Richard Boone was always more effective, in my opinion, when he played his part with an edge as he does in "Rio Conchos". The opening scene set two years after the Civil War, has James Lassiter (Boone) slaughtering an Apache burial party. It seems that Lassiter's family had been murdered by the Apache Bloodshirt (Rodolfo Acosta) and he has taken it upon himself to "even the score".
Lassiter is arrested in the burned out shell of his home by Union Captain Haver (Stuart Whitman) and his Sergeant Ben Franklin (Jim Brown in his first film) and taken to their headquarters. Col. Wagner (Warner Anderson) jails Lassiter when he refuses to tell where he obtained his new repeating rifle. Lassiter lands in jail with convicted murderer Rodriguez (Tony Franciosa).
Lassiter relents and identifies Rebel Southern Colonel Pardee (Edmond O'Brien) who is holed up in Mexico, as the source of his rifle. A shipment of the new repeating rifles had been stolen by Pardee's men earlier. Pardee plans to arm the Apache with the guns to attack the soldiers.
Lassiter negotiates the release of the snake in the grass Rodriguez who along with Cpt. Haven and Sgt. Franklin set out with a load of gunpowder to lure Pardee out of hiding. On the trail the group is attacked by Mexican bandits led by an unrecognizable Vito Scotti as their leader. After disposing of the bandits they capture a young Apache girl (Wende Wagner) who is forced to accompany them.
By staging a gunfight in a saloon, the wagon carrying the gun powder sneaks across the Rio Conchos on a ferry. Following Rodriguez' defection, the group is contacted by Pardee's men. They go to Pardee's camp and find him in the middle of a half built house with a small army of southerners and Apaches. When Bloodshirt comes to buy the rifles, Lassiter loses it and attacks him. Pardee allows Bloodshirt to have Lassiter, Haven and Franklin dragged by horses and left tied to the horses in a corral. But help comes from an unexpected source, the men are released. The scenario at Pardee's camp is similar to one in the 1961 John Wayne film "The Comancheros" which also featured Whitman. For ex-footballer Brown, this was the first of many action films in which he starred. As pointed out earlier, Boone steals the picture with his gruff hate filled performance. It was one of the few times that he got to play the lead.
Lassiter is arrested in the burned out shell of his home by Union Captain Haver (Stuart Whitman) and his Sergeant Ben Franklin (Jim Brown in his first film) and taken to their headquarters. Col. Wagner (Warner Anderson) jails Lassiter when he refuses to tell where he obtained his new repeating rifle. Lassiter lands in jail with convicted murderer Rodriguez (Tony Franciosa).
Lassiter relents and identifies Rebel Southern Colonel Pardee (Edmond O'Brien) who is holed up in Mexico, as the source of his rifle. A shipment of the new repeating rifles had been stolen by Pardee's men earlier. Pardee plans to arm the Apache with the guns to attack the soldiers.
Lassiter negotiates the release of the snake in the grass Rodriguez who along with Cpt. Haven and Sgt. Franklin set out with a load of gunpowder to lure Pardee out of hiding. On the trail the group is attacked by Mexican bandits led by an unrecognizable Vito Scotti as their leader. After disposing of the bandits they capture a young Apache girl (Wende Wagner) who is forced to accompany them.
By staging a gunfight in a saloon, the wagon carrying the gun powder sneaks across the Rio Conchos on a ferry. Following Rodriguez' defection, the group is contacted by Pardee's men. They go to Pardee's camp and find him in the middle of a half built house with a small army of southerners and Apaches. When Bloodshirt comes to buy the rifles, Lassiter loses it and attacks him. Pardee allows Bloodshirt to have Lassiter, Haven and Franklin dragged by horses and left tied to the horses in a corral. But help comes from an unexpected source, the men are released. The scenario at Pardee's camp is similar to one in the 1961 John Wayne film "The Comancheros" which also featured Whitman. For ex-footballer Brown, this was the first of many action films in which he starred. As pointed out earlier, Boone steals the picture with his gruff hate filled performance. It was one of the few times that he got to play the lead.