If "Old Gringo" were to work on the screen at all, it would have worked better on a smaller scale.

Old Gringo as Pancho Villa (1989)

Old Gringo (1989)

But his best performance may be that of the breathtakingly handsome elderly man in "Old Gringo," a film just three years old.

And his image as the romantic hero resonates through "Old Gringo."

Old Gringo, USA, 1989.

That career saw him make such box office duds as "Old Gringo," "Vital Signs" and "Switch."

For Ms. Fonda, the release of "Old Gringo" culminates nearly a decade of effort.

She lost all confidence in her acting in some scenes in "Old Gringo," which was set during revolutionary Mexico in 1913.

In his speech, Mr. Peck referred to the fact that "Old Gringo" was his "first film in six years, if the truth were to be told."