The first three or four times I saw this was before I had a color TV and thought it was originally B&W. I loved the story of this man unjustly accused who has to run across the border and use his gunslinger skills to become a mercenary in a Mexican civil war. Upon seeing it in color I was even more blown away by the cinematography and the depiction of the countryside.Mitchum finds a perfect role for his laconic style, seemingly tossing in with one side that's no better than the other, always keeping within him the hope of returning to his home. It's also probably the best thing Julie London ever did on screen.

But it's the story and how the country and the conflict are presented that make the movie.Almost ten years later, in the WILD BUNCH, Peckinpah has his actors say about Mexico:"Ah, Mexico lindo (lovely)!" and "Don't look "lindo" to me; just looks like more of Texas." That's the other side and another story. THE WONDERFUL COUNTRY makes Mexico look very "lindo" and the story of unrequited love and loss of country hold up after all these years have passed.THE WONDERFUL COUNTRY isn't available on a UA/MGM DVD but you can do a Google search and find a fair copy from a couple of wildcat sites.