Manco

This Italian documentary is a sentimental journey by director Gianfranco Pannone to find the character actors of his favorite Italian westerns of the 1960s and 70s. Pannone tracks down character actor and stuntman William Bogart (Guglielmo Spoletini) to relive the Italian Western days. Bogart introduces him to several of his old pals, former stuntmen and character actors of the genre. They all tell him of the days they played cowboys on the silver screen and spent the money earned on wine, women and fast cars. A trip to several of the main studios of the day and what is left of them in 1998 plus several shooting locations highlight this nostalgic journey for anyone interested in the genre.

This is not a western, this is a dramatic love story set in the Old West. If you think Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time In The West" is slow and artsy you won't enjoy this film because it is even slower and more artistic. Good performances by Caan and Bujold can't help speed the pace of this drawn out love story. The only action takes place in the first 20 minutes of the film. The rest is pure love story which is okay but we've seen it all before in Lelouch's "A Man and a Woman."

Character actor Eli Wallach is the real treat here as he carries his Tuco role from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" over to "Ace High." This is a pre-Trinity pairing of Spencer, Hill and most of the fun and hilarity is carried on the able shoulders of Eli Wallach, who is more than up for the assignment. Wallach steals every scene he's in and this only means total enjoyment for the viewer. A must see for all western fans!