Ringo and His Golden Pistol

The mexicans and the native americans team up to take on johnny ringo (mark damon), bounty hunter. He shows up when there's gold offered for criminals, and the locals resent it. So when the sheriff is killed, and johnny is put in jail, they use the opportunity to attack the town. Shooting, whistling, and galloping. So much whistling, like a clint eastwood film. A couple of (loud) silly, player piano songs, that pretty much only belong in what used to be called spaghetti westerns. That was the nickname for westerns made later, in italy instead of southern california. The script is silly, and the action is pretty silly. But i guess that's the definition of a spaghetti western. Filmed in italy, for mgm, by sergio corbucci.

If Johnny Ringo hadn't stuck to his principle of only hunting killers wanted officially for gold there wouldn't have been a pile up of bodies at the end of film. In the beginning of the film he kills the one of Last of the Perez family member and his brother wants to get even, and threatens the sheriff to attack his town with Apaches - rare appearance in a spaghetti western- if he doesn't hand in Ringo ( the sheriff had arrested him for blowing up some guys in self defence) but the sheriff refuses to. It's an interesting western, starts slow, meandering a little, but it gradually builds up to a crescendo neatly topped by an excellent action sequence at the end of film. Mark Damon is really good as the golden pistol toting bounty Hunter, cutting a cool figure in black.

Just when we thought cowboy movies had gone belly up, along came this operatic horse opera with a black outfit hero with a droopy mustache and a gilded side arm who goes about offing the clean cut family for the price on their heads - well they were murdering bandidos but still!

All the energy and flamboyance that the plodding dollars films lacked and concepts that belonged in Italianate literature. Mark Damon stopping off between Roger Corman and being a corporate heavy was something new in movie heroes and, after blowing up the town, there he was facing an adversary who tells him "Smile at me Ringo, for I am death." How long had this been going on?

The Quick Pitch: After bounty hunter Johnny Ringo kills his brothers, a Mexican bandit joins forces with a band of Apaches to seek his revenge.

Overall, Ringo and His Golden Gun is a good, but not great, Spaghetti Western. I may have gone in expecting way too much as the movie was directed by the great Sergio Corbucci. His films Django, The Great Silence, and Companeros are among my favorites of the genre. Ringo and His Golden Gun doesn't quite measure up to that standard. Ringo and His Golden Gun is not as dark and brutal with the over-the-top violence found in many of Corbucci's other films. It almost feels like a standard, run-of-the-mill American Western. Not that that's a bad thing, just not what I was hoping for. I found the first third of the film very entertaining - meeting Ringo and getting the basic story of what's to come. But somewhere in the second act, things started to drag a bit. The grand gunfight during the film's finale should have been a highlight, but it lacked that something special to make it memorable. Most of the acting was solid, including Mark Damon as Ringo. Though I must admit that his ridiculous looking mustache and eyeliner made me chuckle a time or two. Other positives of note include Riccardo Pallottini's cinematography and, especially, Carlo Savina's score. Savina's work on Ringo and His Golden Gun is eerily reminiscent of Ennio Morricone. I've often said that if it weren't for Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci would probably be better known. I'll add to that by saying that if it weren't for Morricone, Savina would no doubt be better known.

6/10

Johnny is pretty materialistic. Without a piece of gold he won't move a limb. Early in the story he could have killed bad guy Perez - but without the dime no kill. Story develops into a lonely-sheriff-versus-the-bandits one where the sheriff demonstrates his iron will to maintain law and order. Added to this familiar plot there is the element of temptation: if the town dwellers deliver Johnny to the outlaws the town would be saved. Unfortunately this sideline isn't well developed. In the end we get a good portion of action with explosions etc. Score, cinematography(too many studio shots) and acting are adequate. Was made in the same year as DJANGO with very different maverick heroes.

5 / 10.