Civil War Veteran Hogan (Clint Eastwood) was riding through Mexico when he heard a commotion. He dismounted and looked over a rise to see a trio of men pushing a mostly naked woman among them. Well, that just wouldn't do. He intervened by killing the trio. He was quite shocked when, once she was dressed, she proved to be a nun! Sister Sara (Shirley MacLaine) was also a Juarista out to raise money to fight the French. As such, Hogan's plan of handing her off to a French patrol was nixed. As it happens, Hogan was in Mexico to assist the Juarista cause, but he was less than keen on having a nun - especially a pretty nun - around. The more time he spent around her, the less she seemed like a proper nun. However, she always had a reasonable explanation for this aberrant behavior.
Clint plays his usual Western anti-hero, though he adds a dash of romance. His interactions with Shirley are fun and funny. Much of the fun is that Hogan doesn't know how to interact with her, nor can he get rid of her. Though she plays her role well, Shirley is a hard sell for a Mexican. She looks not at all Spanish and is entirely too pale for such a climate. That said, Sara is a great character, and MacLaine imbues her with just the right combination of reverence and sass.
The scenery is terrific, but much of it is nowhere near the putative setting. The story is set near Chihuahua, but a lot of filming was done south of Mexico City. As for the French, they didn't look French. According to IMDb, the director sought to save money and cast a bunch of no-names for all the roles other than Clint and Shirley.
After the US Civil War concluded, the United States took more robust measures against the French intervention in Mexico, selling tens of thousands of rifles to the Juaristas and threating US action against the French. The movie Vera Cruz also took place during the French invasion of Mexico.
Good popcorn fun.
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