Blindman

Not quite as great as the Spaghetti Western classics directed by Sergio Leone or Sergio Corbucci, but "Blindman" definitely ranks among the most entertaining and creatively plotted efforts in the genre. Blindman is pretty much the western equivalent of the legendary Japanese Zatôichi character. The latter is an incredibly precise & lethal blind Samurai swordsman and the former shoots surprisingly straight despite his visual handicap. Blindman has a contract to escort no less than fifty gorgeous women to their future husbands working in Texan mines, but even at the beginning of the film already he has lost them. Blindman's partner double-crossed him and sold the women to the feared Mexican bandit-brothers Domingo and Candy. Blindman and his super-intelligent horse have no choice but to go to Mexico and regain the women single-handedly. Fernando Baldi's "Blindman" isn't as violent or nasty as most of the contemporary Spaghetti Westerns (with the notable exception of a couple of scenes) but mainly attracts attention with its situational humor and the clichéd (yet funny) character drawings. For example, Blindman doesn't immediately notice when his women have been replaced with fifty old and terribly unattractive ladies and the film ends exactly like it begun; with our hero chasing the women that once again have been stolen from him. Tony Anthony plays a terrific Blindman. He's charismatic yet inconspicuous and his laughter is very contagious. Speaking of wild laughter, the Raf Baldassarre joyfully overacts as the Mexican General and the most impressive supportive role is for Beatles drummer Ringo Starr as one of the malicious brothers. Stelvio Cipriani's musical score is terrific and remains stuck in your head long after finishing the film. The music is always one of the main reasons to watch Spaghetti Westerns, as well as the usually striking widescreen cinematography. This semi-classic too contains a lot of masterful shots and enchanting landscapes. Recommended!

"I want my fifty women!" "Blindman", a unique Spaghetti Western full of sarcasm, has one of the genre's most bizarre story lines. Clearly inspired by the Japanese "Zatôichi" films about the eponymous blind Samurai (played by Shintarô Katsu"), "Blindman" is about a blind gunman who escorts a group of fifty women to Texas, where they are to be married to miners. But he is cheated and the fifty young women are kidnapped by a gang working for two Mexican pimps/bandidos and their beautiful but villainous sister. They underestimate Blindman, a man who has to trust on his horse and his hearing, and soon have to find out that their handicapped opponent is a deadlier challenge than they might have expected. Tony Anthony is unforgettable as the blind gunman, staring into nonentity and demanding his fifty women back. The locations are great, the supporting cast includes Ringo Starr, as the younger of the two villainous brothers. Not very well known, but full of dark humor and action, Blindman, a Spaghetti Western with a very good soundtrack, is one of the genre's little treasures. Brutal, witty, bizarre, unique! Great fun film!

It's not the first and it won't be the last spaghetti western that sees a purely iconic anti-hero roaming the sierras of Almeria in search of loot, money or treasure of one kind or the other. But it's the first and probably the last time that such a loot will have feminists and other PC characters foaming so furiously in the mouth. The titular Blindman (Tony Anthony) has a contract to deliver 50 women to the workers of a mine in Texas, only he's about to discover his cargo has been stolen by a sardonic baddie named Domingo and is being kept somewhere in Mexico.

If I use the word 'cargo' to describe the 50 hapless women, it's because that's exactly how the movie treats them; as objects to be ravaged, enjoyed or transported as the need arises. They're herded and driven tied in wagons like cattle, washed with buckets of water like animals in a stable and always regarded as a piece of entertainment. Feminists will have a ball of course but Ferdinando Baldi's movie avoids any and all questions of moral and sexist nature by taking a purely cartoonish road. Blindman does not ask the viewer regard it as a serious piece of cinema anymore than it regards itself as such.

After the half-hour mark story becomes largely irrelevant and it's all about the set-piece and the explosive action. It's more or less Blindman trying to get his 50 women while they're being taken from one place to the other – but every five minutes someone is getting shot at or something blows up.

The two most prominent set-pieces among them being first the sight of the fifty women dressed in white nightgowns running scared through the desert while they're being pursued by a dozen savage Mexicans in heat, who proceed to shoot them, tear their clothes and take them right there and then. The other is the closing shootout taking place in a large windswept cemetery that perhaps recalls the ending of DJANGO.

Another interesting angle here is that the connection between the spaghetti western and samurai cinema is furthered by having protagonist Blindman explicitly homage blind masseur swordsman Ichi from the ZATOICHI series, perhaps the single most popular serialized character in Japanese chambara. Blindman is cut from the same mold of solitary badass as Shintaro Katsu's blind swordsman and he shares the same impeccable aim despite his physical shortcoming. But that's something the avid genre fan already knows – the moment Blindman appears on screen we know he's going to kick ass and kick ass he does. He even hefts his Winchester like a two-handed sword and there's a bayonet in the rifle to further resemble the samurai sword.

Your average spaghetti western gunslinger goes in search of gold, probably hidden in a grave somewhere, someplace. Or is hunting down the bad guy that has murdered a member of his family. But not Blindman - "I want my 50 women".

Yes, Blindman has a contract to deliver 50 mail order brides to a group of miners, and unfortunately he has been double-crossed by his partner, who has sold the women on to bandit Domingo.

It is worth noting that Domingo's brother, Candy, is played by none other than former Beatle and Thomas the Tank Engine narrator Ringo Starr. And, surprisingly he plays this role really well (who said he was the least talented Beatle - I couldn't imagine Paul McCartney acting so well. Actually, I know - I saw "Give My Regards to Broadstreet" once!).

The film, with its "mock Morricone" score, charges along comic book style, and is really good fun. The politics are maybe a bit dodgy in places (judging by the number of beatings and mishandling that both the Blindman and his 50 women are subjected too at regular intervals) and you have to question how a blind gunslinger could have survived so long. But maybe it is such points that make this so different from the many other Spaghetti Westerns, and help to make this a really great view.

Ferdinando Baldi's Spaghetti take on the 'Zatoichi' films is one of the most stylish and enjoyable Spaghetti Westerns I've seen. Tony Anthony stars as the titular hero who is after a group of seedy Mexican bandits (one of which is played by...Ringo Starr!) who have kidnapped 50 women that he was supposed to take to some miners in Texas. Loaded with well-directed scenes of violence and gratuitous nudity, 'Blindman' is a must-see. Ha-ha what a knee-slapper!