The Big Gundown (1966)

Ready to hear some really deep thinking? Sure you are. The Big Gundown, aka La resa dei conti, was written and directed by a guy named Sergio. Therefore it’s good. Why do I say that? Well, Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West were directed by Sergio Leone. Django, The Great Silence and Companeros were directed by Sergio Corbucci (totally giving this guy a pass on The Hellbenders, which sucked). So, by that logic The Big Gundown, directed by Sergio Sollima should kick ass (especially with the soundtrack being put together by one of the greatest composers ever, Ennio Morricone). That would be correct. The Big Gundown fits easily into my top 10 spaghetti westerns and it’s one hell of a fun ride.

Rating:

John Corbett (Lee Van Cleef) is one hell of a gunman. In fact, he’s such a badass that he’s pretty much eliminated all the bandits in Texas (this is shown by an incredibly badass sequence when we first meet him). Since he’s so good at cleaning up the troubles of the people he is offered candidacy for the Senate of the US. With his power some shady people want him to support the building of a new railway. While the festivities are in full swing (during a party thrown by the rail yard owner) it comes to their attention that a Mexican bandito, Cuchillo Sanchez (Tomas Milian) has just raped and murdered a twelve-year old girl. Corbett is on the case and chases down the bandit. Along the way he meets some rather interesting characters, ranging from a gang of men that work on the whims of a rich widow, a traveling family, and a small Mexican camp. All along the way he never loses sight of his goal; bringing Cuchillo to justice and watching him hang.

Let’s get this out of the way now. Any western with Lee Van Cleef and Tomas Milian is an instant watch for me (hell, it doesn’t have to be a western). These two guys really know how to steal the show. Lee Van Cleef exudes badass in every scene he’s in. Let’s jump back to the moment we meet him. If you’ve seen Keoma (this is the only way I can describe this scene without spelling it out for you), you know what I’m talking about. Very few words are exchanged between Corbett and the three men that approach him, but a wager is made, people are killed and we understand everything about John Corbett without any explanation at all. Tomas Milian, on the other hand is a carefree spirit who just wants to be left alone to be a light-hearted bandit and do what he wants. His character reminded me a lot of the overall feeling of Companeros (not his character in that film, particularly since he was a bit angrier). Whereas we see the development of Corbett in the ways he interacts with those around him, we learn more about Cuchillo in the way others help him. A barber has no problem switching places with him to allow his escape. His ex won’t sell him out even though he broke her heart. It’s the little things like this that show just who Cuchillo really is, and it affects how Corbett decides to play out the rest of the film.

So, the film is called The Big Gundown. There’s got to be some cool shootouts, right? You would be correct. While not as over the top as Django, the gunfights are action-packed and pretty brutal. Blood splatters on the victims’ clothes as they fall over, clenching their sides. Buildings get shot up, gunslingers get shot up, beatdowns are handed out with no thought. These are the things that make westerns so much fun. As Corbett follows Cuchillo across the desert, he’s faced with constant obstacles, and those usually lead to any of the aforementioned action sequences. Be prepared for an incredible back to back stand off towards the end of the film as well. They really pulled out all the stops (and just for the heck of it, there’s a pretty amusing scene in which Milian is forced into a ring to fight a bull).

I can’t say enough good things about this film. The cinematography is usually incredible (at times it falls into more generic angles and such, but it doesn’t detract from the flick). Morricone’s score is, once again, incredible. The music flows along with the story, creating a sense of tension, or fun, depending on the scene. The acting from our two leads is great, and everyone else plays their part well, at least as well as could be hoped for. With plenty of violence, fun, and action, The Big Gundown will entertain anyone who’s a fan of spaghetti westerns.