Quién sabe?
Tags: western, avant garde

Plot synopsis:
During the Mexican Revolution, a Durango-bound government munitions train is forced to stop due to the presence of a crucified army officer on the tracks. El Chuncho Munoz, a gun runner loyal to the revolutionary leader General Elías, leads his gang in an assault on the train. Lieutenant Alvaro Ferreria attempts to save the officer, but upon being fatally wounded by Chuncho, is forced to order the train to run the officer over and escape the bandits. Bill Tate, an American passenger on the train, kills the engineer and stops the train again, allowing Chuncho and his gang to kill the remaining soldiers and take their weapons. Posing as a former prisoner of the army, Tate joins the gang, and is quickly befriended by Chuncho, who nicknames him "Niño".
After several heists, the gang travels to the town of San Miguel, where Chuncho meets with his old friend Raimundo to overthrow the weakhearted town boss, Don Felipe. Rosaria, Felipe's spirited wife, attempts to defend him; when Chuncho's men assault her, Tate angrily berates them for their behaviour. Chuncho shoots Guapo, a gang member, for attempting to kill Tate. Don Felipe is made to drive Chuncho and his gang back to San Miguel, and he is eventually executed.
Chuncho prepares to stay in San Miguel, drilling the villagers in the hopes of becoming a General himself; Tate convinces much of the gang to leave San Miguel so they can sell their weapons to Elías. Eventually missing his bandit lifestyle, Chuncho leaves San Miguel under the care of El Santo, his priestly half-brother, on the pretext of recovering a gold-plated Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun from his former gang. After killing one of them, Picaro, Chuncho resumes leadership of the others, hoping to sell the weapons to Elías before returning to San Miguel.
Elías' emissary arrives, but is pursued by army troops. Tate and Chuncho use the machine gun to decimate the troops, but at the cost of the lives of nearly all of Chuncho's remaining gang. Unseen by the others, Tate also kills the emissary. Adelita, Chuncho's last surviving loyal gang member, abandons the pair after her lover, Pepito, is killed in the battle. During the ride to Elías' camp, Tate falls victim to a malaria attack. While getting quinine pills for Tate, Chuncho finds a cartridge loaded with a golden bullet among his possessions.
Chuncho and Tate arrive at Elías' camp the next morning, where they encounter several starving revolutionaries. Chuncho sells the guns and is paid five thousand pesos, before learning from Elías that the people of San Miguel were massacred by the army. Realising his irresponsibility, Chuncho allows himself to be executed by Santo, one of the sole survivors of the attack. Meanwhile, Tate, from a high vantage point, shoots Elías and kills Santo before Chuncho's sentence can be carried out. Tate escapes as Elías' doctors pronounce his death: shot in the head with a golden bullet.
Weeks later, Chuncho, now an impoverished beggar, tracks Tate to a hotel in Ciudad Juarez and tries to shoot him. Tate, insisting that he has been waiting for him, gives him a half share of the reward he received from the Mexican Government for assassinating Elías: one hundred thousand pesos in gold. Chuncho, astonished by Tate's apparent loyalty and friendship, visits a barber, a tailor and a brothel.
The next morning, the pair prepare to leave for a new life in the United States. However, when Chuncho watches as Tate cuts through a line of Mexicans to buy their train tickets, he begins to reconsider their relationship and his responsibilities. Learning that he had been further manipulated by Tate through his pretending to be an army prisoner, Chuncho suddenly declares that although they are friends, he must kill him. Tate asks why, to which Chuncho replies "¿Quién sabe?" before shooting him. Tate's body begins its return to the United States, while Chuncho, laughing manically, flees from the authorities down a corridor of carriages, exhorting the poor to buy dynamite instead of bread.

Review: On top of that the legendary Klaus Kinski, who was also in 'For A Few Dollars more' (as well as many other spaghetti westerns) plays Volonte's brother.
Castel plays "Gringo" a mysterious American who ingratiates himself into a gang of bandits led by El Chuncho (Volonte) after a train robbery.
'A Bullet For The General' works as exciting entertainment, but the relationship between the two main characters is interesting, and the atmospheric background of the Mexican Revolution (this is two years before 'The Wild Bunch' remember) makes this recommended viewing.
Excellent Western with two typical Spaghetti actors : Gian Maria Volonte Volonte and Klaus Kinski..
The movie centers on a Yankee (Lou Castel) who joins forces with an outlaw band (whose leader is Chuncho well played by Gian Mª Volonte and his hoodlum performed by Klaus Kinski) during the Mexican revolutionary war by time of the President of Mexico Velustiano Carranza , following the overthrow of the dictatorial Victoriano Huerta regime in the summer of 1914 .
The gang allows him to join them to sell weapons to Mexican revolutionaries ignoring he is double-crossing , as he is a traitor working for dark forces .It's a magnificent western film with dazzling shootouts between the protagonists and the contenders .
There is a special remembrance to Sergio Leone's western , because appearing : Volonte , Kinski and Aldo Sambrell who are usually in the master's Spaghetti films .
This picture belongs to numerous group in which is set during Mexican revolution , called ¨Zapata Western¨ , such as the Italian films : ¨Compañeros¨ , ¨The mercenary¨ , ¨Tetepa¨ and the American movies : ¨The wild bunch¨ and ¨The professionals¨ .
The picture blends violence , blood , action western and it's fast movement and that's why it is entertaining ; besides , there is a thoughtful dialog with a clever writing in leftist trending by Franco Solinas , screenwriter of a notorious film : ¨The battle of Algiers¨ .
Enjoyable musical score by Luis Enrique Bacalov , author of ¨The Postino and Pablo Neruda¨ which won an Oscar for the soundtrack and he composed lots of Spaghetti Western scores .The motion picture was rightly directed by Damiano Damiani .
However I'm a sucker for a good spaghetti western.A Bullet for the General starts out fantastic with a train hold up by the Mexican bandit El Chucho (Gian Maria Volonte).
A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL has plenty of mood, crazed revolutionaries/bandits, double-crossings, contempt for "gringos" (which makes me wonder about how the Italians think of us--are these films suppose to be "political statements" too?), gun fights and endless desolate landscapes that would make Sam Peckinpah drool with delight.
There is no happiness to be found in this film and every fan of Spaghetti westerns would revel in it's excess.A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL is great on this level and should have multiple viewings (check out Klaus Kinski as the bible thumping revolutionary who spouts credo with gunfire and Lou Castel as the cold-hearted gringo who doesn't drink, smoke, look at women but LOVES money).
"A Bullet For The General" of 1967 is a very political Spaghetti Western set in the Mexican Revolution.
A quite brutal tale about ideals, greed, friendship and selfishness, is not only a very entertaining Spaghetti Western, but also a unique study of an idealistic man's struggle between his greed and desire for wealth on the one hand, and his beliefs and ideals on the other hand.El Chuncho (Gian Maria Volontè) is a bandit and revolutionary with a strong fondness for women, alcohol and cigars.
Along with his slightly insane, but religious and very idealistic brother El Santo (Klaus Kinski), he leads a gang of bandits with beliefs, who help the poor and rob the government's army to sell the weapons to the revolutionary army.
His friendship to the baby-faced but selfish and cold-blooded Nino, becomes a breaking test for Chuncho, who is torn between his greed and his ideals.Although Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci are two of my favorite directors of all-time, and their movies "Giù La Testa" ("Duck You Sucker", Leone) and "Il Mercenario" ("The Mercenary", Corbucci), are two awesome movies, and furthermore there are quite a few more excellent Mexican Revolution Spaghetti Westerns , I would name "A Bullet for the General" as my favorite of the Mexican-Revolution-themed Spaghetti Westerns.
After his excellent performances in "A Fistful Of Dollars", "For A Few Dollars More" and Sergio Sollima's "Faccia A Faccia"/"Face To Face", Volontè is superb as El Chuncho, the most lovable Spaghetti Western character he played.
A brutal, witty and very political Spaghetti Western, "A Bullet For The General" is an excellent film that genre-fans, and film buffs in general should not miss!.
A great starting point for new fans as it blends all the elements of the genre, violence, redemption and revenge as well as one of the greatest performances from an Italian western actor he was taken from us too soon , long live Gian Marie Volanti!..
Damiano Damiani's 1966 film 'A Bullet for the General' is one of the first examples of the Zapata Western, a sub-genre of the Spaghetti Western that mostly dealt with political themes during the Mexican Revolution of the early 20th century.
Gian Maria Volontè plays El Chucho, the leader of a Mexican bandit gang who earn their pay selling arms to revolutionaries - he meets with a suave gringo named Bill Tate (played by Lou Castel) who claims to be on the run from the law and soon finds himself inducted into the group and deep in the heart of the Mexican revolution.Despite the simple sounding premise 'A Bullet for the General' displays a great depth of character as the protagonists relationships shift with the plot before inevitably exchanging roles.
The first hour or so seems like a standard western affair with lots of the usual train hi-jacks and bandit raids, but as the characters develop and their relationships become more strained we see some marvellous performances from the suspicious El Chucho, his brother El Santo (a fanatical Christian revolutionary played by Klaus Kinski) and the cool and un-flustered Bill 'Niño' Tate.The doubt displayed by El Chucho towards Tate really sets up the finale, and as the film nears the heart of the revolution Tate's motives become clear - but that doesn't stop Damiani pulling a nice twist at the end, endearing Volontè's character and providing a juxtaposition to the characters he made famous in some of Sergio Leone's classic Spaghetti Westerns.
In a film dealing largely with role-reversal this is particularly apt.I didn't quite know what to expect from 'A Bullet for the General', I hadn't previously heard of the director and apparently this was his first foray into the Western genre - but I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
Providing a good mix of action and politics with commendable performances from Volontè, Kinski and Castel 'A Bullet for the General' is an intriguing and unique example of the Spaghetti Western and well worth your time whether you're a fan of the genre or not..
Damiano Damiani's 1966 film is set against the Mexican revolution and tells the story of a bandit - the wonderful Gian Maria Volonté and his gang who terrorise the Govt troops and relieve them of their weapons that they sell to the revolutionary general.They meet up with an American (Lou Castel) who joins them but whose motives they suspect.There are spectacular train attacks , mega-massacres and piched battles along the way but the film has a strong moral sense allied with an almost Marxist viewpoint.On several occasions we see Volente wrestling with doing the right thing and doing the thing that will pay him.
Klaus Kinski has fun as the mad priest/bandit and the whole thing looks terrific in a 2:35 print really utilising the huge landscapes.There is a terrific moment at the end where one character does a simple thing and the other character suddenly realises what has been going on all along.A truly terrific picture and in feel not that far away from Leones'later Fistful of Dynamite..
Set during the Mexican Revolution of the early 20th century, a group of Mexican bandits led by El Chuncho (Gian Maria Volonté) rob a train carrying weapons for the Mexican army.
A spaghetti western that's not afraid to get its hands dirty with a dose of social commentary – highlighting the morally dubious nature that the sub-genre and its characters consistently revel in – A Bullet For The General, whilst not perfect, is a solid entry nonetheless with enough compelling characterisation (certainly more compelling than Django, save for that film's titular antihero), drama and action to tick most boxes..
Though not quite as good as "The Big Gundown", "A Bullet For the General" must be considered one of the better non-Leone "spaghetti westerns".
Who'll start watch this spaghetti picture probably could expect an ordinary one, that have a ton them made,however this has a psychologic approach to explain the final scene,Chuncho played masterfully by Gian Maria Volonté is a rough mexican bandit who has a brutal gang in charge to get weapons around Mexico terrotory to a revolutionary leader,he has a little help from a unknown and quiet young american,shortly raise between them a solid friendship,the final part is fabulous and how it should be faced by the audience,a way that the american to treat the mexicans is a key for such epic final scene!!!
RELEASED IN 1967 (but not till 1968 in the USA) and directed by Damiano Damiani, "A Bullet for the General" (aka "El Chuncho") takes place during the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s and involves a gang of gunrunners led by El Chuncho (Gian Maria Volontè) and enlisted by a revolutionary general (Jaime Fernández).
Klaus Kinski plays the semi-crazy priest of the bandits (I mean revolutionaries) while Martine Beswick is on hand as the babe of the bunch.This is a decent Spaghetti Western focusing on Mexican bandits.
This one has Klaus Kinski, and he's kind of doing a Kinski (i.e He's in the film sort of but seems to come and go as he pleases).During a train robbery where Gian Marie Volonte is obtaining guns from the Mexican Army, he meets a sneaky gringo who wants to join his gang.
For the record Klaus is Volonte's brother somehow even though...you know..Kinski looks like a blonde goblin.After various encounter with the army and the obtaining of a machine gun, things settle down for a game of 'this film is two hours long...get to the point'.
Will Klaus Kinski actually play himself in the final scene or will it be a body double as I think it is (you may want to check that out).Spaghetti Westerns are hard to get wrong and this one doesn't fail at all.
A band of Mexican gun-runners employed by a revolutionary general lure an American mercenary into joining their gang, unaware that he is targeting their general.Damiano's film has been called a "serious statement about the Mexican Revolution" and has been recognized as an accomplished blend of "tension, action, politics and history".
"Quien Sabe?", is one of the best films to be found of this kind: those Spaghetti Westerns that use the Mexican Revolution as a backdrop.
The story (screenplay credited to Salvatore Laurani, adaptation to Franco Solinas) is deliberately paced, but includes some well executed action sequences, and it's engaging through and through.The star is genre veteran Gian Maria Volonte, who plays Chuncho, leader of a bandit gang who regularly supply rebel forces with much needed weapons and ammunition.
An enigmatic American Gringo (Lou Castel) with a hidden agenda ingratiates himself to Chuncho and his gang, so much so that Chuncho will even kill another of the gang when he goes after the "Nino".Chuncho is eventually revealed to be the most sympathetic character in the yarn being spun, and Volonte delivers a hearty performance that is full of spirit and amiability.
I realize it's quite a challenging promise, but Damiano Damiani's spaghetti western "A Bullet for the General" can easily compete with the best works of eminent Italian directors such as Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci.
Being a lot more politically engaged than the other contemporary euro-western efforts, Damiani's "A Bullet for the General" is definitely required viewing for all the fans of vintage cult cinema.
Damiano Damiani's 1966 film 'A Bullet for the General' is a very good Spaghetti Western genre film that everyone who enjoys western films should not miss for its good political matters involved and very good acting.
Okay, so the dubbing's atrocious but in every other respect Damiano Damiani's "A Bullet for the General" is a classic Spaghetti Western which has built up quite a considerable cult since it first appeared.
With a cast headed by Gian Maria Volonte, Klaus Kinski and Lou Castel, not to mention cult favorite Martine Beswick, what do you expect but it's Damiani's direction, (he handles the plentiful action sequences splendidly), and Antonio Secchi's superb widescreen cinematography, together with an intelligent and politically astute screenplay, in part written by Franco Solinas, that gives this marvelous film an edge over many of its contemporaries..
In the late 1960's, the radical sentiment of the times spurred many an Italian filmmaker to make like Ambrose Bierce and get lost in the Mexican revolution, blissfully unaware (or uncaring) that it ended with an outcome best described by a lyric from The Who, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." and prompting Sergio Leone (a political moderate) to preface his own addition to the revolutionary sub-genre, A Fistful Of Dynamite, with a quote from Mao, reminding the viewer that a revolution was an act of violence, lest we forget.Still, this exuberant, violent leftist fantasy is impossible to resist, thanks to breakneck pacing, a zesty performance by Gian Maria Volante (who was kicked out of Italy's communist party for being too radical!), excellent production values, direction, and cinematography.Also, Martine Beswick is nice to look at and it's always great to see Klaus Kinski in anything he's in.
However, paired with Volante, he seems more restrained than usual.One real flaw in the film's ideology (at least in my opinion), is that often times the heroes here seem to act as fascist as the villains, executing people without trial, killing an unarmed priest, sexual assault etcetera, all the things that make the movie interesting, that would now be categorized as human-rights abuses!Interestingly enough, director Damiano Damiani went on to make Amityville II: The Possession!.
Gian Maria Volontè is at his absolute best, and Klaus Kinski also does some great character work as a revolutionary religious man who does the Lord's killing for Him. Lou Castel's performance as "Nino" was relatively underwhelming  it's one of those cases where the director apparently thought less is more.
In contrast "The Mercenary" and "Duck, You Sucker" each have at least 2 compelling characters, and the relationship between the American and the Mexican isn't nearly as interesting as what Leone did with the Irishman and the Mexican in his film about the Mexican Revolution.Still, if you forget about perhaps superior Westerns or superior Spag-westerns that you've seen, and just take the movie on its own merits, it's at least a reasonably entertaining picture and has some interesting surprises if you don't sit and think about it too much while you're watching it..
In Damiano Damiani's first stab at the spaghetti westernGian Maria Volonte (veteran of Sergio Leone films) plays Chuncho, leader of a Mexican Bandit gang who sell arms to the revolutionaries.
There is also a strong performance by another spaghetti western regular, Klaus Kinski, as a slightly crazed Christian revolutionary.
Along the way there is plenty of Mexican Bandit action - train holdups, raids on forts, peasant liberation - to keep up the pace of the film.To be fair, the first hour or so was pretty average - there were a few good moments (such as an attack on a landowner's mansion), but nothing really exceptional.
Needless to say he makes the right choice, and he makes it in style, resulting an ending which manages to be at the same time funny, exciting and emotional.One of the cleverest things about this film is that in many ways it is a role reversal of the typical spaghetti western.
I like it almost as much as those two films although baby-faced Lou Castel as El Nino the gringo, doesn't make much of an impression as an assassin-for-hire, used by the Mexican government to take out Elias (Jamie Fernandez) and collect 10,000 pesos in gold.
During the Mexican Revolution, Chuncho is a bandit running guns for peasant leader Elias.
Whilst robbing an army supply train, Chuncho meets Nino, an unusual American, who wants to join his group and seems to have a great interest in meeting Elias ...This distinctive Italian western has several great things going for it - a fine cast, a stylish score by Luis Bacalov, lots of exciting action scenes - but its real asset is a terrific story by Salvatore Laurani and Franco Solinas.
The scripts for many spaghetti westerns are just simple revenge dramas, but this has real character depth and a powerful political context, forcing the uneducated Chuncho to decide what he really believes in.
Meaning, the endings are happily-ever-after and the characters constitute anything for role models.In "Quien Sabe," ferocious Mexican desperado 'El Chucho' Munoz (Gian Maria Volonté of "A Fistful of Dollars") meets a baby-faced American, Bill Tate (Colombian actor Lou Castel of "The Cassandra Crossing") after an assault on a government train and lets him join his band of murderous revolutionaries.
'El Chucho' shows no qualms about killing his own to protect Bill, and Bill repays him the favor near the end when El Santo has orders to execute his brother.If you consider yourself a fan of Spaghetti westerns, "Quien Sabe?" is worth watching.
An American (Lou Castel) teams up with a Mexican revolutionary (Gian Maria Volonte) to sell arms across Mexico.
During the Mexican Revolution, American Lou Castel gets caught up with arms dealer Gian Maria Volonté and his band of thieving misfits.