WesternDrama

The Big Gundown

- Mr. Ugly comes to town!

Unofficial lawman John Corbett hunts down Cuchillo Sanchez, a Mexican peasant accused of raping and killing a 12-year-old girl.

Release Date : 1967-03-03

Language :Italian

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Tuillo DeMichelliPEA

Production Country : ItalySpain

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Jonathan Corbett

Original Name : Lee Van Cleef

Gender : Male

Character Name : Manuel 'Cuchillo' Sanchez

Original Name : Tomas Milian

Gender : Male

Character Name : Brokston

Original Name : Walter Barnes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Baron von Schulenberg

Original Name : Gérard Herter

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rosita, Cuchillo's wife

Original Name : Manolita Barroso

Gender : Female

Character Name : Capt. Segura

Original Name : Fernando Sancho

Gender : Male

Character Name : 'The Widow'

Original Name : Nieves Navarro

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jess

Original Name : Benito Stefanelli

Gender : Male

Character Name : Widow's ranch hand

Original Name : Frank Braña

Gender : Male

Character Name : Brother Smith & Wesson

Original Name : Antonio Casas

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sheriff Jellicol

Original Name : Roberto Camardiel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hondo

Original Name : Nello Pazzafini

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lizzie Miller

Original Name : Luisa Rivelli

Gender : Female

Character Name : Pioneer

Original Name : Lorenzo Robledo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rocky

Original Name : Romano Puppo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Miller

Original Name : Tom Felleghy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Widow's ranch hand

Original Name : Luis Barboo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Widow's ranch hand

Original Name : Fernando Bilbao

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chet Miller

Original Name : Ángel del Pozo

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Quinto Gambi

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

If you don't kill me right now, it'll be the last mistake you make. La resa dei conti (The Big Gundown) is directed by Sergio Sollima and written by Sollima and Sergio Donati. It stars Lee Van Cleef, Tomas Milian, Walter Barnes and Gerard Herter. Music is by Ennio Morricone and cinematography by Carlo Calini. Superior Spaghetti Western with shades of Zapata for good measure, The Big Gundown finds Van Cleef as bounty hunter - cum - unofficial lawman Jonathan Corbett, whose reputation for bringing in the criminals, dead or alive, has caught the attention of business baron Brockston (Barnes). With an interest in getting into politics, Corbett is sold on Brockston’s offer of political help if he will do a job for him. The job is to hunt down a Mexican rogue by the name of Cuchillo (Milian) who is alleged to have raped and murdered a 12 year old girl. Tracking Cuchillo across the land, the Mexican proves to be a slippery customer, and more importantly, Corbett begins to doubt the veracity of the charges against him. Adios Amigo. What do you need for a great Italo Western? A leading man with screen presence supreme? Check! Rogue antagonist able to overact opposite the leading man whilst still exuding charm personified? Check! Scorching vistas? Check! A musical score so in tune with the story it’s a character all by itself? Check! And violence? Check! Sollima’s movie has it all. Much of the film is about the manhunt and how the two men involved develop a relationship. Cuchillo claims he’s being set up and seems to have friends in every town featured in the play. Corbett is a dandy with a gun, but he’s not perfect, he can be outsmarted and get caught cold. There’s good thought gone into the screenplay in this respect, not putting the anti-hero up as an infallible superman. Then there’s the side-bar narrative strands that show Sollima’s political bent, even though this is hardly a heavily politico piece. From class struggles and racism, to asides on the justice system and the fat cats who operate around the system, Sollima does enjoy dangling such carrots. With zippy set pieces fuelled by brooding machismo that is in turn enhanced by the top work from Carlini and Morricone (it's one of Moricone's best scores, real dynamite), this is grade “A” Spaghetti and well worth feasting on. 9/10