Valdez Is Coming is a Western film based on a novel by Elmore Leonard. The movie is set in the late 19th century and stars Burt Lancaster as Bob Valdez, the sheriff of a small Mexican-American town. When a group of racist ranchers led by wealthy landowner Frank Tanner (played by Jon Cypher) unlawfully execute an innocent black man and fail to offer any compensation to his pregnant Indian widow, Valdez takes it upon himself to seek justice.
Valdez initially tries to negotiate a fair settlement with Tanner, but he is met with hostility and violence. Eventually, Valdez realizes that the only way to get Tanner to pay what is owed is through force. He gathers an unlikely group of misfits (including a former Confederate soldier and a retired but still formidable Apache warrior) to help him take on Tanner and his men.
The ensuing violence is brutal, but Valdez remains focused on his mission to bring justice to the widow and hold those responsible for the murder accountable. Along the way, he confronts his own prejudices and biases, particularly against the Apaches, as he learns more about the people he had previously misjudged.
Valdez Is Coming received critical acclaim for its complex characters, nuanced exploration of race relations, and unapologetic portrayal of violence. It also helped to further popularize the Western genre in the 1970s.