Wings of the Hawk (1953) User Reviews (8)

Mexico setting Western with standard story that engages the viewer until the last scene .

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 9 May 2019]

During the Mexican revolution of 1910, a Gringo prospector and miner called Gallager (Van Hefiln) is caught up in the Mexican revolution of 1910-11 when a nasty governor Ruiz (George Dolenz) appropriates his mine. He escapes and to be aware there's a price on his head , wanted: dead or alive , reward : 5.000 dollars . Along the way Gallager saves the life of guerilla leader Raquel (Julie Adams) who is engaged to another revolutionary (Rodolfo Acosta) . Then at the rebel campament shows up the popular leader Pascual Orozco to join forces to carry out a march on Ciudad Juarez . The film is set during the Mexican Revolution , in fact there appears a historical character , Pascual Orozco (well played by Noah Beery Jr) . Orozco was a Mexican revolutionary leader who rose up with Francisco I. Madero late 1910 to depose Porfirio Díaz. After leading up to Orozco's march on Ciudad Juárez and the seizure of Ciudad Juárez, Madero designated his first provisional cabinet, having Venustiano Carranza, a wealthy landowner like Madero, in the War Ministry, a position that Orozco longed for. Venustiano Carranza would eventually become a President of Mexico. Orozco and Villa first confronted Madero by bursting into a meeting of his shadow cabinet after the first Battle of Juárez. Sixteen months later he revolted against the Madero government and ultimately sided with the coup d'état that deposed Madero, and he was subsequently killed in 1915 . New kind of excitement thunders from the screen in 3-Dimension. Suitable for WIde Screen! For a Nation's Richest Prize . He Fought It's Wildest Revolt!...and tamed a fiery Bandit Queen for his own! Out of the thunder and plunder of a nation's most dangerous days come it's most thrilling adventure . For a nation's richest prize they fought it's wildest revolt .

This exciting Western packs thrills , noisy action , spectacular struggles and lots of gutsy adventure . Brawling , sprawling , almost primitive action, teeming across the screen by means of attacks , rescues , assaults , explosions and ambushes . This is a distinctive frontier saga with a special look at Mexican villages , mines , haciendas and countryside outdoors . Budd Boetticher demonstrates a special talent for making the densest action sequences seem uncomplicated and uncluttered and his characters , like the scenes distinguished , often have an unfettered , raw power .This is a moving story about a rebellious group and their fight for freedom and director takes a fine penned script creating a Mexican revolution tale that is far from ordinary , exploring the anguish and desperation of the revolutionaries and villany of the officials . The characters are fairly basic , but a wonderful use is made of the exteriors shot on locations in Burro Flats, Simi Hills, Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley California, and Backlot Universal studios . Cast is pretty good . Van Heflin gives a decent acting , as usual, as an American prospector who gets involved with the revolutionaries after a corrupt Mexican official confiscates his mine, and he becomes romantically involved with the revolutionary leader , gorgeous Julie Adams . Support cast is frankly fine , such as : George Dolenz as the villain administrator , Abbe Lane as his lover , Antonio Moreno as a priest , Rodolfo Acosta , Noah Beery Jr. , the always sympathetic Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez and uncredited Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. and Lyle Talbot .

It displays a glimmer and brilliant cinematography by Clifford Stine , Universal Pictures regular , being shot in 3D . And a moving as well as charming musical score by Frank Skinner .The motion picture produced by Aaron Rosenberg was well directed by Budd Boetticher who was a Western expert . His first Western was in 1949 called The Wolf Hunters, following Cimarron Kid , Bronco buster , Horizons West , Seminole, Man from the Alamo , and Wings of the hawk . In 1956 with 7 Men From Now starts his collaboration with Randolph Scott, along with producer Harry Joe Brown and writer Burt Kennedy , including prestigious titles as Tall T, Decision at sundown, Buchanan rides alone , Ride lonesome, Comanche station , among others . His last Western was in 1969 titled A time for dying with Audie Murphy. Budd also made other genres as Mobsters : The rise and fall of Legs Diamond , Mystery/suspense : Behind locked doors , WWII : Red Ball Express , and Bullfighting even : The magnificent matador , Arruza , The bullfighter and the lady . Rating 6. 5/10 . The movie will appeal to Western aficionados and Van Heflin/Julie Adams fans

Viva Julie Adams!

[rmax304823 · 5/10 · 12 February 2014]

There's no doubt that the director, Budd Boetticher, was a committed professional who loved Mexico and its culture. He was so determined to do a biography of a particular bullfighter that he ran out of money, lived in a shack, and ate from street vendors when he could afford it. It's one thing to do that when you're twenty, but Boetticher was in his forties.

This early effort is a fairly routine Western except that instead of a corrupt cattle boss the heavy is a colonel in the Army of Porfirio Diaz. Van Heflin is a miner whose property is confiscated by the villainous and greedy George Dolenz. Dolenz not only has his men occupy the gold mine but kills Heflin's partner and is about to kill Heflin before Heflin is saved by the insurrectos.

Guess who leads the rebels against the cruel Dolenz. Well, Rodolfo Acosta is the titular head but he's a coward and is deposed. Now it's Julie Adams' turn to "llevar los pantalones". And what pantalones they are. They seem painted on Julie Adams, which was I thought a nice artistic touch, although I prefer Julie Adams and her angular beauty to be on display in a one-piece white bathing suit under water in the Black Lagoon while being tracked underwater by a Gill Man with no good intentions. Make up has darkened her and tried to turn her into a Mexican but she still sounds like an Executive Secretary in Omaha. But who cares?

Van Heflin can be a splendid actor in the right part but this isn't it. The character, like the story, is generic. It could be Audie Murphy or Randolph Scott. All the usual conventions are followed. One clip on the jaw and a man is knocked out for as long as the script requires. If there's a fist fight, the heavy will notice at some point that he's on the losing end of the affair and pick up a bottle or a piece of furniture to attack the hero.

It's not a flop. It's just routine. Boetticher was to do some far more imaginative work with scripts written by Burt Kennedy and starring Randolph Scott. Boetticher's more accomplished direction and Kennedy's folk poetry dialog was a marriage made, well, maybe not in heaven but in cloud cuckoo land.

Trouble and romance for Van Heflin in revolutionary Mexico

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 10 March 2014]

Wings Of The Hawk is set down in revolutionary Mexico during the teen decade of the last century and casts Van Heflin as an expatriate American mine owner who has his mine appropriated by Porfirio Diaz's local provincial administrator George Dolenz. That doesn't turn Heflin into a revolutionary sympathizer just yet. But when he saves Julie Adams from a gunshot wound with a little doctoring he's convinced of the rightness of their cause. It also helps that Julie fills those riding pants out real nice.

Romantically the problem for Heflin is Rudolfo Acosta who already has a claim on Adams. He's part of the revolutionary band, but has grown over cautious of late.

Abbe Lane plays Adams's sister and Dolenz's mistress. More should have been made of that situation than it was. It might very well have been left on Universal's cutting room floor. Of course we should have also seen more of Abbe Lane on general principles.

Budd Boetticher directed Wings Of The Hawk and it certainly isn't up to the standard of the films he did with Randolph Scott. It's a routine action/adventure film, nothing more. Especially with Viva Zapata coming out the year before, a really great film about the same period.

View master in motion

[MegaSuperstar · 7/10 · 28 December 2022]

As my sister says this is maybe the most view master like of all 3D movies. The depth perception is remarkable and well achieved without using many of the usual 3D "tricks" - although the scene where mine explodes throwing rocks to the camera is certainly impressive and the gun descending slowly to Van Heflin's from the roof is breathtaking, just as if could reach it yourself.

The story is about a group of partisans who fight against a corrupt official during the mexican revolution and a gold miner - always excellent Van Heflin - who helps them in order to recover his mine and ends falling in love with a young revolutionary woman - Julie Adams. A young Abbe Lane -who would marry musician Xavier Cugat- appears as Julie Adams' sister in an early role.

A lot of incidents took place while filming the movie, and many specialits got hurt. Miss Adams herself felt from her horse with no major injuries.

As all the originally 3D filmed movies this one greatly improves if watched in 3D, adding a lively touch to the movie.

Regular western.

[marcusfernandes · 6/10 · 26 December 2021]

I am admirer of Budd Boetticher'films,mainly the ones with Randolph Scott,this one being nothing but watchable.

My copy has some color problems being the night or dawn scenes darker than it should be,some action is lost which cause some distress to the viewer. I 've read that the film is in process of restoraration. I look forward to...

Anyway,this one is just a regular western with some good action scenes. Rate 6!

Joining a cause that you have no part of may just make you more loyal to that cause.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 12 February 2019]

So finds out gold prospector Van Heflin when he encounters a group of rebels in the Mexican Revolution and joins forces with them to aide them in their cause. The leader happens to be a woman (the obviously American Julie Adams in dark makeup) who is as tough, and possibly even tougher, then many of the men in the gang. She is able to deal with a bullet wound without calling out in pain, but her sudden friendship with Heflin leads to trouble between Heflin and another one of the rebels (Rudolfo Acosta). More issues occur when Acosta ends up with Adams' gentler sister (Abbe Lane), holding her hostage. With the determination of freedom fighters from All Nations, Adams and her gang struggle to win their victory as romance strikes between Adams and Heflin.

Of course, there is going to be some quibbling against Adams for playing a Mexican woman, but she was simply just a young Universal contract player doing what she was assigned to do. she does indeed look quite stunning in the tight pants that she wears and combines both femininity and toughness in her characterization. Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez, the Mexican-American version of Sabu, provides an enjoyable if somewhat stereotypical view of the eager to please young Hispanic who hasn't quite matured enough to grasp the seriousness of the mission that he is in even though his heart believes in real justice, and the dangers that entails, but he is so likeable a personality that it is difficult to find fault with the types of roles he was cast as a struggling actor.

Fortunately, this was made in Technicolor which makes it beautiful to see the lushness of the outdoor scenes. Under the direction of Budd Boetticher, it is completely entertaining and moves at the speed of a running burro. I didn't really learn anything new about the Mexican Revolution from this but the characters are each given personalities that make their cause worth rooting for, and even the bad guys are painted in grey colors, not just simple black and white villainy.

Underrated 1950s western, engaging and real 3d!! Loved it!!

[joiningjt · 9/10 · 13 February 2021]

It's not an oscar contender or a big budget Hollywood western so you have to judge it based on that. The cinematography was well done the acting was excellent and if you're lucky the 3d was way beyond it's time I wish they could have used this quality of 3d now it would have been a success. I really enjoyed the story and it's funny how they made caucasians play Mexican characters that was the only downfall for me but I realize its 1953. Ignore the critics that judge based on their own pre conceived western formula. This western works entertaining from start to excellent ending.

Fun Movie

[januszlvii · 9/10 · 2 August 2022]

I watched Wings Of The Hawk online and it was a rousing, fun movie. The main Star was Van Heflin ( Irish Gallagher), a large scale gold miner in Northern Mexico. Heflin is someone I identify more with film noir then westerns, yet he did two westerns ( Shane and 3:10 to Yuma) that are on most Top 10 Westerns ever, and Gunman's Walk not far behind. If someone is looking for deep westerns like three I mentioned, Wings Of The Hawk is not it, but if you like action, you will enjoy this. In fact, Heflin does a pretty good Gary Cooper, Alan Ladd and Randolph Scott type action hero ( something I never saw from him before). Then there is Julie Adams ( Raquel). She is absolutely stunning ( although will never be accused of being Mexican). The story is about Mexican revolutionaries ( including Raquel) against a corrupt Col. Paca Ruiz ( George Dolenez), who also sieges Gallagher's mine for personal gain, and murders families of the revolutionaries . Care to guess who wins? Spoilers ahead of course it is the good guys and mostly because Heflin blows up the mine killing many of the bad guys and the good guys end up killing Ruiz ( not Heflin). The way the film ends is Raquel says to Heflin "Why did you do it? ( blow up the mine) Now you have nothing." Heflin said: "It does not have to be." Of course they kiss. Besides sacrificing the mine, not once but twice in the movie, Heflin saves her: Once after she was shot and after Ruiz captures her, so she realizes that he really loves her and is man enough for her. Once again a fun movie. 9/10 stars.