One of the things I like about the IMDb is reading the reviews of serious fans who often offer even more perspective than the film itself. For this picture, I would direct you to the reviews of FilmFlaneur and MARIO GAUCI, who almost make me envious with their obvious passion and insight for the spaghetti genre. As for myself, the best I can muster is that I liked the picture, particularly as a vehicle for one of my favorites, Lee Van Cleef. By now I've seen him in so many variations of the Western genre, that his presence is almost expected. That would include a guest appearance in just about every classic TV Western series at least once.
So even though this is one of the better Italian Westerns I've seen, I had to scratch my head over the treatment the script gave to hero Corbett (Van Cleef). Not only was he bushwhacked from behind by a thirteen year old girl, but he was also bamboozled by a phony snake bite gimmick engineered by the nominal villain Cuchillo (Tomas Milian). That bothered me, because even as a layman, I could tell that wasn't a poisonous snake, so a desert traveler like Corbett should have known it too. That was a little weak.
As for Cuchillo himself, I thought it pretty odd that he would play into the story planted about his being a child rapist and murderer. Always on the run and barely eluding Corbett a number of times, his actions did more to convey guilt than the final resolution would ultimately suggest. However the big gundown of the finale is worth the wait, and aptly involves not one, not two, but three showdowns that bring together the film's principals, somewhat in the manner of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly". If you think about it, this one had the three of those as well.
So even though this is one of the better Italian Westerns I've seen, I had to scratch my head over the treatment the script gave to hero Corbett (Van Cleef). Not only was he bushwhacked from behind by a thirteen year old girl, but he was also bamboozled by a phony snake bite gimmick engineered by the nominal villain Cuchillo (Tomas Milian). That bothered me, because even as a layman, I could tell that wasn't a poisonous snake, so a desert traveler like Corbett should have known it too. That was a little weak.
As for Cuchillo himself, I thought it pretty odd that he would play into the story planted about his being a child rapist and murderer. Always on the run and barely eluding Corbett a number of times, his actions did more to convey guilt than the final resolution would ultimately suggest. However the big gundown of the finale is worth the wait, and aptly involves not one, not two, but three showdowns that bring together the film's principals, somewhat in the manner of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly". If you think about it, this one had the three of those as well.