tiedgame's review
4.0
This is a solid novelization of the film "Bandolero!" The tale involves estranged brothers Dee and Mace Bishop, a couple bank robberies, gallows excitement, the kidnapping of a murdered rancher's beautiful wife, a posse led by Sheriff July Johnson chasing the bank robbers/killers/kidnappers into Mexico and a shootout between the criminals teamed with the posse against a gang of Mexican banditos. Hano's novel hews closely to the film's story, the biggest change being an ending more palatable than the film's. The book also explains how Mace handled the real hangman; the film doesn't and leaves one wondering if Mace killed him. In staying with the film's story, Hano adds introspection by a number of the characters, fleshing out their motivations more than in the film. He also writes in present tense, which gives the book a cinematic feel, to me at any rate. He breaks the wall a couple of times, writing "We saw him briefly," pulling the reader into the picture he is creating with his narrative. Hano also is adept at describing the geography the gang and posse travel into Mexico, one group attempting to stay ahead of the other, running out of water. Hano also describes what it means to be a Texan back in the day. All this adds up to a good novel, which can easily be enjoyed by readers who have no knowledge of the film. I enjoyed both the book and the film, which stars Jimmy Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch with a fine supporting cast, but liked the novelization better. Hano is still alive and in his late 90s, the last I checked. He wrote a lot of good stuff. My favorite Hano book is "A Day in the Bleachers."
More...