Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Woodyanders Naïve, but eager farmhand Karl Westover (a fine and amiable performance by Gary Busey) goes on the lam after he accidentally kills his brother-in-law. Karl befriends shrewd and resourceful outlaw Barbarosa (wonderfully played with tremendous rascally charm by Willie Nelson), who teaches Karl how to survive in the wild.Director Fred Schepisi offers a flavorsome and meticulous evocation of a past time and place, relates the story at a measured pace, makes the most out of the dusty and desolate Tex-Mex prairie frontier setting, and puts a welcome and refreshing emphasis on people over action. William D. Wittliff's provides a wealth of witty dialogue and a surprisingly intricate narrative in which the relationships between the various clearly delineated characters are quite compelling and complicated. Moreover, the natural and engaging chemistry between Nelson and Busey gives this picture a winning surplus of pure heart and appeal; they receive sturdy support from Isela Vega as Barbarosa's lusty estranged wife Josephina, Gilbert Roland as the vengeful Don Braulio, Danny De La Paz as the angry and relentless Eduardo, George Voskovec as the vindictive Herman Pahmeyer, Alma Martinez as the sweet Juanita, and Luis Contreras as slimy bandito Angel. Both Ian Baker's crisp widescreen cinematography and Bruce Smeaton's harmonic score are up to par. A real sleeper.

radnar123 Has anyone but my wife and myself seen this film with at least one or more extra scenes. When Eduardo returns home and tells Don Braulio that Barbarosa is dead, the Don gets up and slaps Eduardo and yells at him. This scene, which I saw maybe twice but probably only once, just makes so much more sense to me than the normal one that it blows my mind that it was cut. Please someone tell me that I'm not crazy that the scene really did exist and why only the cut version is shown. By the way, in my opinion this is not only one of the finest westerns that I have ever seen, but one of the best movies of all time. I am currently a projectionist and I have seen many a film. I also used to be a counselor at a facility for youthful offenders and used many lines of dialog from Barbarosa to help my residents get over some problems they were having. Also simply plot elements. The film is a classic and deserves much more recognition than it has had. "If you're waiting on me, you're wastin time."

ragreen259 First, I have to say, the very first person to review this movie on IMDb apparently is only attracted to violence in movies, and doesn't want to try to actually see the story line. More explosions! More dead people, and they need to be literally blown apart! Death! Fire! Without it, all movies suck! I notice that everyone else pretty much says the exact opposite. Odd, how at a later date, every review has an "unhelpful" flag next to it.The story woven in Barbarosa is an excellent one, and no one could've pulled off the title role except Willie. The eventual transformation of Karl, from naive farm boy on the run into Barbarosa himself, is astonishing, everything from the way he looks to the way he sounds. Rancho life is authentically depicted, as is the West Texas farm life of the period... and the "eye for an eye" mentality of the people involved, and it's tragic consequences is a lesson hidden away in the storyline, almost as an afterthought. The photography is incredible, and at times the music is is almost overwhelming. "...you ain't got enough ass in your britches to kill Barbarosa..."See it.

bastillee To my mind, this is the best western ever made. Willie Nelson and Gary Busey were born to play these parts. I have always loved Willie Nelson's music, and now there is another side of him that I can admire. As for Busey, I will forever love him just for having made this film. There is a sadness to the film but the ending is so uplifting. It is clear that the Zavalas need Barbarosa as much as he needs them. I saw Barbarosa during its original release and have been in love with it ever since. Even though I have Barbarosa on tape, I watch this movie whenever it is on TV. The soundtrack is fabulous and I wish it were available in the stores. Thumbs up for Barbarosa!