And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself

Seeking publicity for his cash-strapped revolution, Pancho Villa invited an American movie studio in 1913 to tell his (highly romanticized) life story and also film his troops in (real-life) action against the Mexican army. Sadly, no print still exists of the groundbreaking effort--the most expensive (and first feature-length) movie of its day, the first movie to feature live battlefield footage, and a film that turned the tide of public opinion in the U.S. Still, the story behind the movie makes for a great tale of its own. In this made-for-HBO film, the audience's surrogate on the scene is a weightless junior studio executive (played by Tim Matheson look-alike Eion Bailey) who is saddled with most of the film's clunky expository dialogue and obligatory reservations about turning Villa into a hero. But an impassioned, rough-and-tumble Antonio Banderas embodies the bravado of the title role perfectly, without shying away from his ruthless Robin Hood-ish brutality and hypocrisy as he sacks the haciendas of rich landowners while making deals with millionaire movie producers whose commercial concerns begin to supplant Villa's cause. Written by Larry Gelbart (M.A.S.H. TV series writer) and directed by Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy), the film features terrific battle scenes and achieves a respectable level of authenticity as a fascinating tidbit of cinematic and political history. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include an informative commentary by Gelbart and a behind-the-scenes featurette. Bottom line: a better-than-usual extras package for a made-for-cable production.] (R. Blackwelder)