El Diablo (1990)

Director: Peter Markle
Starring: Anthony Edwards, Louis Gossett Jr., John Glover

Synopsis:
A schoolteacher goes out in search of the legendary gunslinger Kid Durango to help save a student of his kidnapped by the notorious outlaw El Diablo.

Impressions:
This is another one of those movies from my family's film canon that I have a lot of fondness for and it's not just the nostalgia factor talking. This is one of my favorite modern Westerns. It's a very quirky sort of film with lots of humor and a cast of colorful characters. Interestingly enough, one of the writers is John Carpenter of all people, not exactly who you'd expect for a Western comedy. Particular standouts in the cast are Louis Gossett Jr. as Van Leek and Joe Pantoliano as Truman. I also want to credit the score by William Olvis. The main theme is a perfect fit in every scene it comes up in. Normally a voiceover is superfluous at best or an annoyance at worst, but here the comedic understatement of Billy Ray's narration works as a force multiplier for the comedy. I can't recommend this one enough. It's definitely one for the collection.

Rating:
Own It