A Hidden Gem

Rating: Null/10 (3 February 2004)

As everyone knows, the Spaghetti Westerns of the 60's and early 70's revolutionised the Western genre and inspired the Americans into making more good ones. And of all the Italian Westerns, Sergio Leone's are paramount. Naturally with Leone there are the three classics with Clint Eastwood; followed by the epic "Once Upon A Time In The West" with Fonda & Bronson in 1968, and then this one in 1971. And of all the films mentioned here, guess which always draws the short straw! This is a great shame as this film is certainly no worse than the others, and if anything its a lot funnier, with great humour balanced with good action and two unforgettable characters, beautifully drawn-out by the lead actors. Rod Steiger plays a chicken theif who gets drawn into the Mexican Revolution of 1918 by IRA man James Coburn. and it is HIS journey from lovable rogue to reluctant realist which forms the lynchpin for the movie. Both actors are in full character mode complete with convincing accents, and the film never fails to make its point. But like all genres or movie canons, once the public gets a taste for something special nothing else will do, and although this movie held up at the time, it is not often remembered. YES Leone could go beyond the Dollars!