The Stranger Returns / Un uomo, un cavallo, una pistola (Luigi Vanzi, 1967)

[Dean]

is it worth skipping or is it an improvement with it’s seemingly bigger budget?

I’d recommend it, as it is indeed debatably better than the first.

[Bill_Willer]

I’ll give it a go then. Cheers mate

[ENNIOO]

I prefer the first film to the second film, so based on this you may prefer the second film

[JonathanCorbett]

Haven’t seen this one yet. I didn’t like the first (but i love Blindman) so is it worth skipping or is it an improvement with it’s seemingly bigger budget?

There are no significant differences in terms of budget. If you have the right expectations (it’s not on the same level as Blindman), the movie is worth watching and enjoyable.

[The_Man_With_a_Name]

I like this one more than the first.

[Dean]

I like the first one slightly more, and I’ll admit it’s mainly because of Frank Wolff hamming it up. AKA being a “fair man”!

[Bill_san_Antonio]

I think I like the first one slightly more, and I’ll admit it’s mainly because of Frank Wolff hamming it up. AKA being a “fair man”!

Same for me. If Kinski would have starred in the second one as planned it would be probably my favorite but I don’t like Dan Vadis that much.

[VanEyck (Nick)]

I think one of the major problems of the film is that it’s 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 Cipriani’s music, it just wasn’t used right in this instance). I’d really like to chop this movie up in a movie editor and see if I can’t get it to flow better.

[runner]

@Half_Soldier

The story itself is very simple, but delivered in a great style. Like the other films in the Stranger series (well, those that I have seen), it combines the feel of the Leone films (in its poncho clad protagonist and its morricone-mimic soundtrack) but injects an extra dosage of humour. This humorous side is particularly well crafted (such as the enjoyable scene at the beginning of the movie, when the Stranger is forced at gunpoint to dig a grave both for the dead traveller and himself). “Returns” does not borrow so heavily from the Dollars trilogy as “A Stranger in Town”, but still its clear where its influences lie. And why not - it does it very successfully and makes for great viewing.

I agree. The Stranger Returns was a pleasant surprise in my first watching. There is a clear “early-Leone” 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.

[runner]

@runner

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.

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 “weaker” face and slightly more of a “nice guy”.
The type of some “cool comedy” 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 Martín, José 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)

[Bill_san_Antonio]

If Kinski had made the role of the villain as originally planned this might be my favorite Stranger film but Dan Vadis doesn’t have enough charisma like Frank Wolff had in the first one.

[runner]

The music is the strongest part, but the (rest of the) film is still very good.

[Admin (Sebastian)]

This film’s 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 film’s poster, too.

[Bill_Willer]

Finally watched this for the first time the other night, actually quite liked it. Didn’t like it as much as Blindman but I’m definitely one of those who thinks it’s better than the first.