Il ritorno di Clint il solitario

Unless of course you want to see something like this. "Return Of Clint The Stranger" tries to combine these two sub-genres in one movie. Instead it actually combines problems that have plagued both genres and in the end what we get is a half-baked unpolished film mixed with the already over-used "American dream" type story.

"Return Of Clint The Stranger" is a story about a man named Clint whom after avenging the death of his brother and sister-in-law is forced to leave his family and go into hiding. He returns 5 five years later to them in the hopes that he can once again be accepted. Of course no story is complete without the villains and here we have them in the form of a greedy banker who is trying to drive Clint's family off their own lands.

I can almost guess what director Alfonso Balcázar was trying to do. He wanted to deviate from the established persona of the Italian western. He was trying to give this movie a bigger sense of depth, by adding more developed characters. The problem is, they are not particularly interesting in fact they are annoying clichés of the same characters you might see on any of the pre-Leone era American western. Clint himself is a very uncharismatic protagonist. We see that through his actions when he is trying to protect his family. At one point he tries bribing several of the henchman hired by the banker, but instead he gets hit in the head and they steal his money. He also unknowingly helps in causing the death of one his son's friends. And while some of these faults could have helped creating a more complex, filled with guilt character Balcázar fails to tap on them. Instead he continues to present the story in a monotonous way, Clint shows no visible regret of his actions and remains in the same passive mood. The entire story is mash of ideas that lack a proper realization. Klaus Kinsky's character for example could have been more strongly implemented into the plot instead of just throwing him this shallow role of a bounty hunter. The story's conclusion wasn't particularly memorable, the showdown between Clint and the banker's men wasn't all to great lacking the ingenuity of the better Italian westerns.

This movie can't brag about production values either. It's cheap, sleazy and while that could be forgiven in most westerns of the genre simply because they aim to entertain, here it helps to booster every other weak point in the film. This tried to be something more than pure entertainment. Tried and failed. I will pass on commenting on the acting simply because the version I watched was dubbed in Bulgarian. The music is a total lackluster, it lacks the punch of some of Morricone's earlier work and there is no doubt he did the score only for the money.

"Return Of Clint The Stranger" is not a good movie. It tries to add something new and fresh to the genre but it fails. It fails so much that it becomes hardly watchable on any standard.

Il Ritorno di Clint is a mediocre western, George Martin ain't so charismatic but you get to see Kinski in a part that is mirroring his Loco arch-character of Il Grande Silenzio. Long blonde hair and coolness of a bounty hunter that is not evil incarnate but helps our hero. A typical vengeance western and I liked to think that this is the Kinski from Silenzio trying to be more human now, as he is out of the white hell. The Morricone contribution is by the numbers, as he did three tons of music those years. As for the alternate title, the movie was sold of course as one of the Trinity and Ringo series, like Django, they have nothing to so with anything in between. I have not seen the original (from which you have flashbacks), the other comment is right, Kinski and Morricone are the two reasons to see this film,though Martin (who also directs) is quite cool too. There are similarities with High Plain Drifter, not only the character's name with that of the star of the above mentioned.

(1973) There's A Noose Is Waiting for You... Trinity!/ Il ritorno di Clint il solitario (The Return of Clint the Solitary)/ The Return of Clint the Stranger DUBBED SPAGHETTI WESTERN

Co-produced, co-written and directed by Alfonso Balcázar directing a Trinity movie that is not related to the other Trinity movies that starred Terence Hill. As a matter of fact, the star's original name is supposed to be named Clint, and is supposed to be a sequel from a previous film called "Clint the Stranger" from 1967, and that the reason for the possible name change for the English dubbed version is to draw viewers to check this out! Otherwise, hardly anyone would have seen this. There is "no" comedy at all, but more of a serious retribution type of movie that consists of inspirations from "For a Few Dollars More". It has Trinity (George Martin) avenging to execute the outlaw who killed his brother. Shown in flashbacks how he was killed that is similar to the flashback in "For a Few Dollars More" with the difference is that it was the Lee Van Cleef avenging his sister. In this one, Trinity's brother gets shot and killed, while the killer went about to assaulting the brother's wife. After he finishes his mission, he then makes the decision to return to his family. Except that Trinity is also a wanted felon with a bounty on his head for breaking out of prison, we find out convicted and sentenced to hang-hence the title, from a corrupt judge and from a corrupt family name called "The Murdocks". He then shoots three people who recognize him, before he heads toward trying to make amends with his wife, Norma (Marina Malfatti) again after being away more than six years.

And just as he was leaving town, a bounty hunter, Scott (Klaus Kinski) was just coming in. Hauling another one of his kills to collect his reward from the sheriff. And as he was leaving, the sheriff then informs him about another bounty of $5,000 if he is brought in alive. Except that Scott does not actually know what he looked like as their is no poster around to show what he looked like. And after asking around, it was then suggested for him to check out another town nearby, except that by the time Scott finally showed up, Trinity had already changed his name for him to be called Joe. Making a promise to his wife, Norma to let him stay considering he won't use his gun anymore no matter how bad the situations are going to be. Leading to predictable results of allowing many good people killed until he is pushed over the edge that consists of a similar set up to a Bruce Lee movie "Fists of Fury" aka "The Big Boss" .

When his brother is killed in cold blood on his wedding night, "Trinity" (George Martin) leaves his own wife and children to track down and kill the man responsible. After establishing a reputation for being a deadly gunman, he then returns several years later to his family--only to discover that neither his wife "Norma Harrison" (Marina Malfatti) nor his son "Jimmy Harrison" (Augusto Pescarini) want him back in their lives. However, he eventually works out a deal with his wife to be allowed to work on the farm and sleep in the barn with the solemn promise not to pick up a gun ever again. Unfortunately, there is a price on his head and a notorious bounty hunter named "Scott" (Klaus Kinski) wants to collect it. Complicating matters even more are some hooligans in town who want to take over all of the nearby ranches and are only too willing to resort to murder and blackmail to get what they want. Now rather than reveal any more of the story and risk spoiling the movie for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this turned out to a pretty good "Spaghetti Western". I especially liked the performance of George Martin and the way the internal conflicts were displayed. In any case I rate this film as above average and recommend it to those who might enjoy a movie of this type.

Alfonso Balcázar's "Il Ritorno Di Clint Il Solitario" aka. "The Return Of Clint The Stranger" is a Spaghetti Western that is mediocre at best, with a storyline that is normally found in American 'Good Guys vs. Bad Guys' Westerns. The movie is, however, saved by two geniuses: Klaus Kinski, who once again delivers a great performance in an excellent role (the only great role in this, otherwise below average film), and Ennio Morricone who delivers the score. The score is far from one of Morricone's strokes of genius, basically one of the scores where you know Morricone just did them for the money and didn't invest too much time, but it is still capable of partially saving the movie and making it a lot better. This movie's highlight, however, is the bounty hunter character played by the brilliant Kinski, who is basically the only typical Spaghetti Western character in this.

The main character of Clint, played by George Martin, is basically a typical 'good guy' who wants to return to family life after five years of fleeing the law. Five years after killing his brother's murderer, Clint comes back to his hometown, which he finds terrorized by a gang of unscrupulous criminals who want to steal the land from poor local farmers. Furthermore, a mysterious bounty hunter named Scott (Kinski) has been following Clint for the reward on his head.

This movie's storyline is not too original, and the performances are not too impressive either. George Martin may fit in his role, and his leading performance is not necessarily bad, but he is not very charismatic, and his character is far away from the antihero characters my fellow Spaghetti Western fans love. Klaus Kinski's character, on the other hand, is the only true Spaghetti Western character in this, and what a Spaghetti Western character he is. Seeing Kinski play a cynical, long-haired, cigar-smoking bounty hunter in a poncho is a true highlight of this movie, and probably the only aspect which really makes "The Return Of Clint The Stranger" worth watching. This particular role, however, is such a great aspect, that I recommend it for every fan of Spaghetti Westerns, even if just for this role and nothing else.

All in all, "Il Ritorno Di Clint Il Solitario" is a Spaghetti Western that would be rather unsatisfying, if it wasn't for Morricone's score and, mainly, for the great Klaus Kinski and the great role he plays. Therefore it is certainly worth watching. 5/10