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Giù la testa (1971)
It's not a Spaghetti Western or any kind of Western, it's a Mexican Revolution Drama.
The main problem with this movie is that it starts out as a Spaghetti Western, but after the first hour of the movie turns into a "historical event" drama. Think of "Reds" or "Dr. Zhivago". Rod Steiger was in "Dr. Zhivago" but here he plays a Mexican peasant turned bandit. Rod Steiger does not look like he is from Mexico, but he is very convincing nonetheless. His character Juan is crude and simple, but not stupid. James Coburn is also convincing as well. His character John is from Ireland and is an explosives expert. So the acting from both of them is top notch. Which is good, because there isn't much acting from anyone else. With perhaps the exception of the doctor, all the other characters are stock characters and aren't developed at all. A majority of all the lines in the movie belong to Steiger and Coburn. It really is an unintentional buddy movie between their two characters, and it's pretty good in that respect. Unfortunately it is unlike most other historical event/epic movies in that there aren't the usual supporting characters. The setting is the Mexican Revolution but it doesn't get into details, it just takes place somewhere in the middle of it. There also isn't any female characters, hence no romantic situations. This is probably another reason why it didn't do well at the box office. It is not a Western. None of the usual themes are present. "The Mercenary" is a spaghetti western that takes place about the same time period, say circa 1914. It takes place in Mexico and Texas. Both movies show an early automobile, early machine guns, but "The Mercenary" (with Jack Palance) is a true western. Sergio Leone starts this movie out in the spaghetti western style, then changes it. Big mistake. Spaghetti Western fans would have felt cheated, and people who enjoy historical epics would have felt cheated since it doesn't have the usual themes associated with that genre. I'd agree with some other reviewers that it is a collection of memorable scenes and sequences, but that as a movie it doesn't cut it. The drama does get heavy, but then the Mexican Revolution was sad times. It eventually devolved into a multi-faction civil war. Also seems like there were bad leaders on both sides. You probably want to pass on this one, unless you are fan of Steiger or Coburn.
Il mio nome è Nessuno (1973)
Flawed but worth seeing for spaghetti western fans.
I think of this movie in thirds. The first third and last third of this movie are fine. The middle third is where it gets bogged down, especially with slapstick scenes that are out of place and gratuitous. Don't blame Terrence Hill or Henry Fonda, they defined the roles and played them well. In fact, all of Hill's slapstick scenes were well played, it's just that most of them didn't belong in this type of movie, which was NOT, strictly speaking, a comedy, nor was it supposed to be one. Reading the other reviews, it seems that it was supposed to be a parody of the spaghetti western genre. This was probably a mistake. Anyway, for it to be successful, it had to stand out on its own which it failed to do. This movie could have been a good one if it took itself more seriously. Unfortunately, the plot was not fully developed with regards to Fonda's character and the mine, it was just hastily explained. This occurred along with the majority of slapstick scenes in the middle of the movie. The saloon scene was not believable. I don't think much of scenes where a character can drink massive amounts of hard liquor and still function okay. Sorry, not humanly possible. The fun house scene was just stupid and unnecessary. Hill and Fonda prevail, but really, gunfights in the dark? Think about it. There was the outdoor urinal scene with Hill and the train conductor, but this was not slapstick, it was your typical spaghetti western situation with a brief comedic moment and a resolution. It was well acted by both Hill and the train conductor. If you like the genre, this movie is still worth watching. It is too bad that Sergio Leone didn't take total control and treat this as another true spaghetti western with some additional parody elements. The script is fairly original, after all. In addition to weak plot development, the trademark Leone attention to detail was lacking. Why was Fonda wearing such a shabby coat? Fonda was believable in his role, but didn't look as imposing as in his previous role in Once Upon a Time in the West. I found out he was about 67 when he was in this movie! He looked really good for 67, the least they could have done was give him a better western wardrobe. In the part of the movie that shows the ship's sailors, I wondered if they were in San Francisco, instead of New Orleans. Does New Orleans ever get so cold that you see people wear sweaters and wool caps? Even the great Ennio Morricone was off in this one. The wild bunch theme music starts off great, then degenerates when Ennio inserts music from Wagner played on what sounds like a kid's toy harmonica? Also bad were the "sped up" slapstick scenes. They did Hill no amount of justice and would have been lame even if the movie was a true comedy. Still, it is worth watching for how Hill and Fonda played their characters and wondering what "could have been".