Bandidos (Massimo Dallamano, 1967)

:smiley:

I saw this one a few years back and wasn’t impressed, but after seeing it on some top 20 lists I just gave it another chance. Unfortunately I still find this to be a very average S.W. The beauty of this genre is that some can love a movie that others just don’t and yet still agree on many other films.

Nice western
 :wink:

I’ve got a hankering for giving this another watch now. You know when someone says, “[size=8pt]
blahblahblah[/size][size=12pt]GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH[/size][size=8pt]blahblahblah
[/size]” and suddenly you really want a grilled cheese sandwich, and that craving won’t go 'til you’ve had your sandwich, even if it’s days later? Well, now someone’s mentioned Bandidos and suddenly I really think I should be watching Bandidos.

:slight_smile:

This one just gets better and better with each viewing. ClichĂ©s are queuing up throughout the film, but somehow it doesn’t detract from it a bit. 3 stars. Is there a better release to be had than the Sinister Cinema DVD (English or Italian audio)?

I’m not sure whether this has made any of my previous top 20s (it wasn’t in my last one so I must’ve forgotten how good this is) but it is most certainly in now.
It is very nearly perfect - with only the very end barn stuff that didn’t fully engross me.
Unlike some, I loved the casting of everybody - and having seen Sir Sancho playing the same-ish character in a fair few lately, it was great to see Heurta get a go instead. The scene with the fellah dying in the bar and finding time for a bit of art appreciation (Delacroix’s Death of Sardanapalus) was sublime.

From the very beginning I was hooked. Sandwiched between the opening wonkily epic trumpets, all mexi and quivery, and the haunting song thats played over the tracking shot of the train, lie the dead innocents, the women and children caught up in the brutal and best filmed massacre of the genre. I swear I got all moist n’ misty. The opening stuff is definately some of the best filming I’ve seen in the genre - superbly visualised, and incredibly moving. I kept thinking that the film will never keep it up - but it pretty much did. If this had just a bit more tension in the very final stage this would be as perfect a slice of spaghetti-pie as I can imagine.

5 stars.

I’m going to rewatch this since it’s on movies4men today. Great film! If anybody hasn’t already watched this one, make sure you watch it at 9!

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Thanks for the tip off! I’ve never seen this film so will definitely record it.

I think you’ll enjoy it. This is definitely one of the best spaghetti westerns.

Does anybody know which DVD I should get? I have Bandidos on the Timeless Media set but I’d love to see a higher quality version.

I can certainly see why you would come to this conclusion. Sisti as the unfortunate bandido who draws the wrong card :slight_smile: in this top notch spaghetti.


I take it Giancarlo Sisti is the preferred name and Gazzara the alias?

Ennio Pagliani is also credited in Death Rides a Horse. The only unknown actor to me that I can find in both is Clem in Bandidos and Meceita in DRaH.



Is it for certain that Walter Giulangeli is Mr Meceita or can this be Ennio Pagliani?

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That’s right, Sisti is the real name and Gazzara the pseudonym.[quote=“Carlos, post:130, topic:207”]
Ennio Pagliani is also credited in Death Rides a Horse. The only unknown actor to me that I can find in both is Clem in Bandidos and Meceita in DRaH.
[/quote]

Very good! I know Pagliani is also in Buckaroo and Uccideva a freddo, so for final confirmation we can check those two.

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From Uccideva a freddo a.k.a.The Cold Killer

I don’t have Buckaroo but Cold Killer is one of my pet agendas for a better version :slight_smile: Possibly I did not find the Uccideva a freddo role because for some reason the film databases I checked have Pagliani in Cold Killer as Emilio Pagliani even though he is clearly credited correctly


I should have searched the DB :grimacing:which would have found Cold Killer but not Buckaroo (ANICA finds Buckaroo).

From Buckaroo (these five actors were not in the Database, I’ve already added them with five other)

Good job! Looks like we have a winner!

This film was a lot of fun to watch, especially the opening thirty minutes which seem only like five, are filled with great costume’s, memorable acting, an excellent composition, tragic death’s, a fight in a saloon, and of course, the great Ricky shot.One of my favorite line’s in the film has to be where Billy Kane says “Their’s only one who could shoot like that.” Another favorite scene has to be where Martin says “you filthy swine, your a bunch of cowards and swine cause you know i cant use a gun.” We also have a noteworthy performance by Venantino Venantini ( probably take me a week before I could pronounce this right) who plays our villian ( Billy Kane) in the only spaghetti western I have ever seen him in. if I could pick a single most underappreciated director of the genre, it would be Massimo Dallamno.

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This is on Movies4Men at 9pm tonight, I can’t wait to see what print they’ll use.

The print they show is usually very good quality. I’d love to see this released on Blu-ray.

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Just watched this for the 3rd time. Superb film! For me it’s up against Death Rides a Horse for the best master/student spaghetti.

I have the German ‘Classic Edition’ DVD which doesn’t look or sound great. So I’m thinking of checking out the other releases.

This movie is in desperate need of a Blu Ray release. One of the best directed SWs ever, hands down.

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