Director: Maurizio Lucidi
Year: 1966
Country: Italy
Alternate Titles: 2 once di piombo
Genre: Spaghetti Western
Plot:
Riding into a small border town, a man finds the area under the grips of a racist gang of criminals looking for a stolen cache of money from a bank robbery that a traitor took from the group. Unable to find the money, they begin scouring the area looking for it which enables him to quietly slip into town and begin picking off the gang members by himself which gets the attention of the group who realize someone else is in town looking for them. Once they finally learn who the stranger is and what’s he’s doing in town they set out to bring his rampage to an end leading to a deadly confrontation for all involved.
Review:
There was quite a lot to like with this one. It works quite nicely with the fantastic setup involving the means of how the two come across each other and how that gets played out. The initial setup involving his skills with the initial shootout of the stranger at the watering hole displays his abilities with the weapons and the later shootout with the carriage driver in the town-square displays the crime-boss ruthlessness that makes them worthy adversaries. As the film carries on and his vengeance carries out in the form of taking out the various gang members throughout the town which disrupts the search for the missing money, the gradual escalation that arises towards their gradual confrontation.
That setup brings the film a nice it of action along the way. The initial gunfight in the town square shows how ruthless the men are manages to get quite a lot to like, while the various shootouts that demonstrate his gunfighting abilities as he takes out the gang members create some interesting sequences where it alerts the gang-leader to his presence. As the beatings and other shootouts take place that not only further this dueling storyline but also set the stage for the main action in the finale which gets all kinds of fun. With some fine double-crosses and some surprising characters who get knocked off and some enjoyable brawls amongst the gunfighting on display, this part features so much to like and holds it up over its few minor flaws.
There isn’t much but the film does have a few issues. The biggest factor against this one is the generally idiotic nature of the villains who are some of the most brainless in the genre. Not only are they well aware that someone is in the town killing off their members but have also caught him on several occasions knowing he’s the one responsible for all their misfortunes. Seeing their ruthlessness in action and willingness to dispose of anyone who gets in their way as efficiently as possible makes their treatment of him quite interesting, especially once a surprisingly late reveal comes into play that makes their relationship far more personal. It should’ve made their encounters personal from the beginning but comes off awkward due to its late reveal for no reason, bringing this down slightly.
Overview: ****/5
Without much to dislike here beyond some rather confusing storyline work that seems set up more for their final confrontation rather than generating anything realistic between the hero and villain of the piece, that the rest of this one is enjoyable and entertaining enough keeps this going along quite strongly. Give this a look if you’re a fan of the style or the genre in general, while most others should stick to the main genre entries first before taking a look at this one.
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