La resa dei conti

This film is often referred to as "the best non-Leone spaghetti western." That may very well be true. For me, it's difficult to decide because there are a couple of others that I like about as much as this one. This movie is brilliant. It has everything that makes the spaghetti western such a great film genre.

The music score is a masterpiece. It is one of Morricone's best. The title song sends shivers up my spine. I love the voice, the melody, and the lyrics. It is absolutely unforgettable. The melody of the theme song keeps on recurring, but in totally different ways, each one unique and wonderful, sometimes haunting, sometimes playful, and sometimes serious. There are parts where the music is choreographed with the action on the screen in a way very reminiscent of the Leone westerns. Cuchillo's run through the cane fields is driven by the corresponding music, making the music and the action inseparable. The musical accompaniments to the gunfights near the end of the film are operatic, suspenseful, and appropriately grandiose. This score is not background music. It is a dominating force in this movie, and could even be considered the most important part of the film. Ennio Morricone may very well be the biggest "star" of the spaghetti western genre, even though he never physically appeared in a single one of the films!

Director Sergio Sollima uses politics and social commentary not only to get a message across, but also to make us relate to and sympathize with some of the characters, and to despise some of the others. He also throws in some great strange, eccentric, and over the top characters (no spaghetti western is complete without em). You just gotta love the lady ranch owner and her lovesick ranch hands, and the nazi-like Baron Von Schulenberg with his monocle and Dracula cape. That baron really gets on Lee Van Cleef's nerves, and Van Cleef has a couple of great smart-ass remarks for him. This is classic stuff all the way.

Lee Van Cleef is perfect for the role of Corbett. This is classic Van Cleef, playing the cool, confident, unflinching bounty hunter type. Sollima definitely picked the best possible actor for the role. The same can be said for his choice of Tomas Milian for the role of Cuchillo. Milian plays the part of a man that is being hunted like an animal. He sometimes has to act and think like an animal would to stay one step ahead of his predators. Milian conveys this very well. I can't imagine anyone else in this role.

See this movie! And if you are a spaghetti western fan, you need to have it, so find it and add it to your collection!

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.

What I liked about this film was an intriguing storyline, superb music by Ennio Morricone and Lee Van Cleef. The action scenes are almost on a par with Leone's films and Van Cleef is top-notch (more convincing as a 'good guy').

After watching my tape of this film, I found out that it was a (badly-cut-by-Columbia) 84 min version. This would explain some confusing sections of the dialogue/narrative.

I'm told that the fuller versions (there is one of 114 min) are superior. Let's hope this film gets a decent treatment on DVD (hello Sony-Columbia) - it certainly deserves it more than most.

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 .

In this Italian spaghetti western from director Sergio Sollima, Lee Van Cleef stars as "Colorado" Corbett, a feared bounty hunter looking to hang up his guns. He's convinced by rich fat-cat Brockston (Walter Barnes) to go on one more manhunt, and in exchange he'll be rewarded with backing for a potential political career. Corbett's quarry is a Mexican known as "Cuchillo" (Tomas Milian), who's accused of sexual assault and murder. What Corbett believes will be an easy takedown turns ever more complicated and dangerous. Also featuring Nieves Navarro, Gerard Herter, Maria Granada, Roberto Camardiel, and Angel del Pozo.

This has the usual over-blown sound effects and striking musical score (courtesy of Ennio Morricone) that I love in spaghetti westerns. The story doesn't hold a lot of surprises, but fans of the spaghetti sub-genre should dig it.

I try to avoid promoting individual products, but in this case of the Grindhouse Releasing Blu-ray, it is a fantastic release featuring the remastered American cut on both Blu-ray and DVD, the original Italian version on Blu-ray, and a CD of the soundtrack. The film discs also include commentary tracks and interviews with cast and crew.