Tiempo de morir

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Tiempo de Morir (Time to Die) is a 1966 Mexican Western directed by Arturo Ripstein, with a screenplay by Gabriel García Márquez and Carlos Fuentes in their first film collaboration. The movie stars Marga López and Jorge Martínez de Hoyos.

Plot
Juan Sayago returns home after 18 years in prison for killing a man named Trueba. Trueba’s son Julián wants to duel Sayago to avenge his father, while Julián’s brother Pedro grows doubtful about the honor code after meeting Sayago. Pedro learns from Julián’s fiancée’s father that Trueba provoked Sayago, forcing him to kill to keep his honor. Julián refuses to accept this and continues to torment Sayago, eventually forcing a showdown. Sayago kills Julián, and Pedro is then compelled to kill Sayago.

Style and reception
The film is shot in stark black-and-white with careful, often tense camera work. It’s praised as a smart, dark meditation on honor and violence, not a typical shoot-’em-up Western. Critics from The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Reader, and The Village Voice called it powerful and stylish. Rotten Tomatoes lists it with high praise (based on a small number of reviews).

Awards
In 1967, Tiempo de Morir won Best Film (Mejor Película) from the Mexican Cinema Journalists.

Details
Language: Spanish
Running time: 90 minutes
Country: Mexico
Release: August 11, 1966