Rating
**/*****, or 5/10
Odd and
slow paced monster movie pits cowboys against a dinosaur. An American
cowboy (Guy Madison) with a ranch in Mexico notices the strange
disappearance of his cattle and blames his Hispanic neighbours as
thieves, setting off a dispute which isn't resolved until the real
culprit is found, which turns out to be a carnivorous dinosaur. An
intriguing premise, but ultimately this movie is too long for its own
good (even though it lasts only 81 minutes) since the dinosaur
doesn't appear until the last 15 minutes. Features some half decent
charming stop motion animation (though the creature's lizard like
tongue is just damn peculiar), which naturally never reaches the
level of a Ray Harryhausen movie. Interestingly enough, Harryhausen
himself would work on a much better 'cowboys v.s. dinosaurs' film,
The Valley of Gwangi (1969). Any time that superior movie is
mentioned, this film's title occasionally pops up as a mere footnote.
Still, good effort. Plus, a rare find on DVD.
Starring:
Guy Madison, Patricia Medina, Carlos Rivas.
Directed
by Edward Nassour, Ismael Rodriguez
USA/Mexico:
Peliculas Rodriguez, 1956
