Thursday, December 15, 2011

THE BIG GUNDOWN (1966)


There are three Italian Sergio who defined Spaghetti western entertainment with their low on budget high on action firecrackers on screen. The first one becomes the most popular name who made Clint Eastwood the iconic legend with his trilogy westerns. The second one and quite lesser known one is Sergio Corbucci who made some of the brilliant westerns still unnoticed by mass except ‘Django’. What is John Wayne to John Ford, Eastwood to Sergio Leone; Franko Nero remained to Corbucci. The third and perhaps the least known one is Sergio Sollima. Indeed a wonderful discovery for western lovers!  

This is my first Sollima film and it’s absolutely gripping entertaining treat for any spaghetti western cinebuff. The film pitted two men poles apart from law and we see engaging cat and mouse play between an unofficial lawman named Corbett and a notorious and wanted Mexican outlaw named Cuchillo accused of rape and murder of a 12 years old girl. It has surprise in the middle and that push the boiling action to new direction. Lee Van Cliff is the man to watch here as Corbett and this is one no admirer should miss. Ennio Morricone’s score for the film is not as brilliant as his other achievements but nevertheless it gives you feel of Dollars trilogy of Leone. Sollima’s western has fine rustic and raw feel in visuals and locations unlike American studio set made westerns, catch the classy climax to know what I mean. This is kind of western which I love to watch again and won’t get bore for single minute. The movie is enlisted in Quentin Tarantino’s Top 20 Spaghetti Westerns.

Love to explore more of Sollima.

Ratings-8/10 

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