The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

Set at the turn of the century, this is based on a Mexican ballad about one of the most famous manhunts in Texas history. A young Mexican farmhand kills a sheriff in self-defence, and lights out for the border with the Texas Rangers in hot pursuit. From such tawdry incidents do heroic legends grow as news of the slaying speeds down the telegraph. The longer he evades capture, the more inflated becomes the myth, and the more ironic the backlash that finally descends on the hapless, determinedly non-heroic Cortez. Beautifully shot and directed with great understatement, the result is a film of considerable poignancy and compassion.