El Diablo (1990) - Western meets comedy with a bit of cult charm

Cast:

Anthony Edwards as Billy Ray Smith

Luis Gosset, Jr. as Thomas Van Leek

Robert Beltran as El Diablo

Runnung time: 1h48m

---

El Diablo is the kind of film that you're may discover by chance on a late-night program and then somehow stick with.

The story is pretty simple: a good teacher (Anthony Edwards) sets out to rescue his student , who has been kidnapped by a nasty bandit called El Diablo. And yes, it sounds like a classic western at first but it's more of a wacky mix of western and comedy.

Along the way, our hero meets all kinds of weird characters - including Louis Gossett Jr. as a tough gunslinger and what we want to get to: Robert Beltran!

Shortened and edited official trailer:

Thoughts

Although Robert doesn't play the main role, he does appear as one of the supporting characters and is quite charmingly at that. Robert brings just the right mix of coolness and wit to his performance. Not a game changer for the movie but definitely a highlight for fans.

The movie doesn't take itself too seriously. The characters almost seem like something out of a comic book. It's not Oscar material.

A movie you can't expect too much. A bit of western, a bit of slapstick, a bit of 90s vibe and in the middle of it all thiis Robert Beltran, who shows that he can also shine in supporting roles.

The movie is 108 minutes. Robert's appearance, all in all, is for 7 minutes and 49 seconds. That means it is not a real Robert Beltran movie, right?

Is it worth watching? - Depends.

If you like the genre? - Yes.

If you like Edwards or Gossett, Jr.? - Yes.

If you watch it for Robert? - No ... ok yes ... or ...?

No: because of just seeing him for a few minutes, and to me, it felt a bit like wasting the time of watching about 100 of 108 minutes without him.

I like some modern Westerns, but I don't like them in combination with that comedy thing (you have seen it in the trailer). Maybe it is just me?

Yes, because of Robert's scenes. His El Diablo is the ultimate Mexican outlaw: a killer, ruthless, impatient, takes whatever he wants, and laughs like the devil. ... Look for yourself, including some words spoken in Spanish:

The Lady's section - See for yourself:

Sexy? Definitely, and hearing Robert with a Spanish accent and some words in Spanish is more sexy.

Rating: neutrally 1/5:

I personally don't like the combination of comedy and western. The story has a pacing problem, and I get a bit bored. I got the feeling they put scenes in it to get time filled up.

I am not a big fan of the other actors, but that doesn't mean that they don't know their work.

In my opinion, it is a waste of time to watch the whole movie.

The movie is called El Diablo but when you check the DVD cover, the actor who plays the character giving that movie the title isn't even listed on the front and has such a reduced appearance.

It doesn't fit. There were two possibilities:

1. Focus more on El Disblo.

2. Choose another title that doesn't pretend El Diablo is the leading role and therefore focuses on Robert.

Rating: RB 5/5

Of course 5/5, because he is simply great in his scenes. Because of that and his good looks, El Diablo is the most interesting character in the whole movie. Robert has just a few scenes and he owns them, played them perfectly. Robert is doing the most of it with his voice. There is some softness in it, and his looks make you feel some sympathy for the devil, especially at the end.

Hearing him to speak with that accent and use some words in Spanish makes me wish to hear him more often in that language.

(1) IMdB: Luis Gossett, Jr.