I was intrigued by the idea that revolutionary Pancho Villa appeared in one of the world's first docu-dramas, but not much was done with the idea. This movie could have been a satire of Hollywood's version of the truth or it could have brought Pancho Villa to life, but the movie does a little of one, a little of the other, but suffers from insisting on focusing on Thayer. Thayer comes across as too nice to fill the role of villain in a satire and too intelligent to play the role of a dupe, and he only sees Villa from the outside, unable to bring any insight to the character. There are interesting moments scattered here and there throughout the movie, and while it's bland it's watchable, I guess, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Although I will say, Alan Arkin was terrific in a small but colorful role.
Review of And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself
