Les Tueurs de l'Ouest

"The Ugly Ones" 1966 1h 35m Original title: El precio de un hombre AKA The Bounty Killer

This is a paella AND a spaghetti western. It was filmed in Spain, produced by Italians, and came in both Spanish and Italian, originally. It was released in the U. S. in 1968. The story is pretty good, but the cinematrography is lacking. The directing stinks. The photography is bad. The camera shots and setups are horrible. And the music is downright annoying in parts. Thomas Milian as the bad guy, Jose, is terrible. Richard Stapley as Luke, the bounty hunter, is actually pretty good and a likeable man. Halina Zalewska as Eden is acceptable, but mediocre.

The plot is shockingly cookie cutter and worn out.

The Bushwacker 12/26/2021.

(1968) The Bounty Killer/ El precio de un hombre / The Ugly Ones DUBBED SPAGHETTI WESTERN

A very blatant beginning, but resonating after awhile. And I guess back on those days, 'aid and abetting' and 'accessory' wasn't considered a crime back then- not on this environment at least. Based on a novel written by Marvin H. Albert of the same name. Starring Richard Wyler as #1 Bounty Killer, Luke Chilson, who at first, is going after two escaped convicts with one of them escaping into a particular little town of a few houses, to give a lady named Eden(Halina Zalewska) a certain message. When it's all said and done, and by the time Luke shows up and leaves this town, he ends up killing one person, while capturing the other. The film then jumps to another felon, by the name of José Gómez (Tomas Milian) with several guards escorting him by wagon coach. And they coincidently stop at the same inn as Eve happens to be eating. Eve who's sitting right across from José then hands him a gun underneath a table, and then leaves. Chaos ensures with many people killed including the inn keeper. After bounty hunter Luke collects his reward from another town, he then hears about José's escape, and already knows where he's heading to without informing authorities about where José is going to show up. By the time he goes back to the small little town, it appears they don't like Luke at all and feel that they know José more than Luke does. But, by the time José shows up, it appears that he's just psychopathic as other people claim him to be, and that the people who were helping him were completely wrong. Much of this movie dwells on this set up. As I was watching this, the hero, Luke reminds me of "The Man With No Name' character created by Sergio Leone, since viewers no absolutely nothing about him except for what does for a living which is that he captures or kills wanted felons for a substantial reward. Had Leone gotten his hands of this script, it would've been an instant ingenious classic, but what we're left with instead is just an interesting premise with a not so interesting action sequences that could've been better.

Escaped outlaw Jose Gomez returns to his home town pursued by bounty killer Luke Chilson. The towns people protect Gomez, unaware, at first, that he is now a changed and dangerous man.

The Ugly ones, based on Marvin H Albert's The Bounty Killer, is an above average Spaghetti western with a good plot, nifty camera work, excellent cast , gritty action and some good atmosphere- the isolated station is well depicted adding to the tension. The protagonist and Antagonist are different as night and day, one is very thorough in his job as a Bounty Hunter, questioning every stranger and the other looks innocent one minute and then giggles when he gets psychotic urges - the premise of town folk thinking that a bandit is just an innocent victim of circumstances is interesting. The finale is quite tense and action-packed.

Using a pistol slipped to him by his sweetheart, bandit Tomas Milian escapes an armed transport before encountering hard-as-nails bounty hunter Richard Wyler in what's left of his nearly deserted hometown, where the people are squarely on his side.

Although there's nothing much new here, there is a hard edge and a dead-serious nature to the proceedings that help make it enjoyable, along with Milian, who gives one of his typically offbeat performances, playing it cool and crazy! I wish I had a nickel for every time he basically played the same guy. Unfortunately though, Wyler is no match in the acting department and appears a little stiff.

In an interesting reversal of what you normally see in western films, the town of basically law abiding people (including spaghetti western star Mario Brega) welcomes the villain and actively aids him against the hero!

This one starts out slow but gets good. It is reportedly Tomas Milian's first western. He turns in one of his best performances as an escaped convict who returns home, where the "bounty killer" of the title lies in wait for him. The townsfolk side with their old friend Milian, only to watch his behavior degenerate into that of the miscreant he's become. Soon his entire gang of freaky looking b**tards (the alternate title is "The Ugly Ones") has trickled into town and the villagers are at their mercy.

This film is the ideological opposite of "The Great Silence" in that everyone hates the bounty hunter, but in the end he turns out to be right. Just the same it's quite entertaining when it gets going and features the best "outlaws terrorizing the townsfolk" sequence of any western I've seen. Rivals the one in the first "Mad Max," which isn't even a western. One of the terrorizing outlaws is the drunk from "Cutthroats Nine." Actually, the cast all around is great, with more than one familiar face. The musical score works well once you get used to it, though it sounds a lot like a cross between a Morricone rip-off and something by that guy who did the "Brady Bunch" music. Eugenio Martin's direction, while it has some slow spots and flaws, shows true inspiration.

All in all, worth seeing for genre fans and a must for those of Tomas Milian.