Reviews (46)

THE BEST IN THE SERIES
The Amityville films have all been mediocre fare by far. This sequel stands out, however, as stylish, creepy, and shocking. The film keeps the viewer watching because of how the characters relate to one another in a very realistic way (You could almost swear you know a family just like this one). Yep, the film actually develops the characters nicely all the way up until that fatal night. The supernatural elements are only a side deversion as to the "real" problems the family faces. The film is a prequel to "The Amityville Horror," Taking place before the infamous story and focusing on the first family who was murdered by the eldest son in-real-life. This is probably why the film is much more richer than the rest of the series, because the actual family that lived there was very disfunctional and the incestuous relationship between brother and sister was even recorded in the highly interesting non-fiction book called "High Hopes." The book is not published as a novel but a recording of facts about the people related to the house and the crime itself. Unfortunately the ending falls flat when it goes into a different direction as if it were a different film all together... and just added on as a second thought. The film could have ended earlier with what happened with the family alone. The actors were very believable as the characters and helped enhance the film. But once again, the ending changes all of that when it strays from the original story and the remaining characters are left with nothing much to work with from the script.

Could've been as great as the first...
First off, let me say that I don't think THE AMITYVILLE HORROR should've gotten any sequels, because it was a very strong film on its own. But then, 1982 rolls around and someone suddenly gets an urge to ruin a good horror film by creating the unnecessary AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION. It's a prequel to the first one, chronicling the events that occured when the original family, the DeFeos owned the infamous Long Island home, which I have been to myself. I live in Bohemia, New York and Amityville is only about 20 minutes away.

But, I digress. Instead of calling the family the DeFeos, they were called the Montellis. The movie starts off pretty good, actually, but then, eventually, everything goes downhill. It's not a good movie and I wouldn't buy it. It's worth a rent though.

When Sonny Gets Blue
If it wasn't for the recent marathon of the "Amityville" movies, well the first three anyways, on AMC the other night, I would never of bothered to check out any of these films besides the first one. After seeing this sequel, which is really a "prequel" to the original film, it's safe to say that you can stop after the first film because this one and the remaining films offer very little to watch or get excited about. This isn't saying much about the original either, because it too wasn't much of anything to begin with. This sequel, released in 1982, is more in touch, more or less, with the actual murders that took place in the infamous Long Island house on 112 Ocean Avenue on the early morning of November 13, 1974. It still exploits those tragic events into a supernatural haunted house story with it's facts turned around for entertainment value and a different family. Burt Young plays the overbearing and abusive matriarch of the family that consists of his wife and 4 kids. The oldest being Sonny(Jack Magner). It isn't long after the family moves into the house that strange things happen. In fact, they happen almost immediatley. Which was a problem with the first film. The James Brolin character got taken over so quickly, it was hard to connect with him because we didn't get enough time to know him. The same goes for Sonny, who is almost instantly changed once he moves in. The spirits and the voices drive Sonny over the edge, telling him to murder his family. His family are not very sympathetic and they don't earn your interest enough to care if they get wiped out or not. The family priest played by James Olson, gets in on the horror in the house and tries to help the family. The big action comes sooner than you would think, and the rest of the film turns into another Hollywood piece of mumbo jumbo that forgoes any kind of suspense or truthfulness that came in the film up to this point. It completely unravels and becomes a mess that seems as if it were just slapped together. It does have one harrowing scene when the son gets the dirty deed done on his family. That part was the only interesting and halfway creepy thing about this otherwise forgettable film. The acting isn't much better than the original, with the exception of Young as the brute father and Olson as the priest. The brother/sister action in the film is unsettling, but also a bit laughable. She has no problem with getting nude and posing and all this, instructed by her brother, but once she learns that he has some undergarments of hers, then hey!, she senses that something is odd. Really?!?!. The film is also kind of shocking in some ways because of some of the deaths that take place since it is unusual to see them in a horror movie. I won't say what it is though. The "Amityville" movies have been a questionable, and less than stellar affair right from the start. The original was not very good, and it didn't get any better with the unending amount of unneeded and uunwarranted sequels. Oh, and by the way, in case you were wondering, my title refers to an old Johnny Mathis tune. So, while this film has some things going for it that are a tad better than the original, like a faster pace, and a better priest, and that one harrowing set piece showcasing the murders, it still fails to come to the level of a film that was sub par to begin with. That kind of tells you everything right there.

Prequel to "The Amityville Horror"...
When I first saw this movie back in the 8th Grade, I was quite impressed with the scary atmosphere and the special effects that it delivers for a low-budget film. The story concerns an Italian family from New York who buys the old estate and once they move in, the horror begins... A father mysteriously turns abusive and starts beating the kids, a brother who ends up sharing a sexual relationship with his sister, and the terrifying supernatural which soon eventually drives him to the edge and causes him to kill off his entire family! Very bloody and gruesome storytelling no doubt! Sure the acting drags at some points (just SOME points) but it's a very good and original homemade horror "B" movie that's guaranteed to give you nightmares! You'll be wanting to watch with the lights on late at night! This is also a very rare and hard to find lost gem, so pick one up today and give it a try! I only wish they'd put this on DVD together with the ORIGINAL "Amityville Horror" (already out on DVD now) but maybe in some kind of Special Edition DOUBLE FEATURE pack! That would be most splendid for all horror fans out there!

A sequel that is a prequel and which fails either way
"Amityville II: The Possession" is essentially a prequel to "The Amityville Horror" in that it tells why the home in the Long Island community was available for sale for that the Lutz family could move in and end up running fleeing for their lives. This time it is the Montelli family that moves into the accursed house, which is not good because they are an unhappy family in the grand tradition of Tolstoy that is heading for trouble no matter where they live. The main tension is between the father, Anthony (Burt Young), and his eldest song, Sonny (Jack Magner), and if it were not for the fact that anyone who saw the original movie knows what is going to happen at the end of this one, you might be wondering which one of these guys is going to lose it first.

Surprisingly, this 1982 film goes through a lot of the same things as the original, which is not surprising for a sequel but more so because there was never a notion that every time somebody moves into this house rooms are covered with flies, blood comes out in strange places, and unseen presences are running around making people feel uneasy. In another move that makes sense only in terms of the movies rather than the "history" of the house, the unseen beings start covering the walls of the children's bedroom with evil pictures and phrases. At this point the film convinces you that there is something really evil in that house, and it would be Anthony Montelli. Even when the local priest (James Olson) comes by to bless the house and sees Anthony going after his family, he walks away (which would seem to be good advice with regards to this film).

On some levels this film is better than the original, but only in the sense that if there never had been an original this one might work better. The flaw with the film version of "The Amityville Horror" was that whereas the novel told a "true" story in a rather documentary style, which was abandoned for cheesy horror film effects. The simple idea of possession that was implied to be the reason the son went off one night and killed his family is now adorned with a whole host of tacky "Exorcist" like ideas. The irony, as I understand it, is that the killing of this family was the one bit of the hoax that really was true. The names are changed because this film would have been the target for a lawsuit otherwise. If director Damiano Damiani had stuck to the true story and forgot about all this other nonsense he would have had a better film. In fact, the only part of "Amityville II: The Possession" that really works is the night of the murders. ... Read more

Description

At the height of the Mexican revolution, a mysterious young American (Lou Castel of Fist in His Pocket) joins a gang of marauders led by El Chucho (Gian Maria Volonte of A Fistful of Dollars) on a series of savage raids to steal guns for a powerful rebel general. But when the Gringo brings his own cold-blooded ideals to the bandits, El Chucho discovers that the real weapons of war belong to no army. In a land ravaged by poverty and violence, can true freedom be bought with a single bullet?
Klaus Kinski (For a Few Dollars More) and Martine Beswick (Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, Thunderball) co-star in this legendary western directed by Damiano Damiani from a powerful screenplay co-written by Oscar nominee Franco Solinas (The Battle of Algiers, The Big Gundown). Also known as Quien Sabe?, this thrilling epic features some of the most surprising performances radical politics and shocking violence of an "Spaghetti Western" ever made. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

When the bullet turns red...
... the General will be dead.

I'm starting to get it, I think. The gig with spaghetti westerns, that is. Capitalism stinks, the Establishment is corrupt and everybody over thirty in clean clothes is likely to be shot. The good guys are greasy, sweaty, and rude. They talk when their mouths are stuffed with chicken stolen off the plate of the corrupt property holder. The good guys are a mescal induced nightmare of the progeny of hippies and Hell's Angels - a peculiarly sixties vision of a union of the odious with the sociopath.
The Hippie Creed is announced on the international trailer to A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL: "They gambled their lives for absolute freedom to do as they please." Right on, man.
None of this makes A BULLET an unpleasant viewing experience, but I didn't really much care who was going to be shot next, which was a good thing considering the body count in this one. Gian Maria Volonte plays El Chuncho, the leader of a band of marauders who loves The People. Klaus Kinski plays El Santo, El Chuncho's brother and a man who loves God. Lou Castel plays the gringo Bill Tate, dubbed "Nino" by El Chuncho, a man who loves Money. Castel is on a secret mission (he's carrying a golden bullet in his valise. Hint, hint) and to blend in with the banditos he's dresses up like a bank teller throughout the movie. How did he keep he shirt so clean and his collar so starched?
At one point El Chuncho tries to explain it to the uncomprehending Nino. While bear hugging a peasant he says "He's poor and filthy but he's a human being. Man the same as you. Do you understand?" Right on, man. Where was that little speech when you were murdering the land owner and ravishing his wife?
A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL is alright, but it might be a tough ride if you're like me and want someone to root for.

one of the best spaghetti westerns, a cheesy masterpiece
First off if you do have a brain you will know that any film that isn't directed by Sergio Leone will be nothing like a film directed by Sergio Leone even if its in the same genre. Kind of how Lucio Fulci's movies are nothing like George Romero's yet they share or even steal the same ideas, aight?
This movie is probably my favorite non-Leone spaghetti western there is, and interestingly enough this is one of the few of the genre I've seen that makes no attempt to be like a Leone film unlike the hundreds of others made at the same time. This will be a problem for most people who will expect it and its rough edges which are mostly bad dubbing will turn most people off but I can seriously say I like this movie tons.
To keep it short there's tons of shooting, tons of explosions, 3523352523 double crossings which will make you wonder if you should be mad or cheer when you see who dies in the end, hilariously horrendous dubbing, cheesy "typical" Mexican music, and well, lots of shooting and killing. As simple as this film is I still say its far better than The Great Silence, while it has a great score, cool setting and cool ending, thats about all it has. This movie is way better.

it's NOT Sergio Leone
I ordered this with the hope of re-living the atmospheric and operatic triumpsh of Leone (Eastwood Trilogy and Once Upon a Time in the West).

Honestly, I'm not a true critic, but I was nevertheless let down with the movie. Knowing Klaus Kinsky and Gian Maria Volonté were starring in the movie made want to buy it. But alas, the Volonte' character of Indio we came to admire for his acting skills and on stage persona, was NOT the same here. Primarily due to the dubbing. In For a Few Dollars more and Fist Full of Dollars, we heard the dubbed voice reflected a resonance and depth that is not represented in this film - a different dubbing voice was given... it almost made me laugh.
Buy this if you want, but I was sadly let down.

Bottom line, not in the best Leone spirit and poor dubbing.

save your money and put it towards "The Great Silence"... it's not Leone but has Morricone for the soundtrack, which is wonderful.

An Allegory of American Imperialism
Franco Solinas' heavily ironic political allegory is perhaps the best screenplay ever written for a spaghetti western. An Oscar-winning writer, Solinas turned briefly to the genre in the late 1960's, drafting the story for four oustanding entries: "La Resa dei conti," "Tepepa... Viva la revolución," "Il Mercenario," and "¿Quien sabe?"--known in the US as "A Bullet for the General." He reportedly also highly influenced two more of Sollimas' films-- "Corri, uomo, corri" and "Faccia a faccia." But Solinas' work is never more topically biting than in "¿Quien sabe?" Lou Castel (in a wonderfully opaque performance) plays a mysterious Gringo who sets up a happenstantial meeting with Gian Maria Volonte's "El Chuncho"--an idealistic but sometimes naive bandit turned revolutionary. Gradually, Chuncho comes to realize that the Gringo is an even "purer" form of the character Eastwood made popular a few years earlier: an American with "not much heart but a lot of money." Indeed, money is ALL the Gringo EVER cares about in this film. The conclusion is both cynical and revolutionary--and perhaps one of the most damning portraits of American imperialism (Solinas claimed that the Gringo is a symbol of CIA involvement in Latin America) ever put to film. Damiano Damiani's direction is at times both inspired and inspiring: the opening of the film is near-brilliant (demonstrating the lengths both the Mexican military and Chuncho will go to achieve their goals) and Volonte delivers his greatest performance next to "Faccia a faccia." Luis Enríquez Bacalov's scoring and Antonio Secchi's exquisite panoramic photography (his one great work) lend the film a style to match its substance. A movie as engaging politically as it is entertaining, it puts to shame the "professional westerns" made by American directors during the same period and is matched aesthetically only by Peckinpah's "Wild Bunch." Perhaps not a masterpiece, but easily worth the highest of general ratings and a must-see for those who enjoy leftist entertainment.

DAMIANI - KINSKI - VOLONTE : THE GOOD, THE BAD AND.. THE BAD
Directed by italian director Damiano Damiani in 1967, A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL is a pure marvel released now in the DVD standard by Anchor Bay. Just two trailers as extra features but imperial sound and images justify a must-buy status for this movie.

Now for the actors. Gian-Maria Volonté is exceptional in the role of El Chuncho, a rather likeable outlaw who considers that the mexican revolution is a good opportunity to make money by selling rifles to the revolutionaries. His brother Klaus Kinski, as blonde as El Chuncho is black, is more disturbing as a priest convinced that social justice must be brought into this world by all possible means, preferably with the help of explosives and machine-guns. El Niño, the character played by the colombian born actor Lou Castel, is even more intriguing with his attitude à la Clint Eastwood. He's the meanest of all but nonetheless develops a strange friendship for his alter ego Volonté.

Four years before Sergio Leone's A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE, A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL is already visiting the mexican revolution but with an engaged point of view that doesn't leave unharm politicians, working-class people, wealthy ranchers, pistoleros, revolutionaries or americans. Great fun with food for the mind, what more can you expect from cinema ?

A DVD zone your library. ... Read more

Description

At the height of the Mexican revolution, a mysterious young American (Lou Castel of Fist in His Pocket) joins a gang of marauders led by El Chucho (Gian Maria Volonte of A Fistful of Dollars) on a series of savage raids to steal guns for a powerful rebel general. But when the Gringo brings his own cold-blooded ideals to the bandits, El Chucho discovers that the real weapons of war belong to no army. In a land ravaged by poverty and violence, can true freedom be bought with a single bullet?
Klaus Kinski (For a Few Dollars More) and Martine Beswick (Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, Thunderball) co-star in this legendary western directed by Damiano Damiani from a powerful screenplay co-written by Oscar nominee Franco Solinas (The Battle of Algiers, The Big Gundown). Also known as Quien Sabe?, this thrilling epic features some of the most surprising performances radical politics and shocking violence of an "Spaghetti Western" ever made. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

When the bullet turns red...
... the General will be dead.

I'm starting to get it, I think. The gig with spaghetti westerns, that is. Capitalism stinks, the Establishment is corrupt and everybody over thirty in clean clothes is likely to be shot. The good guys are greasy, sweaty, and rude. They talk when their mouths are stuffed with chicken stolen off the plate of the corrupt property holder. The good guys are a mescal induced nightmare of the progeny of hippies and Hell's Angels - a peculiarly sixties vision of a union of the odious with the sociopath.
The Hippie Creed is announced on the international trailer to A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL: "They gambled their lives for absolute freedom to do as they please." Right on, man.
None of this makes A BULLET an unpleasant viewing experience, but I didn't really much care who was going to be shot next, which was a good thing considering the body count in this one. Gian Maria Volonte plays El Chuncho, the leader of a band of marauders who loves The People. Klaus Kinski plays El Santo, El Chuncho's brother and a man who loves God. Lou Castel plays the gringo Bill Tate, dubbed "Nino" by El Chuncho, a man who loves Money. Castel is on a secret mission (he's carrying a golden bullet in his valise. Hint, hint) and to blend in with the banditos he's dresses up like a bank teller throughout the movie. How did he keep he shirt so clean and his collar so starched?
At one point El Chuncho tries to explain it to the uncomprehending Nino. While bear hugging a peasant he says "He's poor and filthy but he's a human being. Man the same as you. Do you understand?" Right on, man. Where was that little speech when you were murdering the land owner and ravishing his wife?
A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL is alright, but it might be a tough ride if you're like me and want someone to root for.

one of the best spaghetti westerns, a cheesy masterpiece
First off if you do have a brain you will know that any film that isn't directed by Sergio Leone will be nothing like a film directed by Sergio Leone even if its in the same genre. Kind of how Lucio Fulci's movies are nothing like George Romero's yet they share or even steal the same ideas, aight?
This movie is probably my favorite non-Leone spaghetti western there is, and interestingly enough this is one of the few of the genre I've seen that makes no attempt to be like a Leone film unlike the hundreds of others made at the same time. This will be a problem for most people who will expect it and its rough edges which are mostly bad dubbing will turn most people off but I can seriously say I like this movie tons.
To keep it short there's tons of shooting, tons of explosions, 3523352523 double crossings which will make you wonder if you should be mad or cheer when you see who dies in the end, hilariously horrendous dubbing, cheesy "typical" Mexican music, and well, lots of shooting and killing. As simple as this film is I still say its far better than The Great Silence, while it has a great score, cool setting and cool ending, thats about all it has. This movie is way better.

it's NOT Sergio Leone
I ordered this with the hope of re-living the atmospheric and operatic triumpsh of Leone (Eastwood Trilogy and Once Upon a Time in the West).

Honestly, I'm not a true critic, but I was nevertheless let down with the movie. Knowing Klaus Kinsky and Gian Maria Volonté were starring in the movie made want to buy it. But alas, the Volonte' character of Indio we came to admire for his acting skills and on stage persona, was NOT the same here. Primarily due to the dubbing. In For a Few Dollars more and Fist Full of Dollars, we heard the dubbed voice reflected a resonance and depth that is not represented in this film - a different dubbing voice was given... it almost made me laugh.
Buy this if you want, but I was sadly let down.

Bottom line, not in the best Leone spirit and poor dubbing.

save your money and put it towards "The Great Silence"... it's not Leone but has Morricone for the soundtrack, which is wonderful.

An Allegory of American Imperialism
Franco Solinas' heavily ironic political allegory is perhaps the best screenplay ever written for a spaghetti western. An Oscar-winning writer, Solinas turned briefly to the genre in the late 1960's, drafting the story for four oustanding entries: "La Resa dei conti," "Tepepa... Viva la revolución," "Il Mercenario," and "¿Quien sabe?"--known in the US as "A Bullet for the General." He reportedly also highly influenced two more of Sollimas' films-- "Corri, uomo, corri" and "Faccia a faccia." But Solinas' work is never more topically biting than in "¿Quien sabe?" Lou Castel (in a wonderfully opaque performance) plays a mysterious Gringo who sets up a happenstantial meeting with Gian Maria Volonte's "El Chuncho"--an idealistic but sometimes naive bandit turned revolutionary. Gradually, Chuncho comes to realize that the Gringo is an even "purer" form of the character Eastwood made popular a few years earlier: an American with "not much heart but a lot of money." Indeed, money is ALL the Gringo EVER cares about in this film. The conclusion is both cynical and revolutionary--and perhaps one of the most damning portraits of American imperialism (Solinas claimed that the Gringo is a symbol of CIA involvement in Latin America) ever put to film. Damiano Damiani's direction is at times both inspired and inspiring: the opening of the film is near-brilliant (demonstrating the lengths both the Mexican military and Chuncho will go to achieve their goals) and Volonte delivers his greatest performance next to "Faccia a faccia." Luis Enríquez Bacalov's scoring and Antonio Secchi's exquisite panoramic photography (his one great work) lend the film a style to match its substance. A movie as engaging politically as it is entertaining, it puts to shame the "professional westerns" made by American directors during the same period and is matched aesthetically only by Peckinpah's "Wild Bunch." Perhaps not a masterpiece, but easily worth the highest of general ratings and a must-see for those who enjoy leftist entertainment.

DAMIANI - KINSKI - VOLONTE : THE GOOD, THE BAD AND.. THE BAD
Directed by italian director Damiano Damiani in 1967, A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL is a pure marvel released now in the DVD standard by Anchor Bay. Just two trailers as extra features but imperial sound and images justify a must-buy status for this movie.

Now for the actors. Gian-Maria Volonté is exceptional in the role of El Chuncho, a rather likeable outlaw who considers that the mexican revolution is a good opportunity to make money by selling rifles to the revolutionaries. His brother Klaus Kinski, as blonde as El Chuncho is black, is more disturbing as a priest convinced that social justice must be brought into this world by all possible means, preferably with the help of explosives and machine-guns. El Niño, the character played by the colombian born actor Lou Castel, is even more intriguing with his attitude à la Clint Eastwood. He's the meanest of all but nonetheless develops a strange friendship for his alter ego Volonté.

Four years before Sergio Leone's A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE, A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL is already visiting the mexican revolution but with an engaged point of view that doesn't leave unharm politicians, working-class people, wealthy ranchers, pistoleros, revolutionaries or americans. Great fun with food for the mind, what more can you expect from cinema ?

A DVD zone your library. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Intriguing idea, mediocre ending
The idea of an official Roman investigation into the theft of Jesus' body is a stroke of genius, but the filmmakers flubbed their premise with a boring almost-romance between Taurus and Mrs. Pilate, and a silly end act as Taurus goes undercover as a Jew to find Jesus. Heartfelt but flawed film.

A very memorable, but underrated film
I saw this film in a cinema in Rome, on its initial release. I remember it for the effect it had on the audience. After it had finished, the auditorium was in deep silence, for a substantial length of time, before people started moving to the exit. The atmosphere was stunned and one of deep thought. This film touches a nerve as it questions the balance of forces between the clear, rational search for understanding of the central character, the Roman investigator, and the power of faith, no matter how irrational, in the minds of those who believe. It is a masterstroke of Damiani and his mentor in this film, Ennio Flaiano, that the figure of Jesus is obliquely presented, solely through the perspectives of others, which alone marks this film out from most examples of the 'biblical' genre. I know of no-one who has seen this unusual film who has not had cause for deep reflection afterwards.

Thought Provoking Drama
This is one of those films that gets off to a slow start, but builds inexorably on an engrossing premise to end on a powerful note. The story draws you in to the inquiry of the title,never giving away the surprising twists and turns of the plot.

What I appreciated most about this film was the presence of a good story line and plot that kept your interest as the inquiry progressed into the unknown. The sense of mystery was heightened by the sparse locale and simple sets. The dialouge requires you to engage your mind.

Harvey Keitel is perfect as a suspicious Pontius Pilate. His performance alone makes this worth seeing for anyone who is a fan. Carradine is good, but it isn't till the end of the film, when he is mistaken for the person he is looking for, that his performance transcends to become truly memorable.

I found myself thinking about this story and the questions it raised long after I had seen it. This film stays with you, and to me that is the mark of a successful production. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

When the bullet turns red...
... the General will be dead.

I'm starting to get it, I think. The gig with spaghetti westerns, that is. Capitalism stinks, the Establishment is corrupt and everybody over thirty in clean clothes is likely to be shot. The good guys are greasy, sweaty, and rude. They talk when their mouths are stuffed with chicken stolen off the plate of the corrupt property holder. The good guys are a mescal induced nightmare of the progeny of hippies and Hell's Angels - a peculiarly sixties vision of a union of the odious with the sociopath.
The Hippie Creed is announced on the international trailer to A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL: "They gambled their lives for absolute freedom to do as they please." Right on, man.
None of this makes A BULLET an unpleasant viewing experience, but I didn't really much care who was going to be shot next, which was a good thing considering the body count in this one. Gian Maria Volonte plays El Chuncho, the leader of a band of marauders who loves The People. Klaus Kinski plays El Santo, El Chuncho's brother and a man who loves God. Lou Castel plays the gringo Bill Tate, dubbed "Nino" by El Chuncho, a man who loves Money. Castel is on a secret mission (he's carrying a golden bullet in his valise. Hint, hint) and to blend in with the banditos he's dresses up like a bank teller throughout the movie. How did he keep he shirt so clean and his collar so starched?
At one point El Chuncho tries to explain it to the uncomprehending Nino. While bear hugging a peasant he says "He's poor and filthy but he's a human being. Man the same as you. Do you understand?" Right on, man. Where was that little speech when you were murdering the land owner and ravishing his wife?
A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL is alright, but it might be a tough ride if you're like me and want someone to root for.

one of the best spaghetti westerns, a cheesy masterpiece
First off if you do have a brain you will know that any film that isn't directed by Sergio Leone will be nothing like a film directed by Sergio Leone even if its in the same genre. Kind of how Lucio Fulci's movies are nothing like George Romero's yet they share or even steal the same ideas, aight?
This movie is probably my favorite non-Leone spaghetti western there is, and interestingly enough this is one of the few of the genre I've seen that makes no attempt to be like a Leone film unlike the hundreds of others made at the same time. This will be a problem for most people who will expect it and its rough edges which are mostly bad dubbing will turn most people off but I can seriously say I like this movie tons.
To keep it short there's tons of shooting, tons of explosions, 3523352523 double crossings which will make you wonder if you should be mad or cheer when you see who dies in the end, hilariously horrendous dubbing, cheesy "typical" Mexican music, and well, lots of shooting and killing. As simple as this film is I still say its far better than The Great Silence, while it has a great score, cool setting and cool ending, thats about all it has. This movie is way better.

it's NOT Sergio Leone
I ordered this with the hope of re-living the atmospheric and operatic triumpsh of Leone (Eastwood Trilogy and Once Upon a Time in the West).

Honestly, I'm not a true critic, but I was nevertheless let down with the movie. Knowing Klaus Kinsky and Gian Maria Volonté were starring in the movie made want to buy it. But alas, the Volonte' character of Indio we came to admire for his acting skills and on stage persona, was NOT the same here. Primarily due to the dubbing. In For a Few Dollars more and Fist Full of Dollars, we heard the dubbed voice reflected a resonance and depth that is not represented in this film - a different dubbing voice was given... it almost made me laugh.
Buy this if you want, but I was sadly let down.

Bottom line, not in the best Leone spirit and poor dubbing.

save your money and put it towards "The Great Silence"... it's not Leone but has Morricone for the soundtrack, which is wonderful.

An Allegory of American Imperialism
Franco Solinas' heavily ironic political allegory is perhaps the best screenplay ever written for a spaghetti western. An Oscar-winning writer, Solinas turned briefly to the genre in the late 1960's, drafting the story for four oustanding entries: "La Resa dei conti," "Tepepa... Viva la revolución," "Il Mercenario," and "¿Quien sabe?"--known in the US as "A Bullet for the General." He reportedly also highly influenced two more of Sollimas' films-- "Corri, uomo, corri" and "Faccia a faccia." But Solinas' work is never more topically biting than in "¿Quien sabe?" Lou Castel (in a wonderfully opaque performance) plays a mysterious Gringo who sets up a happenstantial meeting with Gian Maria Volonte's "El Chuncho"--an idealistic but sometimes naive bandit turned revolutionary. Gradually, Chuncho comes to realize that the Gringo is an even "purer" form of the character Eastwood made popular a few years earlier: an American with "not much heart but a lot of money." Indeed, money is ALL the Gringo EVER cares about in this film. The conclusion is both cynical and revolutionary--and perhaps one of the most damning portraits of American imperialism (Solinas claimed that the Gringo is a symbol of CIA involvement in Latin America) ever put to film. Damiano Damiani's direction is at times both inspired and inspiring: the opening of the film is near-brilliant (demonstrating the lengths both the Mexican military and Chuncho will go to achieve their goals) and Volonte delivers his greatest performance next to "Faccia a faccia." Luis Enríquez Bacalov's scoring and Antonio Secchi's exquisite panoramic photography (his one great work) lend the film a style to match its substance. A movie as engaging politically as it is entertaining, it puts to shame the "professional westerns" made by American directors during the same period and is matched aesthetically only by Peckinpah's "Wild Bunch." Perhaps not a masterpiece, but easily worth the highest of general ratings and a must-see for those who enjoy leftist entertainment.

DAMIANI - KINSKI - VOLONTE : THE GOOD, THE BAD AND.. THE BAD
Directed by italian director Damiano Damiani in 1967, A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL is a pure marvel released now in the DVD standard by Anchor Bay. Just two trailers as extra features but imperial sound and images justify a must-buy status for this movie.

Now for the actors. Gian-Maria Volonté is exceptional in the role of El Chuncho, a rather likeable outlaw who considers that the mexican revolution is a good opportunity to make money by selling rifles to the revolutionaries. His brother Klaus Kinski, as blonde as El Chuncho is black, is more disturbing as a priest convinced that social justice must be brought into this world by all possible means, preferably with the help of explosives and machine-guns. El Niño, the character played by the colombian born actor Lou Castel, is even more intriguing with his attitude à la Clint Eastwood. He's the meanest of all but nonetheless develops a strange friendship for his alter ego Volonté.

Four years before Sergio Leone's A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE, A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL is already visiting the mexican revolution but with an engaged point of view that doesn't leave unharm politicians, working-class people, wealthy ranchers, pistoleros, revolutionaries or americans. Great fun with food for the mind, what more can you expect from cinema ?

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