Hombre is a 1967 Revisionist Western film directed by Martin Ritt, based on the novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard. It stars Paul Newman in the title role. Newman’s amount of dialogue in the film is minimal and much of the role is conveyed through mannerism and action. This was the sixth and final time Ritt directed Newman, they had previously worked together on The Long Hot Summer, Paris Blues, Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man, Hud (1963 film) and The Outrage.
Theme
“Hombre” is a very typical western of the 1960s, being one of several films portraying the situation of the Native Americans in a different and more true way than what had previously been custom in westerns. The film shows the need for both Indian and non-Indian alike to cooperate with each other for their mutual benefit. The subplot focuses on the hypocrisy and duality of respectable citizens.
Critical reaction
Most reviews of the film are positive. Critics praise the performance of Newman and the writing of Elmore Leonard. Movie critic Roger Ebert, in a 1967 review, notes “The performances are uniformly excellent. Three particularly pleasing ones, however, were from Diane Cilento, the boarding house operator who talks Hombre into his ethical heroics; Richard Boone as the villainous Cicero Grimes, and Martin Balsam, as the good Mexican. Ritt directs with a steady hand, and the dialog by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank bears listening to. It’s intelligent, and has a certain grace as well. Last year, Richard Brooks’ The Professionals was the best-directed film out of Hollywood, and this year it looks as if the honors may rest with Martin Ritt and “Hombre”.” Ebert gave the film a rating of three and a half out of four possible stars in his review. “Hombre” has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it a very “fresh” film. It also has 7.3 out of 10 on IMDb.
Trivia
- John Russell is referred to as ‘tres Hombres’ at one point; this is a nickname he earned while working for the Indian police in the reservation. He fought like three men, therefore ‘tres Hombres’.
- The film has some similar plot elements and incidents in common with another Leonard-written film, The Tall T, which also featured Richard Boone as the villain.
- “Hombre” is Paul Newman’s fourth and final “H” film of the 1960s, a quartet that includes The Hustler (film), Harper (film), and another of his six collaborations with Martin Ritt, Hud (film). In all of these films Newman perfected the role of the anti-hero, a type of character he is closely associated with. Newman’s anti-hero culminated with Cool Hand Luke in 1967, and he played one version in the lesser known Paris Blues, which was also directed by Martin Ritt. Roger Ebert, in his 1967 review of Cool Hand Luke said this about Newman’s anti-hero portrayals: “He’s been in movies where he is a fairly ordinary guy in a fairly ordinary situation, (…) except he won’t be pushed. He knows his own mind. The bad guys in his movies don’t like that, and so they try to break him. And he fights back, no matter how much it hurts. If the characters he has played stopped there, they would be more or less conventional heroes. But they don’t. Although they exhibit heroic stubbornness and integrity, they’re not very likable. For on thing, they’re loners. For another, they don’t seem to have basic human feelings. They do rotten things and don’t feel bad. They’re cold and aloof (…) We’d break a guy like Paul Newman if we had the chance, because he’s a troublemaker, a malcontent, a loner. That’s the kind of guy he played in all those movies, beginning with H (“The Hustler,” “Hud,” “Harper,” “Hombre”). He smiled at the idiots who were crossing him. He didn’t care what people thought. And a subtle change took place: The hero stopped wanting to be a hero.” Ebert also commented specifically on “Hombre”: (During “Hombre”) the Newman character gained a degree of self-understanding. Newman played a white man who had been raised by Indians and adopted their way of life. He becomes joined to a party of travelers who are all incapable of protecting themselves and coping with the Western badlands. So Newman is the hero, the guy who can handle things and defend the weak. Only he doesn’t want to. He despises the travelers and sees no need to endanger his own life to save theirs. They talk about courage and duty, and he says he doesn’t know what the words mean. In the end, he does sacrifice himself to save a member of the party, but he doesn’t feel good about it. (The ending) proves the uselessness of being a hero. Where will it get you?”
- Kevin Costner lists this as one of his favorite films, and considered remaking it around the time when he did The Untouchables (1987 film). He has not followed up on the idea, but contributed to the western genre with Dances with Wolves and Open Range
Cast
- Paul Newman John Russell
- Fredric March Dr. Alex Favor
- Richard Boone Cicero Grimes
- Diane Cilento Jessie
- Cameron Mitchell Frank Braden
- Barbara Rush Audra Favor
