The Big Gundown

Wow, this jaded viewer has finally been convinced that there's a spaghetti western out there to match Leone's in craft. The Big Gundown is a beautiful and florid movie that has a protean narrative, playing with sympathies, exploring sexuality and eroticism, being downrightly philosophical at times, and always fun. There's a scene in Robert Bresson's movie Lancelot du Lac, a movie where you mostly see big-headed though slightly vague and navel-gazing Arthurian knights, where one peasant prophesises to another that, "He whose footfalls precede him will die within a year." "Even if they're his horse's steps?" "Even then. he whose footsteps proceed him shall die within a year". It's a moment's contrast that illuminates the whole movie. Remarkable strange to see that sort of moment pop up in a spag. There's a scene where Corbett enters a bordello to question a prostitute, he barges into the place, and a ponchoed local moves to the side and around him, without anger, like one of these ephemeral shoal fish, flashing out of the way of a tuna. The next guy in the room looks at him with the same sort of understanding, in the manner of a person who treads softly. The meek shell inherit the earth. It's a film that's often boldly homoerotic, with guns very much positioned in as phallic a manner as possible, and a suggestive shot of three bullets superimposed on three men's groins. The "thorn" scene between Cuchilio and Corbett heightens this impression quite a bit and the men never seem quite at home with women. It has a similar sort of mythic feel to it that is often commented on with Leone. There's this weird predestination that sees protagonist and antagonist separate and meet up in the most unlikely of manners. It's one of the most surreal movies I've seen for a while, particularly the part where the bull wrangling takes place, eroticism incarnated, made all the more weird because it positively looks like the grass has been painted green. The only thing that I felt it lacked was a score that matched those of the second two "Dollars" movies. It was Morricone again, good, but not the same deal.

Lumpy and uneven production hurt an interesting story. It's a shame that this isn't better but if you consider the conditions films like this were made under it's a good job. Van Clief does a variation of his role in "For A Few Dollars More" and succeeds. He carries the film, without him the movie would probably be unwatchable. Milan is his usual "poor everyman" but is less assured in the role. His character seems to be aimed at defiant 14 year old boys which is at odds with the more adult themes the film is based on. The cinematography ranges from very good to harsh. The music is a Morriccone classic but is crudely edited during the course of the film. THe final showdown is strange as there are really two showdowns. The dubbing is passable but doesn't help. Not counting the Leone films this is a top level Italian Western.

What I liked about this film was its music (Morricone) and Lee Van Cleef being in it - I don't find much else to recommend it for except perhaps Neves Navarro as the widow. The plot is along familiar lines but there is far too much bad dialogue and not enough action to sustain interest - even Van Cleef sometimes fails to shine due to some awful lines. Worth seeing for the score and if you like Lee Van Cleef.

Unofficial lawman John Corbett (Lee VanCleef) hunts down Cuchillo Sanchez (Tomas Milian), a Mexican peasant accused of raping and killing a 12-year-old girl. "The Big Gundown" hit American theaters thanks to the success of Sergio Leone's Clint Eastwood films. Despite being made before "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", it was that film's power that attracted people to "Gundown" and star Lee VanCleef. Unfortunately, the folks at Columbia did not give the film the respect it deserved and tried to pass it off as a film starring "Mr. Ugly" (who was actually Eli Wallach, not VanCleef, showing how little they cared). Ennio Morricone, the biggest name in Italian composing, provides the score and it is among his best work. Actor Milian was actually Cuban, not Mexican, but he filled the role as well as anyone could (and starred in two more Sergio Sollima westerns in 1967 and 1968). Through Grindhouse releasing, the film is now available on DVD and Blu-ray, completely uncut, looking sharp and sounding great. There are interviews with Sollima and Milian, as well as a complete commentary from Western authority C. Courtney Joyner. If the film itself were not enough, the booklet has a few essays and a bonus CD contains Morricone's entire soundtrack.

I thought this film was excellent. It was better than the Leone Spaghetti Westerns in that the characters felt more real -- it is not just that they have friends and family but that they fit into a social structure. The Mexican peasant, Cuchillo, is presented as more than some 'cartoon' who could only choose between being a bandit or a priest in the manner that Tuco was portrayed in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Jonathan Corbett is not just an enigmatic hunter of outlaws, but a many-sided character who even has political aspirations. Further, the acting is very good. Lee Van Cleef, as usual, is magnificent. He portrays Jonathan Corbett not only as a smart man, but a humane man. The peasant, Cuchillo, could very easily have been played as some Guevara-clone, but Tomas Milian brought him to life. The only part with which I have some minor quibble, oddly enough, is the music. I realise it is by Morricone and while the score is good, it sounds a bit too much like the one for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly in some places. It lacks the originality that one expects from a Morricone score.

A very entertaining although not always coherent spaghetti western. Lee Van Cleef is hired by railroad baron Walter Barnes to track down accused rapist/murder Tomas Milian. Milian proves to be far more elusive than anyone could imagine. Director Sergio Sollima makes great use of the wide open spaces as Van Cleef and Milian play an almost comical game of cat and mouse. Van Cleef is stolid, cracking only the occasional smile and Milian is just plain crazy. The supporting cast includes creepy Gérard Herter as Barnes's Austrian "bodyguard," complete with black cape & monocle. The score by Ennio Morricone is masterful and cinematography by Carlo Carlini is at times stunning. The movies definitely suffers from some sloppy editing, but it's still a lot of fun.

Retired sheriff is persuaded by a politician to come back and hunt down a Mexican who has raped and murdered a twelve year old girl but he slowly realises the Mexican has been framed to cover up the real murderer. Good, stylish spaghetti western,this is the longer uncut version of the film and not the hacked up Amercian version that lost nearly twenty minutes of footage.This has a rather slow start and develops into a chase movie in a kind of western version of "the fugitive".Lee Van Cleef is his usual dependable self and the Ennio Morricone soundtrack is good although i'm not sure about the screeching title song!Film is good and satisfies overall.

This is absolutely one of the best so-called spaghetti westerns ever, after Sergio Leone's films of course, and it rates very highly among all westerns. Unlike many other non-Sergio Leone westerns, the cinematography, camera-work, etc., are all very good and some scenes are very artistic and even worthy of Leone himself. Lee van Cleef is excellent as the pseudo-lawman/bounty hunter with integrity who believes in "justice" and "progress" for society. Ennio Morricone, as usual, provides a great score for the film. The song is rousing, while the music for the chase scenes is excellent. Morricone also does a folk-music/square dance version of the theme for the wedding party, which is a neat touch. The story is interesting and well-developed, as well. In its full-length version, it is in fact somewhat deep, with van Cleef's Corbett being a fairly complex character who undergoes a significant character development in the course of the film. In the abridged American version, unfortunately, he is shown as simply bounty hunter who mercilessly kills all before him in cold blood, who never bats an eye at his job, making his character two-dimensional and making the end more flat, more perfunctory, and less convincing or meaningful. In the full-length version, though, he cares about justice, gives outlaws a choice (and a chance), and there is significant development on how he becomes so obsessed with finding Cuchillo that he crosses the boundary between justice and personal obsession. He then re-examines himself and the events in which he finds himself to come to a significant realisation near the end.

I listened to the theme song on YouTube numerous times and I already watched and enjoyed the sequel "Run, Man, Run"; so it was about time for me to watch the one and only "The Big Gundown". Everybody is always talking about the spaghetti westerns directed by Sergio Leone, and particularly the Dollar-trilogy, and even though I'm the very first person to admit his films truly are genius, there were so many over- talented Italian directors making great westerns around that same time and nobody ever mentions their work. Sergio Sollima's "The Big Gundown", for example, which came out during the same year as "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and even shares the same protagonist with Lee Van Cleef, is also a truly stellar and prime example of the spaghetti western genre. The film has a great cast, a stupendous Morricone soundtrack, an arousing plot outline, an intelligent script and numerous moments of great action & adrenalin, but apparently that's still not enough to qualify as an internationally acclaimed classic. Oh well, who cares, at least there's a handful of Italian cinema freaks out there (including Quentin Tarantino) that acknowledge and appreciate the smaller diamonds in the rough. I was fortunate enough to watch the fully uncut 107 minutes version, which features bits and pieces with original Italian sound edited into the American dubbed version. It's occasionally a bit peculiar to hear the sound switch and watch the colors fading, but the film makes much more sense with the cut bits into it. "The Big Gundown" has a very simple and rudimentary plot, but the elaboration is terrific and the chemistry between the two lead players – serious autonomous Lee Van Cleef and playful daredevil Tomas Milian – is sublime. Jonathan Corbett (Van Cleef) is a practically unbeatable Colorado lawman turned bounty hunter, and because of his prestige and honorable position, his friends are even suggesting him to run for congressman. Corbett then volunteers to bring Cuchillo Sanchez to justice; a Mexican immigrant and petty criminal who's now accused of raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl. Cuchillo is heading for Mexico and Corbett has to arrest him before he crosses the border. Cuchillo is a sly fox, however, and always manages to escape just in time. Meanwhile, Corbett increasingly grows uncertain whether he's even chasing the real culprit. "The Big Gundown" is literally full of memorable and notably brilliant sequences that are exemplary bits of great scriptwriting. Cuchillo's escape in the middle of the desert, for example, with just the help of a cactus and an innocent snake, is truly ingenious and clever. There are many more highlights in the film as well, like the escape from a ramshackle Mexican prison, the shootout between Van Cleef and a bunch of obnoxious simple-minded Texan cattle farmers and the virulent climax with not one but two duel showdowns! The soundtrack is legendary, with musical bits of Morricone genius like "The Verdict" and "The Surrender". The direction by Sergio Sollima – also responsible for the great "Violent City" and "Revolver" – is taut and professional, while Van Cleef and especially Milian deliver dazzling performances. This is Italian film-making at its finest.

This is the original installment from Cuchillo trilogy and again an awesome Tomas Milian . This is the first part from Sergio Sollima trilogy, starred by Tomas Milian, as the roguish Cuchillo and formed by ¨Face to face¨ with Gian Maria Volonte and ¨Run Cuchillo run ¨ with Donald O'Brien and this one . It deals with Jonathan Corbett , a real-life character well played by Lee Van Cleef , who pursues a Mexican bandit accused of rape and murder . The solitary , self-reliant Corbett tracks down Cuchillo who is wrongly accused of killing . The relentless chase is set against strong environment , risked mountains and hazardous trails. Later on , the dangerous pursuit includes a motley posse formed by Walter Barnes, Angel Del Pozo , Gerard Herter , among others . Now as absolute starring Tomas Milian , nicknamed Cuchillo , and supported by Lee Van Cleef as an obstinate pursuer . It will be a long and dangerous pursuit with continuous getaways . It's set during early Mexican revolution with Benito Juarez ruling . And the Cuban Thomas Milian, as usual, puts faces, grimaces, crying and overacting, but plays splendidly. This Zapata-Western is superior than subsequent entries because it displays stirring adventures, shootouts, riding pursuits and is pretty amusing. It's an exciting S. W. with breathtaking showdown between the protagonists Lee Van Cleef , Tomas Milian and the nasty enemies as Walter Barnes and his hoodlums as Angel Del Pozo and the German officer Gerard Herter . Tomas Milian is very fine, he ravages the screen, he jumps, hit and run , besides receiving violent punches, kicks and wounds . Gerard Herter playing a cruelly baddie role as Prussian baron with monocle is terrific , subsequently the would play similar role in other Spaghettis . Furthermore, it appears usual secondaries of Italian/Spanish Western as the femme fatal Nieves Navarro or Susan Scott as a black widow , in addition a lot of familiar paella faces as Robert Camardiel ,Lorenzo Robledo, Luis Barboo , Fernando Bilbao, Barta Barry , Frank Braña and , of course, Fernando Sancho in his ordinary role as a bully Mexican . The film blends violence, blood, tension , high body-count and it's fast moving and quite entertaining. There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing shootouts or stunts every few minutes. There are many fine technicians and nice assistant direction and excellent production design by Carlo Simi , Sergio Leone's usual , he creates a magnificent scenario with barren outdoors, dirty landscapes under a glimmer sun and a fine set on the final scenes . As always , the musician Ennio Morricone, composes a nice Spaghetti soundtrack and well conducted ; it's full of guttural sounds and emotive score . Interior filmed at Elios Studios and outdoor sequences filmed at Tabernas , Cinecitta Studios , Rome and of course Almeria, Spain. Sergio Sollima's direction is well crafted, here he's less cynical and humorous and more inclined toward violence and too much action. Colorful and evocative cinematography by Carlo Carlini , reflecting marvelously the habitual Almeria outdoors . The picture was well directed by Sollima , it would be his last Western and following directing successes such as Pirate films as ¨ Sandokan ¨ and the ¨Black Corsario¨ . Rating : Better than average Western . Essential and indispensable watching for Spaghetti Western aficionados .