A Bullet for the General (1967)
El Chuncho's bandits rob arms from a train, intending to sell the weapons to Elias' revolutionaries. They are helped by one of the passengers, Bill Tate, and allow him to join them, unware of his true intentions.
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Best movie of this year hands down!
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.
The best of the revolutionary spaghetti westerns. Volante's best role imo within this genre. Complex characterizations, interesting narrative & an ending that will leave U a bit shocked perhaps.Other's have reviewed the plot. I will say Lou Costello as El Nino is a cypher in this film, his character is rather blank & not easily read but that's the point. Other reviews I have read remark he has no charisma or his characterization is boring but they miss the point; he is a professional assassin & he knows exactly what he wants & what he is doing & he is smarter than everyone around him. Chuncho's first realization there is something more to El Nino comes in a quiet scene where in he asks Costello as El Nino 'U don't like wine, U don't like women, what do U like' paraphrasing, El Nino replies 'Gold'.Kinski is wonderful as always. Highly recommended spaghetti western! IMO this is Volante's best characterization although 'Face to Face' is very close in my ranking, here his emotional arc is extreme & he is an excellent actor. I always enjoyed his performances but in this film he really does a wonderful wonderful job of acting. He makes most modern American actors look like rank beginners in comparison. He was truly gifted. RIP amigo.
One of the most underrated spaghetti westerns of all time, easily in my top ten. Volanti and Klinski dominate this tale of greed, poverty, racism, rich vs poor, great action sequences and a genuine heart to match, volanti was only behind Eastwood, Van Cleef and Nero as the greatest spaghetti western star of all time! any die hard fan of the genre must have this movie in their collection! pure brilliance!. A great starting point for new fans as it blends all the elements of the genre, violence, redemption and revenge as well as one of the greatest performances from an Italian western actor he was taken from us too soon , long live Gian Marie Volanti!.
Set during the Mexican Revolution of the early 20th century, a group of Mexican bandits led by El Chuncho (Gian Maria Volonté) rob a train carrying weapons for the Mexican army. They are assisted by an American passenger, Bill Tate (Lou Castel), who stops the train in exchange for him being allowed to join the group. Whilst A Bullet For The General is not as fun as say Django, it could be argued that it is a superior film - wonderful central performances under quietly confident direction attest to that. A spaghetti western that's not afraid to get its hands dirty with a dose of social commentary – highlighting the morally dubious nature that the sub-genre and its characters consistently revel in – A Bullet For The General, whilst not perfect, is a solid entry nonetheless with enough compelling characterisation (certainly more compelling than Django, save for that film's titular antihero), drama and action to tick most boxes.
"A Bullet For the General", exceeded my expectations, and is the best of five DVDs in the "Once Upon a Time in Italy" set. There is no mistaking that this is Gian Maria Volonte's movie. He has way more screen time than in either "A Fistful of Dollars" or "For a Few Dollars More". Klaus Kinski admirers might be disappointed as his screen time is limited in a supporting role. Lou Castel's character seems to barely be breathing in what can only be described as the lowest key performance ever. Martine Bestwick is somewhat livelier, but her appearance is flawed by a Mexican makeup job that can only be described as dreadful. The Ennio Morricone score is above average. Though not quite as good as "The Big Gundown", "A Bullet For the General" must be considered one of the better non-Leone "spaghetti westerns". - MERK