Stylish but barely mediocre overall

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

RELEASED IN 1967 (but not till 1968 in the USA) and directed by Damiano Damiani, "A Bullet for the General" (aka "El Chuncho") takes place during the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s and involves a gang of gunrunners led by El Chuncho (Gian Maria Volontè) and enlisted by a revolutionary general (Jaime Fernández). They allow a taciturn American gringo into their band (Lou Castel), oblivious to his objectives. Klaus Kinski plays the semi-crazy priest of the bandits (I mean revolutionaries) while Martine Beswick is on hand as the babe of the bunch.This is a decent Spaghetti Western focusing on Mexican bandits. The tone is serious and the cast, costumes, dirt and sweat lend to the gritty realism. The opening sequence where a munitions train is forced to stop due to a crucified army captain blocking the tracks is notable. The script respects the intelligence of the viewer and doesn't spell everything else, even while everything is obvious if you read between the lines. Volontè, who plays the filthy, but amicable Mexican protagonist, is best known for his roles with Clint Eastwood in "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964) and "For a Few Dollars More" (1965). The score by Luis Bacalov is quite good and was supervised by the inimitable Ennio Morricone. THE FILM RUNS 115 minutes and was shot in Almería & Guadix, Spain, with indoor sequences done in Rome. WRITERS: Salvatore Laurani and Franco Solinas. GRADE: C+/B-

Set during the Mexican Revolution of the early 20th century, a group of Mexican bandits led by El Chuncho (Gian Maria Volonté) rob a train carrying weapons for the Mexican army. They are assisted by an American passenger, Bill Tate (Lou Castel), who stops the train in exchange for him being allowed to join the group. Whilst A Bullet For The General is not as fun as say Django, it could be argued that it is a superior film - wonderful central performances under quietly confident direction attest to that. A spaghetti western that's not afraid to get its hands dirty with a dose of social commentary – highlighting the morally dubious nature that the sub-genre and its characters consistently revel in – A Bullet For The General, whilst not perfect, is a solid entry nonetheless with enough compelling characterisation (certainly more compelling than Django, save for that film's titular antihero), drama and action to tick most boxes.

In the late 1960's, the radical sentiment of the times spurred many an Italian filmmaker to make like Ambrose Bierce and get lost in the Mexican revolution, blissfully unaware (or uncaring) that it ended with an outcome best described by a lyric from The Who, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." and prompting Sergio Leone (a political moderate) to preface his own addition to the revolutionary sub-genre, A Fistful Of Dynamite, with a quote from Mao, reminding the viewer that a revolution was an act of violence, lest we forget.Still, this exuberant, violent leftist fantasy is impossible to resist, thanks to breakneck pacing, a zesty performance by Gian Maria Volante (who was kicked out of Italy's communist party for being too radical!), excellent production values, direction, and cinematography.Also, Martine Beswick is nice to look at and it's always great to see Klaus Kinski in anything he's in. However, paired with Volante, he seems more restrained than usual.One real flaw in the film's ideology (at least in my opinion), is that often times the heroes here seem to act as fascist as the villains, executing people without trial, killing an unarmed priest, sexual assault etcetera, all the things that make the movie interesting, that would now be categorized as human-rights abuses!Interestingly enough, director Damiano Damiani went on to make Amityville II: The Possession!

"A Bullet For the General", exceeded my expectations, and is the best of five DVDs in the "Once Upon a Time in Italy" set. There is no mistaking that this is Gian Maria Volonte's movie. He has way more screen time than in either "A Fistful of Dollars" or "For a Few Dollars More". Klaus Kinski admirers might be disappointed as his screen time is limited in a supporting role. Lou Castel's character seems to barely be breathing in what can only be described as the lowest key performance ever. Martine Bestwick is somewhat livelier, but her appearance is flawed by a Mexican makeup job that can only be described as dreadful. The Ennio Morricone score is above average. Though not quite as good as "The Big Gundown", "A Bullet For the General" must be considered one of the better non-Leone "spaghetti westerns". - MERK