The Comancheros

The Comancheros (1961) is a 20th Century Fox Western you can watch online on iFILM. John Wayne plays Texas Ranger Jake Cutter, who rides into the story by collaring gambler Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) — a smooth-talking Louisiana fugitive wanted for a dueling homicide. It is, by design, not a fair fight between them: Wayne's laconic authority versus Whitman's quick charm.

The two reluctantly team up when a bigger problem surfaces. A gang known as the Comancheros is running guns and whiskey to Comanche raiders, and the whole border is about to pay for it. Lee Marvin shows up for a memorable early scene. The undercover operation that follows mixes dusty action with the kind of loose, good-humored banter that Wayne did better than almost anyone.

Michael Curtiz — the director behind Casablanca — made this his final picture, and he kept it moving at pace. There is nothing complicated here: the scenery is gorgeous, the gunplay is plentiful, and the two leads have genuine friction that works. Stream The Comancheros (1961) online on iFILM.