Bandidos

Like THE PRICE OF POWER (1969), which I watched last September, I only became aware of this obscure Spaghetti Western when it was included in an all-time best poll on the "Spaghetti Westerns Database" website. As it turned out, it's a pretty good example of the genre, though I wouldn't quite place in the top rank. Star Enrico Maria Salerno brings intelligence to the genre - much like Gian Maria Volonte' did in FACE TO FACE (1967). The credits are quite modest, but Egisto Macchi's score is certainly exemplary; interesting characterizations, too, are somewhat nipped in the bud by a mostly unfamiliar cast.

Still, the complex plot keeps one watching: featuring a traveling-show backdrop, it's essentially a revenge saga between old pals; one trains a young gun to eliminate the other, because he can no longer use his smashed hands - but the villain is revealed to be the one man who could clear the mysterious boy of murder! Though the film's tone is generally serious, an anarchist streak surfaces during one scene where Salerno's current protégé is murdered in cold blood by a cowboy in the audience, just for a lark. The climactic shoot-out is somewhat drawn-out, but it's capped by a clever bit involving a mirror.

I watched this via a slightly trimmed German DVD - where one graphic shot to the neck is missing from the main feature but curiously present in the accompanying theatrical trailer!; it also seems to cut off a little too abruptly at the very end.

This is one of those films where the running time flies by because the film you are watching is so good. This Spaghetti Western was directed by the guy who made What Have You Done To Our Daughters, stars the cop from Bird with the Crystal Plumage, so it makes sense that contained within the first scene is a giallo-like clue to what happens later in the film.

You also get a sense straight away that the guy behind the camera knows what he is doing - check out that beautiful tracking shot of all those dead folk lying in and around the train following Venantino Venantini's massacre. The whole film plays out like that.

Yep, this one starts with a train robbery and a massacre, and the only man left alive is, or was, a sharpshooter named Martin. Shot in both hands but left alive for some unknown reason, Martin seeks revenge against those who robbed the train, and for other reasons that aren't explained at this point either. What he finds first is a young potential trainee sharpshooter, but as this film is full of mysteries, he may not be what he seems either.

So, gorgeously filmed, fully of inventive camera-work, great actors in front of the screen, loads of twists and turns. This one has it all and is one of the better Spaghetti Westerns out there (and that's me saying that! I love most of them!). There's plenty of shootouts too and the final duel is very creative, only eclipsed for me by a more emotional shootout a wee bit earlier in the film. Enrico Salerno has a certain aura about him in every film I've seen him in - I can't put my finger on it but he's probably the best thing in this.

This film starts with a classic sequence in which a train is held up by Billy Kane (Venantini) and his bandits. All the passengers are brutally massacred because, as Kane rightly states, if you don't want your face on any reward posters, you don't leave any witnesses. There is one survivor however - Richard Martin (Salerno) - a renowned fast gunslinger who attempts to take on the gang singlehandedly. There is previous history between the gunmen, and to remove the threat Kane shoots and cripples both of Martin's hands, ending his gunslinging days for good.

Years pass, and Martin is now travelling from town to town, hosting a gunslinger show. Fate brings him face to face with escaped convict Ricky Shot (Jenkins) who he takes under his wing, passing on his prowess with a gun, with the aim of using the young hotshot to gain his revenge on Kane. As it happens, Ricky Shot has his own motive for facing Kane, as we find out as the story unfolds.

Bandidos is a classic spaghetti western in the revenge sphere. Whilst the cast features none of the usual spaghetti stalwarts that we know and love, it is well casted, particularly Salerno in the part of Martin. It is also superbly directed by Dallamano, a man better known for his thrillers.

The film contains some superbly tense gunfights, matched with a decent soundtrack. The story is at all times riveting, making Bandidos a highly recommended film for all lovers of Italian westerns, and maybe a few more besides.

I saw this film after reading the good review by Coventry n I am happy to c this film.

I admire Coventry's knowledge of films especially the obscure ones.

Avoid reading the plot summary as it is rightly advised by Coventry too.

The plot synopsis on IMDb n Wiki gives away major stuff about the film. It gives away major spoilers. I heeded Coventry's advice n I enjoyed this film tremendously.

This film marked the directorial debut of cinematographer Massimo Dallamano (he did the cinematography for For a Few Dollars..... n Fistful of ....) No wonder the cinematography is top notch in this film. The scene at around 44th min, the place where the horse carriage is shown below the tree next to the river looked straight outta poetry and very picturesque.

The film is about three characters: Billy Kane, a dreaded robber who is very sharp at shooting, in fact the first shoot out where he shoots a train traveller, Richard Martin, confirms that Kane is truly a mean n dreaded killer.

After the shootout, Martin, now a handicap n without his thin moustache, recruits a wanted convict, Ricky Shot.

Together they organise shooting amusement shows for public earning money but both have agendas of their own.

The film has ample amount of tension, suspense n action.

The direction n acting is first class.

Highly recommend to fans of the Spaghetti Westerns.

"Bandidos" is a great, action-packed revenge story that is set up by a very dramatic opening scene that has a rogue gunfighter meet up with the man who taught him to shoot. The gunfighter shoots his former friend in both hands, and then tells him to try to get revenge if he's able to hold a gun. The stage is set, and the film doesn't let up until the very end.

All the elements of a great spaghetti western are here. There is a cool music score, an engaging story, suspenseful gunfights, cheesy acting, a couple of great one-liners, and it is all done way over-the-top, like a good western should be. This movie is loaded with style, and style is the reason why the Italian westerns are so much more fun to watch than the ones made in the U.S.

There is a lot of great camera work in this movie. The interesting use of camera angles here gives the film a distinct character in much the same way that the use of close-ups marks the Leone westerns.

My favorite scenes in the movie are the ones that take place in saloons. There is one especially amusing one in which a man who has just lost a gunfight is sitting at a table drinking and harassing customers and saloon girls while he waits to die from his bullet wound. This old woman tells him to "hurry up and die," and he decides he wants to shoot one of the saloon girls so that he can take her to hell with him.

"Bandidos" is a must-see for anyone who likes their westerns Italian style.