Il mercenario (1968)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Sergio Corbucci

Writers:

Giorgio Arlorio (story)
Adriano Bolzoni (writer)

Release Date:

29 elokuu 1968 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Tagline:

He sells death to the highest bidder! Buy or die!

Plot Keywords:

Revolutionary | Sadism | Zapata Western | Mercenary | Political

Cast

Franco Nero	...	Sergei Kowalski, the Polish
Jack Palance	...	Ricciolo ('Curly')
Tony Musante	...	Paco Roman
Giovanna Ralli	...	Columba
Eduardo Fajardo	...	Alfonso García
Álvaro de Luna	...	Ramón
Raf Baldassarre	...	Mateo
José Canalejas	...	Sebastian (as Joe Kamel)
Vicente Roca	...	Elias Garcia
Franco Ressel	...	Studs
Guillermo Méndez	...	Captain
Enrique Navarro
Simón Arriaga	...	Simón
Ugo Adinolfi
José I. Zaldua	...	Innkeeper

Also Known As:

A Professional Gun (Europe: English title) (UK)
Revenge of a Gunfighter (USA)
Salario para matar (Spain)
The Mercenary (USA)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and brief nudity.

Runtime:

Italy:110 min | Spain:111 min

Country:

Italy | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 (cut) | West Germany:18 (nf) | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | USA:GP | UK:AA (1970) (cut)

Company:

Produzioni Associate Delphos

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Sergei Kowalski uses a Spanish Astra 400 pistol. The pistol was not introduced until 1921, after the Mexican Revolution.

Quotes:

Kowalski aka the Pole: Dream, Paco, but dream with your eyes open.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Fast paced revolution

This film was actually one of my favorites at a student movie theater really many years ago. It was kinda cult and thus shown quite often and the audience could have been always the same. Like many of Corbucci's works it has frequent showings on German TV. IL MERCENARIO is very comparable to the better COMPANEROS which has particularly a much better cast. It's another buddy western with a Nordic (blond) and a Mexican guy where the first is cool and intelligent and the other hot tempered and rather low witted. Compañero Milian is much slicker than Musante who many times prevails just as a fool and is closer to Tuco Ramirez of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. Nevertheless Musante feels more realistic as a peasant than the grimacing Milian. Nero is more dominating in his role as the mercenary of Polish origin than as the Swedish Peterson of COMPANEROS. He is never really convinced of the revolutionary values. Curly/Ricciolo (Jack Palance) seems pretty superfluous for the plot and serves as a comic relief character with an extra portion of sadism. In the absence of a real lead villain he enters the final duel.

The pace of the film is fast and the excellent (maybe Morricone's best) and rousing score supports the generous action. Machine guns are roaring and counting the bodies falling seems pretty impossible. Impressing wide screen photography immerses the viewer.

9/10 with a slight nostalgic bonus. Top 10 Spaghetti Western.