伊莱亚.卡赞导演的传记电影杰作,由文学名家约翰.史坦培克执笔编写剧本。马龙.白兰度扮演主人翁——墨西哥革命领袖埃米利.亚诺萨巴达。萨巴达原是贫穷的农夫,因为受不了暴君迪亚斯对他们的剥削,因此跟他的兄弟欧费米奥(安东尼.奎因饰)领导农民起来抗争,渐从警方追捕的不法之徒变成反抗暴政的英雄。本片以有力的写实笔重塑墨西哥革命的历史,同时也拍出了主人翁犹富争议性的一生,主要演员均演出精彩,令观众看得相当亢奋。In 1909, Emiliano Zapata, a well-born but penniless Mexican Mestizo from the southern state of Morelos, comes to Mexico City to complain that their arable land has been enclosed, leaving them only in the barren hills. His expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the President Diaz puts him in danger, and when he rashly rescues a prisoner from the local militia he becomes an outlaw. Urged on by a strolling intellectual, Fernando, he supports the exiled Don Francisco Madero against Diaz, and becomes the leader of his forces in the South as Francisco 'Pancho' Villa is in the North. Diaz flees, and Madero takes his place; but he is a puppet president, in the hands of the leader of the army, Huerta, who has him assassinated when he tries to express solidarity for the men who fought for him. Zapata and Villa return to arms, and, successful in victory, seek to find a leader for the country. Unwillingly, Zapata takes the job, but, a while later, he responds to some petitioners from his own village with no more reassurance than had Diaz years before. Realizing that with power his idealism has gone, he returns with them to Morelos - specifically to investigate their complaints against his brother Eufemio. New leaders take his place, and, egged on by the always surviving Fernando, they decide that Zapata is a threat to their regime.