Odd he's actually playing a mexican-american.

Myth of the old west gunfighter

As an ex-American History teacher, I enjoy an occasional western movie but realize that most of what you see in these films is myth. So, when you see folks say things like "I'll meet you on Main Street at high noon" for some shootout, know it's all a Hollywood invention. Shootouts were incredibly rare and more often than not, it involved someone shooting someone in the back...not two hot young gunslingers shooting it out to see who's the fastest! Keep this in mind when you see "Man from Del Rio"!

When the story begins, Dave Robles (Anthony Quinn) confronts a gunman who killed some of Robles family years ago. He wants a chance to settle the score and they have an impromptu shootout and Robles kills the infamous gunslinger....and suddenly the folks of the town where this occurred LOVE Robles and want him to stay and be their sheriff. And, like you'd expect in this Hollywood version of the old west, more shootouts will follow! But how the town reacts to him after this...that is odd.

So is it worth seeing? Absolutely. It's a pretty good film from start to finish...and especially at the finish!

By the way, this is a rare film. While Quinn was born in Mexico and his heritage was Irish/Mexican, he played 1001 different ethnicities and only a few times played Mexicans or Mexican-Americans.

Very slow moving film where Anthony Quinn comes to town to gun down a fellow shooter who evidently had done him wrong 5 years before. There is no explanation whatsoever of why Quinn had the grudge.

In a lawless town, Quinn kills 2 more guys and the town asks him to be their sheriff. He complies but he is socially ostracized by the people living in the town as observed at the town dance.

He is a drinker and the saloon person, a former gunslinger, wants his aid in promoting Lord knows what.

Katy Jurado is the woman who divides her time working in the general store and assisting the town doctor. Married and widowed from a gunslinger, she spurns all advances made by Quinn.

There is an inevitable showdown between the Quinn character and the saloon keeper that will keep you wondering if Quinn had really broken his writs in the film.

The part of town drunk Breezy, played by Whit Bissell was an interesting character that should have been explored more.

Man From Del Rio (1956) is one of a large number of well directed, nicely written and acted westerns from the 50s, a decade rich in quality westerns, from the small scale, epic and everything in-between. The film's director, Harry Horner, was an old Hollywood hand, used some odd camera angles and made the visual and spatial aspects of this modest production interesting, pleasing to look at, even as the film is itself low budget and in black and white.

Anthony Quinn is the Hispanic sheriff of a small western town where he is needed, due to his skill with handguns, but not liked or wanted due to his ethnic background. Even Katy Jurado's token Hispanic woman, playing somewhat against type, would rather Quinn would simply disappear. The supporting cast is outstanding for a film of this sort, with such familiar players as Whit Bissell and Douglas Fowley in roles in which each would seem be a better fit for the the other's.

It helps to be a western fan to enjoy this picture. This is not a movie for everyone. The story itself is by the numbers, but it works some nice variations on its familiar themes; and star Anthony Quinn is excellent in the lead. He was on the verge of major stardom when he appeared in the film, and on the basis of his performance it's easy to see why. The film was released the same year as Lust For Life, in which Quinn's supporting performance won him an Academy award. It's difficult for me to imagine two more different films for this actor to have appeared in during the same year.