Iād recommend it, as it is indeed debatably better than the first.
Iāll give it a go then. Cheers mate 
I prefer the first film to the second film, so based on this you may prefer the second film
2 Likes
There are no significant differences in terms of budget. If you have the right expectations (itās not on the same level as Blindman), the movie is worth watching and enjoyable.
I like this one more than the first.
I like the first one slightly more, and Iāll admit itās mainly because of Frank Wolff hamming it up. AKA being a āfair manā!
1 Like
Same for me. If Kinski would have starred in the second one as planned it would be probably my favorite but I donāt like Dan Vadis that much.
I think one of the major problems of the film is that itās clogged up with some unnecessarily long scenes of The Stranger wandering or following somebody. Specifically the scenes with Tony following Raf Baldassarre through the mexican town and the stage coach going around and around and around trying to run over Tony. All the while the same song playing on loop (not that I have a problem with Ciprianiās music, it just wasnāt used right in this instance). Iād really like to chop this movie up in a movie editor and see if I canāt get it to flow better.
I agree. The Stranger Returns was a pleasant surprise in my first watching. There is a clear āearly-Leoneā feeling from the beginning, also emphasized by the fine music by Stelvio Cipriani especially during the first half of the movie.
The somewhat lighthearted end would be my only complaint (except for another too long beating of the anti-hero) but the end was really funny so I accepted that. The Italian locations were familiar.
The Colosseo DVD I bought had a very fine image quality which strengthened my overall impression of this SW directed by Luigi Vanzi.
Overall The Stranger Returns IMO is a little bit better than A Stranger In Town, and I am already prepaired to rate it as very good, 7/10 reaching my own SW Top 30.
2 Likes
After watching it the 4th time in 2.5 months I like it even more now, rendering it a scarce 8/10 rating and a move upwards to rank 13 on my SW Top 50.
The music (Stelvio Cipriani ) sets the mood in the film with sometimes an obvious Leone/Morricone feeling and was very good and frequent, especially in the first half. Some music themes are repeated a lot, but there are some variation in melody, instruments etc. Also classic trumpet.
The flute theme in the beginning (and the rest there) is superb.
The story with its little twists maybe are also somewhat Leone-like as in the two first dollar films, including a hilarious dining scene with Raf Baldassarre.
The main villain played by Dan Vadis has a perfekt face for a bandit leader and was good overall. I think Tony Anthony as the antihero has some similarities with Clint Eastwood in the cool style, lean but a āweakerā face and slightly more of a ānice guyā.
The type of some ācool comedyā or little lightheartness here I accept.
8/10
5 My Name Is Nobody (Tonino Valerii)
6 The Big Gundown (Sergio Sollima)
7 Django Kill If You Live Shoot (Giulio Questi)
8 Cemetery Without Crosses (Robert Hossein)
9 Dead Men Ride/At The End Of The Rainbow/Anda Muchacho Spara (Aldo Florio)
10 Requiem For A Gringo/Duel In Eclipse (Eugenio MartĆn, JosĆ© Luis Merino)
11 Johnny Juma (Romolo Guerrieri)
12 Kill The Wicked/ God Does Not Pay On Saturday (Tanio Boccia)
13. The Stranger Returns/A Man, A Horse, A Gun (Luigi Vanzi)
7/10 (The two are very near 8/10)
14 Viva Django / Django, Prepare a Coffin (Ferdinando Baldi)
15 The Big Silence/The Great Silence (Sergio Corbuccio)
1 Like
If Kinski had made the role of the villain as originally planned this might be my favorite Stranger film but Dan Vadis doesnāt have enough charisma like Frank Wolff had in the first one.
1 Like
The music is the strongest part, but the (rest of the) film is still very good.
This filmās page in the SWDb has been updated to the new 3.0 format. Please have a look and let us know if anything needs correction, or if there are facts, information, links or pictures you can add.
We still need to find a hi res version of the filmās poster, too.
Finally watched this for the first time the other night, actually quite liked it. Didnāt like it as much as Blindman but Iām definitely one of those who thinks itās better than the first.
1 Like
Give your rating for The Stranger Returns. New poll is open for this one on the original post at the top of the page. 
1 Like
Just watched this again on YouTube, which has a perfect print in Italian only. Having started out with a VHS bootleg in 1992, I donāt think Iāve ever seen it looking this good - but maybe āgoodā is a relative term for a film where the exteriors are shot in a landfill site, and the high definition actually reveals the limits of the budget. I could swear that those gravestones are made of polystyreneā¦
I guess whether you prefer the first Stranger film or this one depends on your tastes, because the styles are very different - even though they have the same director and co-writer. For a Dollar in the Teeth is relentlessly grim and gritty, whereas Shoot First, Laugh Last draws on traditions of grotesque Italian comedy that go back centuries. Thatās why I prefer the first one - especially the one-after-another final shootout, which is one of the finest examples of its kind in the genre, The sequel, by contrast, offers a similar climax but plays it for laughs. So when Raf Baldassare takes time out in the middle of a gunfight to sit down and help himself to soneoneās supper, you might find that a great joke or think āFFS!ā, according to temperament.
Not that Iām opposed to a bit of measured humour. I love it when the Stranger is being made to dig his own grave, and one of the two bandits asks āIsnāt that a bit wide?ā and he says āNo, I donāt think soā¦ā Heās more of an amiable trickster in this one - in the commedia dellāarte tradition - and I like the bombastic but sympathetic Prophet character as well. So perhaps this film should be congratulated for trying to broaden its horizons after the claustrophobic viciousness of its predecessor. But nothing in it makes me want to punch the air like that moment in the first one when the Stranger tells his final victim āIām a fair man,ā and the theme kicks in once more.
4 Likes
I watched the Stranger Returns last night.
Some good scenes throughout the movie.
It is almost bordering on comedy western at times but some solid violence and nastiness from the bandits keep it straight. Vadis is solid as the main villain but lacks a bit of charisma. Some of the other villians are just idiots braying and roaring. Good plot with the post master and I liked the scene when he returned to his family and was confronted by his wife. Anthony is solid again and deals with his problems in style. You have the preacher as well. Compared to the Stranger in Town, you have the carriage in this one but I preferred the original with the claustrophobic and tense atmosphere of the town, superior soundtrack and also because of the superior villains.
3 stars. I may check out subsequent sequels or take a break from the series for now.
2 Likes