SWs with themes of pacifism and anti-violence

SWs are filled with violence but what about Spaghs that have the theme of “violence isn’t the answer”?

Day of Anger: Our young protagonist, Scott Mary, is treated like crap by everyone in his hometown because he’s an orphan (mother was a prostitute and no one knows who his father is). When an experienced gunslinger arrives, Scott wants to learn how to be a tough guy. In the end, after shooting up the whole town and losing the old man he cared about, Scott realizes that becoming a gunslinger was a bad idea, throws away his gun in anger and walks away hand in hand with his only friend, the town drunk.

Two Guns for a Coward: The protagonist, Gary McGuire (was that even his name XD), hates violence due to a childhood trauma. I like the film but personally don’t like the ending because Gary just starts killing without remorse and everything is back to normal right after that. The scariest moment in the film is when Gary accidentally kills a man in a fistfight and realizes how easy it is to kill a man… And 5 minutes later he’s shooting everyone

The Great Silence: It’s a violent film, but every character hates El Tigre and his gang because they’re violent monsters. There’s also the text saying that the bloodshed in that town won’t be forgotten and the memory of those killed will live on. Another interesting thing is how the outlaws are almost angels compared to the bounty hunters, who are supposed to be the good guys. The outlaws just wanted to take responsibility of their crimes and be taken in via peaceful actions.

Compañeros: The professor was a pacifist, right? That way Compañeros does have themes of pacifism though it’s not that obvious if you look at the film and its kill count.

Do you guys have any recommendations or know spaghs that would fit into this category?

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This is an interesting topic. Generally, with spaghetti westerns, it is the pacifist that discovers that violence is the answer. :laughing:

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It’s been a few years since I’ve seen it, but I think Cemetery Without Crosses may fit the bill. Great topic, very interested to hear what some aficionados on the site can come up with.

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Sonny and Jed comes to mind.

Spoilers

Summary

Sonny starts off wanting to be a bandit, but after living the lifestyle and realizing how terrible Jed is, she seemingly leaves the life behind in the end.

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I always though Sonny just goes along with Jed’s crime spree because she wants some adventure in her life … but when she discovers what a bastard he is, she eventually decides she’s had enough … I didn’t get the impression she was sorry for her part in their banditry ? But then it’s a while since I’ve seen it, so I could have missed something :wink:

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Peter Lee Lawrence would play a pacifist character in “Raise Your Hands Dead Man” and “A Gun for 100 Graves” but it doesn’t last long as he ends up using a gun and resorts to killing the bad guys.

In “Son of Django”, the protagonist doesn’t kill the man who killed his father but leaves it up to the town to arrest him. Guy Madison plays as a reverend who used to be a gunfighter but leads a life of peace instead until he ends up helping out the protagonist by using a gun again. Madison also plays a similar character in “Reverend Colt”.

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