By Stephen Pytak 

     This is an okeydokey western with some decent 
performances.
     It's just too bad it didn't have a better director, 
writer or editor.
     "Charro!" is about an outlaw named Jess Wade
who is struggling to change his life.
     He changes his name. When he picks up his 
messages from bartender at the start of the show, we
learn his new handle. The bartender calls him 
"Charro."
     Soon the gang Jess used to hang with shows
up with a plan to get even. They've stolen a Mexican 
victory cannon and framed him for the crime. 
     Wanted posters say the suspect has an ugly bruise
on his neck and the gang provides our hero one with 
a branding iron. Meanwhile the Mexican army 
makes its way north in search of what's theirs.
     What follows are some interesting plot points and
lots of so-so dialog, an ending with a good
showdown and a final two minutes that just sucked.
     The only reason to pop this tape in your VCR (as
of this writing, the thing hasn't come out on Region 1
DVD) is to watch Elvis as the hero.
     He's got what it takes to pull it off. An edge. A dark
edge. I can see this guy blow someone away. That
doesn't happen a lot here. Then again, his character
is trying to go straight.
     Even though this was The King's 29th film role,
"Charro!" wasn't a typical Elvis movie. There's
a title song over the credits, but Elvis wasn't putting
down his peace shooter to strum a few chords on
the guitar and sing about all the girls he loved before.
This wasn't "Speedway," "Girls, Girls, Girls" or
"Clambake."
     No doubt Elvis was inspired by the spaghetti
westerns of the era, like Sergio Leone's "A Fistful
of Dollars (1964)." Maybe he even saw Sergio
Corbucci's "Django (1966)."
     It's too bad he didn't have a better script and 
crew to help him realize what was probably a dream.
     There are some other interesting actors in the cast
who give memorable performances. Solomon 
Sturges is one.
     Sturges plays "Billy Roy," an outlaw as warped as 
a 33 1/3 record at a summer yard sale. 
     He abuses dance hall hookers, shoots the sheriff,
gets put in the cooler and all but curses his head off in
there. That's probably because this film was rated G. 
But "Billy Roy" would fit right in with Rob Zombie's 
"The Devil's Rejects (2005)."