A Bullet for Sandoval (1970)

Thanks for the memories!

Strong and Moving!

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Because hundreds of Italian westerns were made, they couldn't all be classics! In fact, a bunch had to fall in the at best mediocre range--and "A Bullet for Sandoval" certainly is that. Despite a starring role for Ernest Borgnine, this wasn't enough to elevate this movie to anything other than a time-passer for those obsessed with the genre.The film begins with an idiot being told his girlfriend is about to give birth to his baby. Despite this being during the Civil War and the man being in the Confederate army, he just runs away--and so it's hard to really empathize with the guy even though he wants to return and marry the lady and do the right thing. When he arrives, however, he finds that his girlfriend is dead! And, her father threatens to kill him unless he leaves and takes the baby with him! He and his partners leave and try to find lodging and food, but because a Cholera outbreak has occurred, folks are very unfriendly and refuse help. The baby soon gets sick and dies and the man vows to make the towns and the baby's grandfather pay. Now this was actually a pretty good idea for a film (despite the whole AWOL angle). However, the man and his friends went far beyond exacting revenge--the gang grew and they terrorized EVERYONE. Because of this, you really had no empathy for him or his nihilistic cause. On the other hand, the father (Borgnine) wasn't exactly likable...and in fact NO ONE in the film was the least bit likable or multi-dimensional. They were all either scum or victims! Because of this and the film's not taking advantage of a decent plot idea, I found myself happy when the whole thing ended (and on a very, very downbeat note).

I had been always told this was a great film. What I found when I finally saw it was that it's a messy film.It's about a southern soldier who deserts to marry his girl who is about to give birth during a cholera epidemic. Eventually making it home he is refused permission to marry by the girls father. She dies, the baby survives and the father rides off with a friend and the baby. Picking up a monk they travel a short while before the baby dies. Dad swears revenge and after picking up some other bad man goes after the father of his dead lover.Things happen and only enough is explained to move things along. As I said to dad, I'm watching simply to see if they pull it out in the end. It never did.On some level the pieces work but as a whole this film just doesn't work.

I'm not really a fan of westerns myself, but someone told me that this is a classic spaghetti western and that I must see it. Well, i did and let me tell you, I was not impressed. The casting first of all has something to be desired. They hired a South American actor, George Hilton to play an American soldier, John Warner, who goes AWOL to see his dying girlfriend, Rosa. Her father, Don Sandoval, a Mexican lord, despises Warner and blames him for his daughter's death.Well, Rosa died not necessarily because of childbirth, but probably from cholera. Don Sandoval is played by American actor, Ernest Borgnine. So, you have a Hispanic playing an American, and an American playing a Mexican. But wait, there's more. Warner reaches Don Sandoval's home, comes in, sees Sandoval and is about to leave, when Rosa's brother begs his father to let Warner see his infant son. So, Sandoval tells Warner to take the baby and leave. Warner hides out with the infant, and tries to get some milk for the baby while visiting a town, but the townspeople turn him away. Eventually, we don't know whether the baby died of starvation or from cholera. But, Warner swears that he'll get revenge for his son's death. So, for the rest of the movie, you see Warner and Sandoval plotting revenge against each other. But in the end, Warner's involved in a bloody shootout, and let's just say that Sandoval never got his.

Saturday continues with another Spaghetti western with Ernest Borgnine and George Hilton.The story takes place during the Civil War. Hilton got Borgnine's daughter pregnant, and she died delivering. Hilton comes back to marry her, finds, out she's dead, and takes the baby, who dies because no one would defy Don Pedro Sandoval (Borgnine) and give him milk.After the baby dies, he flips and gathers some murderers to get revenge on all who were responsible, particularly Sandoval.Great knife fight between the two of them at the end, and I assure you it wasn't a bullet that did him in.Good action throughout.