O Justiceiro Cego

Not quite as great as the Spaghetti Western classics directed by Sergio Leone or Sergio Corbucci, but "Blindman" definitely ranks among the most entertaining and creatively plotted efforts in the genre. Blindman is pretty much the western equivalent of the legendary Japanese Zatôichi character. The latter is an incredibly precise & lethal blind Samurai swordsman and the former shoots surprisingly straight despite his visual handicap. Blindman has a contract to escort no less than fifty gorgeous women to their future husbands working in Texan mines, but even at the beginning of the film already he has lost them. Blindman's partner double-crossed him and sold the women to the feared Mexican bandit-brothers Domingo and Candy. Blindman and his super-intelligent horse have no choice but to go to Mexico and regain the women single-handedly. Fernando Baldi's "Blindman" isn't as violent or nasty as most of the contemporary Spaghetti Westerns (with the notable exception of a couple of scenes) but mainly attracts attention with its situational humor and the clichéd (yet funny) character drawings. For example, Blindman doesn't immediately notice when his women have been replaced with fifty old and terribly unattractive ladies and the film ends exactly like it begun; with our hero chasing the women that once again have been stolen from him. Tony Anthony plays a terrific Blindman. He's charismatic yet inconspicuous and his laughter is very contagious. Speaking of wild laughter, the Raf Baldassarre joyfully overacts as the Mexican General and the most impressive supportive role is for Beatles drummer Ringo Starr as one of the malicious brothers. Stelvio Cipriani's musical score is terrific and remains stuck in your head long after finishing the film. The music is always one of the main reasons to watch Spaghetti Westerns, as well as the usually striking widescreen cinematography. This semi-classic too contains a lot of masterful shots and enchanting landscapes. Recommended!