Sergio Sollima probably hit his finest note with this Western. Lee Van Cleef certainly did: this is the best I have seen from him, better even than his roles in FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE and THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY. Thomas Milian cranks out another typical performance as the loudmouth protesting his innocence who doubles up as expert knife thrower... and can he kill by targeting his opponent's head!
In this "dog eat dog" microcosm where Van Cleef is a bounty hunter who kills without a second thought, Milian at least has some awareness of the value of human life and gracious enough to spare Van Cleef's life when the latter is down. That unexpected generosity touches a cord in the bounty hunter's heart, who begins to wonder if there could not be some truth to Milian's claims that he neither killed nor raped a young girl.
Fernando Sancho deserves special plaudits for his role as laidback and cynical Captain Segura, always ready to elude the action once he senses danger.
Cinematography and action sequences are quite competent, with Carlo Carlini managing a visually engaging product.
The script rates better than usual for a spaghetti Western.
I have read somewhere that Director Quentin Tarantino rates THE BIG GUNDOWN the best spaghetti ever. I prefer Sergio Leone's work but I will not deny that this is an eminently watchable film. 7/10.
In this "dog eat dog" microcosm where Van Cleef is a bounty hunter who kills without a second thought, Milian at least has some awareness of the value of human life and gracious enough to spare Van Cleef's life when the latter is down. That unexpected generosity touches a cord in the bounty hunter's heart, who begins to wonder if there could not be some truth to Milian's claims that he neither killed nor raped a young girl.
Fernando Sancho deserves special plaudits for his role as laidback and cynical Captain Segura, always ready to elude the action once he senses danger.
Cinematography and action sequences are quite competent, with Carlo Carlini managing a visually engaging product.
The script rates better than usual for a spaghetti Western.
I have read somewhere that Director Quentin Tarantino rates THE BIG GUNDOWN the best spaghetti ever. I prefer Sergio Leone's work but I will not deny that this is an eminently watchable film. 7/10.