VALDEZ IS COMING is a grueling 1971 western that has Mexican lawman Burt Lancaster attempting to provide compensation for the Apache widow of a black man he was forced to kill, thanks to the callous inhumanity of a party of nasty Anglos.

A lot on the subject of racism is heaved at the viewer, and the movie is so relentlessly downbeat that it becomes an endurance test as entertainment. Lancaster is sincere and does a decent job with his accent and the supporting players do well by their generally disagreeable types, but it doesn’t add up to a heckuva lot of fun. Shot in Spain, directed by first-timer Edwin Sherin. 90 minutes long, co-starring Susan Clark, Jon Cypher, Frank Silvera, Richard Jordan and Hector Elizondo. It took $6,000,000 to film, but struck out, lagging at spot #39 fo the year.