Una pistola per Ringo

Plot synopsis:
The film opens as the films protagonist, a gunfighter known as "Angel Face" or Ringo, kills four men in a gunfight. He is then arrested for manslaughter and locked up in the city jail where he awaits trial.
Meanwhile, Major Clyde and his daughter Ruby are celebrating Christmas with several guests on their ranch. They are interrupted by a bandit gang who storm the hacienda and take them hostage. The bandits have narrowly escaped from a bank robbery in which their leader Sancho has been wounded. In a desperate attempt to deter their pursuers, they decide to hold the family hostage threatening to execute two a day until they are allowed to go free.
The house is surrounded by a posse led by the town sheriff, however he fears for the safety of the hostages, including his fiancee Ruby, if he attempts to free the hostage by force. He decides to enlist the aid of Ringo, who agrees to infiltrate the gang and free the hostages in exchange for his freedom and a percentage of the stolen money.
He manages to successfully join up with the gang, posing as a fellow outlaw on the run, however Ringo's plans quickly become complicated as Sancho begins ordering the execution of hostages as well as the tension within the house as Delores, Sancho's woman, encourages Major Clyde's romantic feelings while one of Sancho's men begins making advances towards Major Clyde's daughter, Ruby. He at first seems to double-cross the sheriff, however he succeeds in deceiving Sancho and allows the sheriff and his posse to storm the hacienda freeing the hostages and defeating Sancho and his bandits.

Tags: western, violence

Review:
This is one of the better Spaghetti Westerns I've watched but whose reputation  despite the popularity of the title character  seems to me to be relatively underrated (and the film itself criminally unavailable in an affordable DVD edition; the same thing goes for its follow-up, THE RETURN OF RINGO [1965]).While pretty straightforward in comparison to later efforts in the genre (often politically-motivated and thus heavy-going), just because it's unpretentious the film emerges as more readily enjoyable than most of its type  benefiting from the presence of Giuliano Gemma (certainly one of the more likable Italian stars in spite of a somewhat limited range), a typically fine score by Ennio Morricone, but also the unusual time-frame of the plot (it's set largely inside a hacienda under siege over the Christmas period!).
Besides, there are agreeable (though not over-emphasized) touches of humor throughout to counter the exciting action sequences, some surprisingly good dialogue (director Tessari also wrote the script) and, equally unexpected for such an early Spaghetti Western, interesting characterizations.
In fact, the milksop hero is an opportunist who's extremely resourceful at outwitting burly villain Fernando Sancho; the latter's woman  played by Nieves Navarro, better known as Susan Scott, and the wife of the film's co-producer Luciano Ercoli  is an elegant and seductive Mexican who wins the affections of the aristocratic owner of the remote mansion where the gang is holed in; while the old man's daughter, fiancée of the sheriff but who gradually falls for Gemma, is coveted by one of Sancho's lecherous cronies.Most of the cast and crew were re-assembled soon after for THE RETURN OF RINGO which is superior to the original (mainly because the Homeric inspiration of that film's narrative adds some much-needed depth to the protagonist) but, starting off with Gemma coming home from the Civil War, is actually a prequel to it: his military duty is mentioned in passing in A PISTOL FOR RINGO, though not the fact that he had been married (the latter is possibly an added element to the second film  so that Gemma could finally get together with leading lady Lorella Di Luca, billed as Hally Hammond)..
This is the original installment from Gemma-Tessari trilogy formed by ¨A pistol for Ringo¨, ¨The return of Ringo¨ and ¨Kiss, Kiss , Bang , Bang¨ , though the later is set in modern times and deal with a heist .
All of them are amusing and entertaining and starred by similar cast as Gemma , Fernando Sancho , Lorella De Luca , Nieves Navarro and Antonio Casas ; furthermore same artistic equipment .
They are familiar films , in fact , the actress Lorella De Luca married director Duccio Tessari and Nieves Navarro married the producer Luciano Ercoli .
Meanwhile , the gang of a nasty Mexican named Sancho (Fernando Sancho) and his bandits ( Nazzareno Zamperla , Jose Luis Martin) trespass the little town and occupy a mansion and take the ranch and its inhabitants as hostages following the foiled getaway .
The ranch is surrounded but when Sancho threatens to murder two hostages a day unless he and his band are freed , the local Sheriff ( Jorge Martin) who has his bride among the hostages , gets no option but to send in Ringo.
Ringo goes the ranch and seeks vengeance against Sancho's hoodlums (Nazzareno Zamperla , Jose Luis Martin , Frank Oliveras ) who kill , mistreat countrymen and attempt to rape a young ( Lorella De Luca) .
Ringo comes to the ranch just in time to make sure its inhabitants , taking place a cat and mouse game , but later the events get worse .This Western is superior than subsequent entries because it displays thrills , stirring adventures, shoot'em up , riding pursuits and is pretty amusing .
This is a good S.W. plenty of action , shootouts , fist-play and some touches of humor in charge of Giuliano Gemma character .
As always , the musician Ennio Morricone, composes a nice Spaghetti soundtrack and well conducted and splendid leitmotif ; it's full of enjoyable sounds and emotive score .This Italian writer / filmmaker Duccio Tessari so consistently mixed the good with the mediocre that it became quite impossible to know what to expect from him next .
He directed five Western with abundant touches of humor as ¨Vivi o preferibilment Morti¨, ¨Don't turn the other cheek¨ and ¨Zorro¨ with Alain Delon and of course ¨Ringo ¨and sequel , mostly starred with his fetish actor Giuliano Gemma .
"A Pistol for Ringo" is an above-average Spaghetti Western.
The anti-hero (Gemma) and villain (Sancho) are both very charismatic, and each has a good sense of humor.
The film has some unusual twists; for example, the bandits are executing two hostages per day, even after the anti-hero joins the gang, and he makes no effort to halt the executions.
There is an interesting contrast between the behavior of the anti-hero (Gemma) and the sheriff (Martin) who behaves like a traditional Western hero.
In any event, the film was such a financial success that the seven principal actors were reunited in "The Return of Ringo" (a sequel in name only, since all characters were different).
Christmas is only two days away, but the towns-folks festive celebrations are about to come to an abrupt halt, when a band of mexicans, led by Sancho (played, quite aptly, by Fernando Sancho), take a ranch and its inhabitants hostage following a failed escape from a bank-robbery.
The local sheriff, Ben, (played in true Hollywood style by Jorge Martin) has the ranch surrounded, but cannot attack for fear of the hostages being massacred.
Ringo (Gemma) is spending time in jail for the killing (albeit in "self defence") of a local gang.
But when Sancho threatens to kill two hostages a day unless he and his gang are freed, the Sheriff has no option but to send in Ringo.This is a really enjoyable movie, that sits somewhere in-between the dirt and grittiness of Leone and his Italian counterparts, and the classic American western.
Even Morricone's soundtrack leans towards 50/60's Hollywood, with its crooned (and toe-tappingly catchy) theme tune.The leading roles played by Gemma and Sancho are very convincing, and the dialogue is entertaining and full of classic quotes throughout: "God created men equal.
Although not quite as strong as Director Tessari's follow up "Return of Ringo", this is one of the best of the early Spaghettis, and definitely a must view..
On one hand, we have a cynical hero seemingly only motivated by money: after a bank robbery, Ringo only agrees to help and free the hostages after his demand of a 30 per cent share of the stolen money is accepted, and he's not ashamed to ask the bandits whether they would offer more?
On the other hand, we see a sheriff (George Martin) in love with one of the hostages (Lorella de Luca) and a land owner who keeps up the traditional values of hospitality, courtesy and honor even under the most difficult circumstances, recalling the 1950s."A Gun For Ringo" is a lively movie created in the middle of a small revolution, the beginning of a successful European western wave, and the makers seem to have had a feeling "we've got our hands on something here!", a certain excitement that hasn't faded away.
Great fun to watch, and both the youthful Giuliano Gemma (Ringo) and the charismatic Fernando Sancho (Sancho, leader of the bandits) went on to play similar roles in many movies of the following years..
While not really a Christmas-themed movie per se, the backdrop for the film is laden with people acknowledging and celebrating the holiday, complete with decorations and a Christmas tree, which makes this the closest thing to a Christmas western that I've seen.
As such, for the spaghetti western fan, it is a welcome seasonal alternative to watching "It's a Wonderful Life," or the latest Moron Clause movie on your local big screen or cable movie channel.Giuliano Gemma does a fine job, as usual, portraying the protagonist of the film, and Fernando Sancho is even better as "Sancho," the Mexican bandit.
Nieves Navarro is breathtaking as "Dolores," the female bandit who becomes romantically involved with one of her hostages.The production is above-average for a euro-western, and the film has an engaging storyline with lots of action and suspense.
Add to that a great music score by Ennio Morricone, and you definitely have a winning combination that spaghetti fans will be sure to enjoy..
When smarty-pants bandito Fernando Sancho and his gang rob a bank and begin executing hostages while conducting a standoff at a near-bye ranch, local authorities send in ultra-slick (and equally glib) gunfighter Giuliano Gemma to infiltrate the ranch and hopefully rescue the survivors.Sancho is a hoot and Gemma oozes charm in this light-hearted, action-filled, and fast-paced flick that spawned a slew of bogus "sequels" and catapulted the name Ringo to icon status, like fellow one-name spaghetti stars Djang, Sartana, and Trinity.Although not quite a masterpiece, A Pistol For Ringo is an awful lot of fun, with a memorable score by Ennio Morricone, making it worthwhile viewing for fans of European westerns..
This Italian Western - which just so happens to be set at Christmastime - made a star out of the charismatic former stuntman Giuliano Gemma.
The law enforcement types come up with the idea to have Ringo infiltrate the criminal gang, which he does in his own inimitable style."A Pistol for Ringo" is a solid and engaging example of the Spaghetti Western.
We're never quite sure what to make of him, but we do know that he's fun to watch.The exceptional composer Ennio Morricone, who's done hundreds (!) of scores during his life and career, gives this film a typically atmospheric soundtrack.
Antonio Casas is excellent as the hospitable Major Clyde, as is George Martin as Sheriff Ben, who is in love with Ruby (you can't blame the guy).Exciting action scenes and a healthy dose of humour also make this quite pleasing to watch.Seven out of 10..
It stars Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho, Lorella De Luca, Nieves Navarro and Antonio Casas.
Music is by Ennio Morricone and cinematography by Francisco Marin.When a gang of bandit bank robbers hole up at a rich family's hacienda - taking all who reside there as hostages - the authorities free the gunman known as "Angel Face" from prison to ingratiate himself into the bandit horde.
His mission is to destroy from within and free the innocent...Filmed in Technicolor/Techniscope out of the familiar Spaghetti Western stomping grounds of Almeria in Spain, A Pistol for Ringo is a very enjoyable piece of pasta.
From the quirky sight that greets us at pic's beginning, where our anti-hero gunman with the baby face plays hopscotch with children - then quickly dispatching four enemies enemies in the blink of an eye - to the wholly satisfying finale, it's quirky yet dramatic entertainment.Set at Xmas time, Duccio enjoys dallying with the season's motifs as part of the narrative, and even Morricone gets in on the act, imbuing his varied score with seasonal strains (the Silent Night section simply wonderful).
Tessari Makes This Original and Fun. A Pistol for Ringo (1965) *** (out of 4)Mexican bandits rob a bank and ride off but the posse following them forces them into a ranch owned by a rich family.
The bandits won't allow anyone to get close but the local sheriff offers Ringo (Giuliano Gemma) his freedom if he can get in and save the people there.
Ringo manages to get onto the ranch where he decides to play both sides against one another.A PISTOL FOR RINGO turned out to be a lot better than I was expecting it too and a lot of the credit has to go to writer-director Duccio Tessari.
What really sets this film apart from the countless other Spaghetti Westerns is the fact that this one here seems to be spoofing the genre.
Their non-stop back and forth is a lot of fun and certainly helps carry the film.Having the film set around Christmas time was another interesting touch and then you've got Ennio Morricone great score.
The story as one follows it, has a Gun-Man called 'Angel-Eyes' and is better known as Ringo (Montgomery Wood) for the film " A Pistol for Ringo " Following a shoot-out with some killers who have come gunning for him, Ringo ends up in jail, at the same time, a gang of Mexican Outlaws rob the bank and kill a few of the citizens and take refuse in a Fortress hacienda.
Infiltrating the gang led by a Bandit name Fernando Sancho, (Sancho) From the beginning the movie is a tests of skills between the bad guys and Ringo.
Spaghetti westerns have style.The greatest weakness of this movie is exposed in the opening shot; the lack of style.
This spaghetti western was apparently a big hit when it was released, enough to get a sequel ("The Return of Ringo") made.
When there is gunplay, it often comes across as kind of disturbing, with little regard for life by those who fire their guns (even the hero is guilty of this on more than one occasion.) And the Ennio Morricone score is far from his best.
Reluctantly, he turns to a prisoner he's holding, Ringo (Giuliano Gemma), for help.
The plan – have Ringo, an outlaw himself, infiltrate the group and work from the inside to free the prisoners.A Pistol for Ringo is an interesting and entertaining early Spaghetti Western.
New – the anti-hero, bandits like Sancho, the body count, and crazy plot points and twists.
Lighter feeling than some of the other early Spaghetti Westerns, A Pistol for Ringo has something of a playful tone to it despite the violence.
Director Duccio Tessari keeps things moving at a nice pace with lots of action, gun fights, and interesting set-pieces throughout.
Gemma, Sancho, and the beautiful Susan Scott (Nieves Navarro) help make A Pistol for Ringo worth watching.
Writer & director Duccio Tessari, who co-scripted Sergio Leone's "A Fistful of Dollars," helmed this entertaining, above-average Spaghetti western, "A Pistol for Ringo," starring Roman-born actor Giuliano Gemma--billed here as Montgomery Wood-as the eponymous hero with perennial villain Fernando Sancho as his treacherous adversary.
For the record, the profligate Sancho appeared in over 230 movies and basically played the same slimy Mexican outlaw in 35 westerns.
Simply said, nothing about this hostage crisis western set in the arid Southwest that co-stars George Eastman, another Italian who made his share of Spaghettis, is half-baked.
Ennio Morricone composed the beautiful orchestral score and Morricone's magical music is far above what this violent western could have hoped for, especially the lyrical title tune about the wily protagonist.The first time that we lay eyes on our hero, Ringo (Giuliano Gemma of "Day of Anger"), he is playing hop-scotch with a bunch of children in a village.
"Don't look for trouble," he points out, "It'll come by itself." Nevertheless, after the sheriff clears Ringo of the shooting death of the Benson brothers and the citizens grudgingly agree to 30 per cent as a reward for our hero, he agrees to help them.
Ringo tells them about his predicament as well as their predicament and demands 40 per cent of the loot in exchange for getting them out of the ranch."A Pistol for Ringo" is head and hands above most generic Spaghetti westerns.
After killing four men in self defence, gunslinger Ringo(GIULIANO GEMMA),also known as "Angel face" is arrested by the town sheriff(GEORGE MARTIN).Shortly after Ringo has been locked up in the town jail, a massive bandit gang led by Sancho(FERNANDO SANCHO)crosses the Rio Grande and arrive in the town, where they proceed to hold up the bank.
Sancho and his men take refuge at a Hacienda owned by Major Clyde(ANTONIO CASAS)and his daughter Ruby(LORELLA DE LUCA)who is the Sheriff's fiancée.
The sheriff releases Ringo, who goes to the Hacienda and infiltrates Sancho's gang in the hope of freeing the hostages and recovering the stolen money.
Can Ringo successfully free the hostages without having his cover blown...?After the release of A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS(only 8 months prior to the release of this film),the Spaghetti western was firing on all cylinders.
A PISTOL FOR RINGO is an excellent sign of things to come regarding the Spaghetti western.
The script provides Ringo and Sancho with sharp dialogue and cracking one liners which are scattered throughout the film.
These one liners inject humour into the film and create fantastic chemistry between the hero and the villain, which is rarely seen in a Spaghetti western.
Ringo is an immensely likable character, even though he's not the rugged,sadistic,stereotypical Spaghetti western brute, he is one of my favourite western action heroes.
Fernando Sancho is rather hilarious as the cruel bandit leader, although he still brings an air of ruthlessness to the film.
These shootouts were also superb and included typical Spaghetti western deaths like guys flinging their arms in the air as they get shot and falling from rooftops.
The main title song "Angel face" by Maurizio Graf was exceptional and is one of my favourite Spaghetti western songs.Masterfully directed by Duccio Tessari, A PISTOL FOR RINGO is escapism at it's greatest.
This film, and many other Spaghetti westerns like it helped lay the foundations for what I believe to be the best sub-genre in the history of cinema.
The very likable and attractive Giuliano Gemma stars as Ringo ("Angel Face", as he is nicknamed), a milk-drinking pretty-boy that also happens to be a ruthless mercenary.Gemma is sprung from prison to help the sheriff capture a band of bandits holed up, with hostages, at a nearby ranch.
The color schemes of the sets and costumes are, however, a little gaudy and stagy, not the usually grime-and-grease look one associates from this genre; it makes the film feel a little more "Hollywood" than other Italo-westerns.This is, overall, a good early-cycle Spaghetti.