Five Man Army, The

Where this army leads, action fans -- especially Spaghetti Western fans -- will want to follow. Set during the Mexican Revolution, The Five Man Army is a niftily executed tale of mercenaries who, on behalf of rebel forces, take on a mission to rob a trainload of gold. Make that a suicide mission, because this train is heavily armored; armed with troops, cannon and machine guns, and traveling a route guarded by more soldiers. Peter Graves, then known for his role as mastermind Jim Phelps in TV's Mission: Impossible, faces another odds-defying task as the Dutchman, leader of a handpicked commando squad consisting of a strongman, an explosives expert, a circus acrobat and a Samurai swordsman. Famed composer Ennio Morricone's throbbing score amplifies the action of this ready-to-be-rediscovered film that, writes The New York Times's Vincent Canby, is "for anybody who enjoys lean, taut suspense with no fiddling around." All aboard!

• drama
• western