Watched this one recently and it raised some ideas about national traditions visible in european westerns (especially early or pre Leone ones) and which countries dominated the content of particular films.
For me, this film is predominantly a spanish piece rather than italian. What do the rest of you think about this?
Below is the link to my review.
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/The_Implacable_Three_Review
Database page: Tres hombres buenos - The Spaghetti Western Database
Very interesting to read about those Spanish influences
I think every country brings in it’s own cultural legacy, be it Italy, Germany or Spain
I always had the idea that the Spanish legacy had more to do with ‘nobility’: the Zorro character is after all a noble man who fights corruption. If I understand your review right, that’s the point you are making too.
The Italian legacy, on the other hand, seems more populistic: it’s the cynical loner (No Name) or the good-natured farmer (Gemma) who takes on Evil, often represented by corrupt dignitaries.
This is of course, a generalization, but it’s an interesting opposition.
I have watched a few early ones recently, including this one.
Lacks the; style, pace,great music etc which more of the later films obviously have, so will not be viewing this one again in a hurry.
Yes, ‘nobility’ is as good a description for it as any. The characters in Implacable 3 that I was discussing are not ‘noble’ as in high born but have an outward sense of ‘nobility’ based on the spanish concept of ‘honra’ where reputation is everything. This obviously has links to the family as well as to the individual’s own sense of how others view him and leads, in these sorts of stories at any rate, to constant duelling (both verbal and martial) as well as vengeance.
As I mentioned in my review, the spanish comedias of the golden age (particularly the more light hearted capa y espada plays) are filled with these characters as their stock personel and it is the generic acceptance of their values and motivations which is at the heart of most of their plots. Abriles and Silveira could have been lifted straight out of any one of a hundred of these plays while Guzman, in search of vengeance for the blood of his family, embodies the more serious galan in the genuinely dramatic honra plays.
If you’ve ever read any of the plays from this period by Calderon or Lope de Vega you will know what I mean. They are not exactly mainstream I know but in Spain they are as familiar in their literary and dramatic tradition as Shakespeare is to us in england.
[quote=“ENNIOO, post:3, topic:957”]I have watched a few early ones recently, including this one.
Lacks the; style, pace,great music etc which more of the later films obviously have, so will not be viewing this one again in a hurry.[/quote]
I must admit I won’t be rushing back to it either. It was interesting for its context in the history of this genre but if this was the first european western I’d ever seen I’m not sure I would have got around to seeing a second.
As a side note. I can never resist checking to see what Weisser had to say about any film I see for the first time just to check whether or not this was one he actually watched. Here is his plot summary of The Implacable Three:
This movie tells the story of three friends (Geoffrey Horne, Robert Hundar, and Paul Piaget) who band together, uniting the pioneers, when the ranches are threatened by a gang of Mexican Bandidos.
He never disappoints does he? ;D
For those who haven’t seen the film, Hundar plays the bad guy not one of the friends and there are no pioneers or Mexican bandidos in sight.
Good points.
I didn’t notice the the Spanish title TRES HOMBRES BUENOS, three good men, until a few minutes ago
I’m not sure but I guess a similar title would be impossible (or nearly) so for a predominantly Italian production
I think that spanish western doesn’t came with nothing new. I mean, while italian just like Leone and Corbucci made the new concept of western (man with no name, and mysterious acts, just like a coffin being dragged by one man, never saw before). Those things make memorable, spanish westerns copies from US westerns, this could be better seen why from 1964 S.W. was so popular.
Hope not talking some bullshit, wait for more opinions…
I think that spanish western doesn't came with nothing new
I think that you’ve got a point there in general, but there are exceptions to this, like Requiem para el Gringo (Duel in the Eclipse) which was quite original.
Viewed this one again sooner than expected, but mainly because I managed to get a better print. Little better this time round, but not much. Do like the gunfights in the cellar though…a little different. The song in this real bad on the cheese factor. Film seems longer than it actually is. Getting confused at first with another western from around the same period Robert Hundar is also in…Three Ruthless Ones amongst many other titles.[font=times new roman][/font]
I used to get this one mixed up with another Marchent Western (with Hundar, as well) called THE PITILESS THREE (aka GUNFIGHT AT HIGH NOON).
But, ever since I finally got to see THE IMPLACABLE THREE (thanks, Phil!)—I no longer have that problem.
Mostly because THE PITILESS THREE is a pretty good film, in my humble opinion…whereas THE IMPLACABLE THREE is only interesting from a historical perspective.
One of those films I am glad I can say I have seen, but probably won’t watch again.
Yes same film I was getting confused with :
[url]http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Sabor_de_la_venganza,_El[/url]
Once again sponsored by Phil’s kindness I had the chance to watch this pré Leone SW.
I still have to see a few more to decide which pre Leone spag would became my favourite, this one is watchable (there not the Fidani Crea feeling in this films, made undoubtedly with more resources), but like I read in Chris resume of the film is of some important only in historical terms.
The Zorro/Coyote films were a genre by itself, and had s very strong Latin and Spanish feeling, Zorro was Mexican but of Blue Blood Spanish ancestry with the advantage of defending the poor and the oppress (something not so usual for the Iberian and others blue blooded people), in the end was an idealization of all that was good in the Latin hero.
Here we don’t have a Zorro /Coyote but instead we have a Don Guzman, also a Mexican bandit that it’s a not a bandit imagine that, and even a Portuguese as a gunfighter to go full circle in the Iberia Peninsula, I also notice that the bad guys have all have non Spanish names, its clearly a regime thing and a continuity on the Zorro/Coyote tradition (they even wanted to elect Don Guzman as the Mayor in he film), of course it would be easier for Stanton to buy The Last Hard Men DVD than to find a something as Portuguese gunfighter, a fisherman more likely, most of this country immigration to the US was to the East Coat and later on to a specific place of California and Hawaii (always near the sea), I’m saying a regime thing cause it came with film tradition and also with censorship (stronger in the fifties) and keeping of values, of course later on this was obviously all abandoned, and more modern time were indeed arriving, starting in the beginning of the sixties in films like this one, with foreign stars and all that.
Like’s been said the film looks and it is very traditional, with a soundtrack not much different from those Iberian films of the fifties 8with the main song only different cause it was singed in English) even the beginning looked a lot like those films, only after a while things to get started to look like a real western, also notice the newspaper was written in Spanish, I specially liked the cellar duel thing, the revolvers did looked kind of small almost like toy things, but apart from the revenge story being regular filmed, there isn’t much to say, the characters the situations are all straightforward. Merchant used some inspiration from The Searchers and Rio Bravo in certain parts of the film.
In the acting department there’s also nothing to say Undari in training mode for future films, Sancho as a good guy, and Horne now pretty anonymous actor, back then he still might be living on The Bridge on the River Kwai fame (or maybe not, considering he was in such film).
I should really see a few more films before I make this type of statements, but to me Romero Marchent was probably the better SW Spanish director, Condenados a vivir still one my favourites.
In the end a curiosity announcing the future I guess, the town set was the same used in A Fistful of Dollars.
I watched this film yesterday not remembering I had seen it before. I really didn’t remember much about it since I realized I’d seen it only during last 15 minutes. Not a memorable film but not that bad either. Like said already, it’s fun to spot many sw regulars in it. And it’s one of the rare westerns where Fernando Sancho plays hero.
2/5
Done this sometimes…so many westerns and versions to westerns.
I had trouble getting into this one and found myself drifting out and forgetting what was going on. It didn’t help that I was watching an old VHS tape with poor sound quality. I would only give this another try if I got the chance to see it in better quality.
I’m taking a deep dive into pre-Leone Eurowesterns and would love to see The Implacable Three. Can anyone recommend where I can find a copy with either English -language subtitles or dubbing?
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