The film concerns about the upright Bob Valdez(Burt Lancaster),an older Mexican-American constable,he accidentally murders someone accused by Tanner(Jon Cypher) of being a killer of the husband from his lover(Susan Clark).Then Valdez asks Tanner one hundred dollars for his spouse,it ignites the violence ,passions and ultimately deadly taking on with the local landowner baron and his henchmen(Hector Helizondo,Richard Jordan).A respectable Valdez recovers his uniform and weapons his days in the US cavalry and he goes killing one by one enemies.He's only helped by an old Mexican(Frank Silvera).

This Western revenge flick is plenty of violence,shoot outs and packs lots of action and excellent performances.Features a sensational acting by Burt Lancaster as an old but honorable gunslinger looking for justice. Appear famous secondaries with future and wide career as Hector Helizondo(Pretty woman,Turbulence,Princess diaries)embodies one of the underlings sent back by Tanner for killing him,besides Susan Clark(Showdown,Murder by Decree,Colossus),Frank Silvera((Killer's kid,Viva Zapata) and the early deceased Richard Jordan.The picture is based on Elmore Leonard novel, a prestigious writer with numerous scripts and books adapted to the cinema as Western(3.10 to Yuma,Tall T,Hombre,Joe Kidd)as another genres(Big bounce,Mr Majestic,Jackie Brown,Get Shorty).The motion picture is professionally directed by Edwin Sherin,posteriorly become in director of television(Law and order).The film was shot in Almeria(Spain)where were filmed by the hundred Spaghetti Western.

At the summary states, this film truly made an unusual casting decision by casting Burt Lancaster as a Hispanic man. At first, this made me groan, but after a short time I realized that he did a pretty good job with the accent and there are many light-skinned Mexicans, so it wasn't too hard to believe this. The only negative about this is that the film is in many ways about race prejudice and you wonder if maybe casting an Anglo in such a role that it might be undermining the central message. Regardless, the film is several notches above the usual Western.

It begins in the Old West with sheriff Lancaster being called in to arrest a man holed up in a shack with his odd woman. The man inside is killed by Lancaster and then it's discovered that the man was NOT the wanted man, but totally innocent. Lancaster feels bad about this and tries to take up a collection to help the lady but no one seems to care. In particular, the rich land owner who insisted the guy in the shack WAS guilty felt no compunction to help at all. This angered Lancaster, but the rich guy said that he could care less since the dead man was Black.

The rest of the film consists of Lancaster spending the rest of the movie trying to force the rich guy to contribute his share. However, the rich guy responds by having Lancaster beaten and humiliated--and in the process unleashing retribution from Lancaster, who begins killing off the land owner's posse as they chase him across the Southwest.

Despite the simplicity of the plot, the film never got dull nor did it seem overly preachy. Also, the film ended very well, though I don't want to spoil anything by saying more about it. An intelligently written script, good acting and direction make this film a winner.

Burt Lancaster's crystal clear blue eyes is but one, but the most obvious reason I can't take Valdez Is Coming all too seriously. Burt's given some great performances, but can't overcome his Anglo looks and a heavy handed script.

Lancaster plays Bob Valdez, the Valdez who's coming in the title role. He's a Mexican-American sheriff who because of some trigger happy men in a posse is forced to kill a black man recently discharged from the cavalry with an Indian wife now left a widow.

The leader of the posse is rich rancher Jon Cypher who organized the manhunt on the say so of Susan Clark, the widow of a man this black trooper supposedly killed. Not that Cypher is terribly upset about the mistake. He's got a low opinion of people of color.

But when Lancaster just asks him for a decent amount of money for the widow, Cypher goes into a rage because no people who aren't white are going to tell him what to do. He fixes a kind of cross and ties Lancaster to it and sends him out on the desert. The mockery of the Catholic religion isn't lost on the Mexican populace.

It's more than not lost on us, we the audience get hit on the head with it. When Lancaster gets loose, he goes Rambo on Cypher and his men. It's a lot of blood and guts after that, worthy indeed of any Sylvester Stallone film.

According to a recent biography of Burt Lancaster, what Lancaster was trying to do was show the Mexicans as decent folks for the screen. His accent is passable, but why didn't they get the man some contact lenses to change that blue eye color is beyond me. And that religious symbolism was just a bit too much.

Still when the action gets going, it doesn't let up. Those sequences are the best part of Valdez Is Coming. It's not Burt Lancaster's best venture in the west though.