Nitro Video Rating:
PURCHASE THE DVD: And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003)

Pancho Villa has been called a revolutionary hero. He's also been called a murderer, bandit, and outlaw, but perhaps another label also applied: con man. This 2003 quasi-documentary by HBO purports to tell the (kinda) true story of Villa's alliance with the 1920's silent film industry, an alliance which helped Villa finance his revolution against the leaders of Mexico. It undoubted contains a lot of fiction, but the basic facts are true, because in fact famed Producer D. W. Griffith did indeed stage-manage and produce films of actual battles that Villa and his men participated in.

As the film makers follow Villa in his battles, events are staged and battles fought during the daytime (when the light is good), in order to allow filming. Villa is glamorized and in return receives money to fight his war.

Not a bad docu-drama, although draggy in parts. How much of this is true is questionable, because although the making of the film did indeed happen, the film itself has been lost so there isn't much factual evidence around to support the events in the movie.

This movie was capped on request, for B.C., a Alexa Davalos fan. She didn't show much in this, but she still looks great.