10

classicsoncall It occurred to me in the final minutes of the picture what the title might have been meant to represent - as Martin Brady (Robert Mitchum) makes his way across the Rio Grande from Mexico, his destination is the United States. Notwithstanding the dramatic desert scenery of his foster country, it's America where Brady will find some measure of freedom and liberty upon escaping the invisible noose of the Castro's. Fifty years removed from the original release of the picture, and without benefit of knowing to what extent politics played in the development of the story line, it's interesting to speculate about the film maker's use of the Castro name. It was in 1959 that Fidel Castro was sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba after a colorful history of insurrection and guerrilla warfare. The movie's Castro had a brother as well, while today, Raul Castro replaces his ailing brother at the helm of his island country.Whether my speculation holds any water or not, one thing I'm not buying is Brady's horse being spooked by a tumbleweed. Was that the first time he ever saw one? I lost a little credibility in the story at about that point; Brady could have broken his leg or been laid up in a more effective manner, perhaps a bar room brawl or a gunfight. But it did set him up as a sympathetic character for the admiration of Helen Colton (Julie London) and as a foil in Mrs. Colton's relationship with her husband (Gary Merrill).The genuine surprise in the picture for me was the appearance of the legendary Satchel Paige as a soldier in Colton's black regiment. How cool was that? It was Paige's only movie credit, and makes me curious as to how he was selected for the role. So there's another bit of historical trivia I'll have to scope out.Generally speaking, I found the picture to hold my interest well enough beyond the tumbleweed incident. Mitchum was a bit too droll in his portrayal to suit me, but he's certainly competent enough here as in other films I've seen him. It hadn't occurred to me before how much he resembles another celebrity of the era, Dean Martin. It makes me want to go out and get a copy of "Five Card Stud" in which they both appeared.

tangoviudo This film came as something of a surprise. I watched it because Alex Phillips was its cinematographer, but I quickly found myself noticing other things, like the character played by Robert Mitchum whose allegiances are seriously divided between the country of his birth and Mexico. In fact, the title makes one wonder which "Country" is supposed to be "Beautiful". Mitchum plays his role with absolute conviction, not at all like he's in between his usual film noir roles (even if he was).But the real star is the photography of Alex Phillips. The Mexican landscape, in Technicolor, never looked more beautiful AND authentic. It didn't take much to dress it up in period costume, since much of it still looks exactly as it did in the 19th century. Phillips had worked in Mexican films since the early 1930s, and had collaborated with Fernando de Fuentes, Emilio Fernandez, and Luis Bunuel."The Wonderful Country" also features Julie London in one of her last screen appearances before she disappeared into television. The film makes short-shrift of her, however, which may have simply been the result of the film's makers being dissatisfied with the love-interest sub-plot to begin with. That Robert Mitchum doesn't ride off into the sunset with her (he actually WALKS away from the camera, without his gun) is a credit to the film.