At the beginning, we watch Johnny Oro (Mark Damon, dressed up in a jet black and tight costume with just a hint of gold at the right spots, and introduced by the riveting lyrics 'Non importava dell' amore / a Johnny Orooooooooooooo') riding into town and killing off a few Mexican bandits walking out of a church wedding - but sparing the youngest one ... Big mistake; he's back soon enough, along with some Indians (a rare appearance in Spaghetti westerns!), to take Johnny out - and the whole town of Coldstone as well.
A lot of dead bodies there at the end of the movie, as the Indians are shot in dozens, body piles everywhere, they even start using their dead ones as shields. In the end, the whole town is literally blown to hell.
Johnny is characterized as the type who is on the side of justice only to see get the gold (reason given: he was born in a gold mine); full of himself, he is having a good time ridiculing and shooting his enemies and cashing in the money, and one cannot help but smiling along with him. Johnny has the kiddo feel to him, and he never gets serious right until the end of the movie - even after the bad guy shoots his love interest right in the face at close range (off screen).
It's THE role for Mark Damon, who can get pretty tedious if cast as a serious character: The fun he is having while performing Johnny's gleeful pranks is highly contagious.
Contrasting Johnny's character is the sheriff, played by Ettore Manni, a principled man well beyond reason himself, with a son and a wife to boot. The two of them play off well enough against each other.
Plenty of violence from the bad guys (including a drunk Indian). Shady owner of the saloon and 'businessman' (he deals in weapons) Andrea Aureli does some highly enjoyable sleazy acting and ends up with an ax right in the middle of his bald patch. Figure that! After all it is only 1966.
Those violent bits help to remind that director Corbucci did 'Django' with Franco Nero the very same year, so very different in tone. If 'Django' is the tragedy, this one is the satyr play.
All in all, the movie stays light-hearted throughout, and you can have yourself a few fine laughs and enjoy a wild ride in the pasta west.
A lot of dead bodies there at the end of the movie, as the Indians are shot in dozens, body piles everywhere, they even start using their dead ones as shields. In the end, the whole town is literally blown to hell.
Johnny is characterized as the type who is on the side of justice only to see get the gold (reason given: he was born in a gold mine); full of himself, he is having a good time ridiculing and shooting his enemies and cashing in the money, and one cannot help but smiling along with him. Johnny has the kiddo feel to him, and he never gets serious right until the end of the movie - even after the bad guy shoots his love interest right in the face at close range (off screen).
It's THE role for Mark Damon, who can get pretty tedious if cast as a serious character: The fun he is having while performing Johnny's gleeful pranks is highly contagious.
Contrasting Johnny's character is the sheriff, played by Ettore Manni, a principled man well beyond reason himself, with a son and a wife to boot. The two of them play off well enough against each other.
Plenty of violence from the bad guys (including a drunk Indian). Shady owner of the saloon and 'businessman' (he deals in weapons) Andrea Aureli does some highly enjoyable sleazy acting and ends up with an ax right in the middle of his bald patch. Figure that! After all it is only 1966.
Those violent bits help to remind that director Corbucci did 'Django' with Franco Nero the very same year, so very different in tone. If 'Django' is the tragedy, this one is the satyr play.
All in all, the movie stays light-hearted throughout, and you can have yourself a few fine laughs and enjoy a wild ride in the pasta west.