This film is in my top 10. I decided to watch it again today (only my 2nd veiwing). I really liked it the first time I saw it, about 4 years ago. I found the film even better this time around! Volonte’ is just great in this film, very charismatic! It looked to me like he was actualy having fun with the role of El Chuncho. Kinski was also great. I just wished he was in it a bit more (you can never have enough Kinski). The film never drags and moves at a great pace. Good pacing is crucial to Spaghetti Westerns IMHO. Great film! 5 stars.
I really enjoyed this one. The plot was great, and I loved how the characters changed throughout the movie. I’m also a big fan of revolutionary themes… The south American music was superb as well!
This flick is tremendous. Volonte is superb here and supporting cast is above expectations. The take on leftist concerns sees here its apogee.
Haven’t seen it for quite a few years and recently picked up the Blue-Underground Blu Ray. It looks really nice, especially the outdoor scenes.
Agreed, Yodlaf. I got the Blu back in July and I thought the transfer was fantastic! The Volonte doc was the icing on the cake.
Yeah saw the blu-ray a few months ago… even though its slightly cut, the international version is the best, because of the superior dubbing, imo.
[quote=“RamonRed, post:125, topic:301”]The Volonte doc was the icing on the cake.[/quote]Not watched it yet.
[size=12pt]This review was already announced three years ago, hopefully it was worth waiting for:[/size]
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Very good review, gonna have to re-watch that one someday. Somehow A Bullet for the General and even Tepepa, which I absolutely loved when I saw it, have lost several spots in my spaghetti western rankings. Maybe I just need to refresh my memory and they’ll climb back up or maybe I’m just not that much into Zapata westerns anymore (although The Mercenary remains a great vivid memory in my mind).
An excellent review, scherp.
Scherp, I think for this film we are pretty close in our views.
How do you compare it with Tepepa?
Scherp, I think for this film we are pretty close in our views.
How do you feel about this influence on Peckinpah?
If you haven’t got the book, I can copy his text. I find it hard to believe, I guess the similarities are coincidental.
@ How do you compare it with Tepepa?
Haven’t seen Tepepa in a while (since I wrote the review, my first for this site), I guess it’s close, both a magnificent movies, brilliantly written, but with a few flaws in the directional department. But you can’t have it all.
[quote=“scherpschutter, post:132, topic:301”]How do you feel about this influence on Peckinpah?
If you haven’t got the book, I can copy his text. I find it hard to believe, I guess the similarities are coincidental.[/quote]
I have it, and just re-read the passage about TWB. This is not the only example where I have not the slightest idea what Cox is talking about. Both films are so completely different in their aims (and their style) that I see as less similarities as possible between 2 films which are set against or in a very similar background. Both contain similar images surely based on photos of the time. But that’s it.
Quien sabe? is about the Mexican revolution, but TWB is only telling a very different story in which this revolution is only a background.
Quien sabe? is interested in creating some kind of “reality” to comment on the “reality” of our present, while TWB is interested in a “deeper” poetic truth about Peckinpah himself.
And Chuncho and Mapache don’t share much similarities despite being not that rational in their acts.
I guess that’s Cox, he has an idea and is enthusiastic about it, so enthusiastic that he doesn’t even check things.
Somehow I always accept these things from him, maybe because I like the guy and always like to read his stuff.
At least he should have realised that the actors he confused look totally different.
At least he should have realised that the actors he confused look totally different.
That alarmed me.
me too I thought the actor from The Wild Bunch was called Fernandez, but that’s the actor playing Mapache, not Angel. And Mapache looks different too.
Then again: strange mistake.
Very good review Scherp. As usual.
Best non-Leone SW to me, and really great film in general. In my opinion it is way above The Mercenary and Companeros (haven’t seen Tepepa yet) which constantly slap you in your face with their message in almost childish way, so there is no room for viewer to make his own decisions. This one is much more subtle, really makes you think and save its own point for the brilliant ending.
Directing looks great to me, firm-handled and dynamic, nothing flashy, but flashy style always looks like pale imitation of Leone to me, Quien Sabe really stands on its own. Also Castel and especially Volonte were great. This is very violent and tragic movie, but Volonte is great fun to watch and so with his acting adds much needed relief. Train raid sequence was fantastic.
Best Zapata western for me a subgenre with some memorable films.Gian Maria Volonte centralizes the whole interest there with a huge performance.Also I find really good Klaus Kinski in a different role than that we know in many other spags.The end is really apocalyptic the loco mexican blows up everything.Damiano Damiani gave us a masterpiece!
I agree it is far better than ‘‘Mercenary’’ and ‘‘Companeros’’.