The greatest movie ever made..!

Lack of good storyline.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I no longer follow the Western genre with the huge pleasure I had in my childhood. I prefer Thriller, Science Fiction, Comedy, a good Documentary. Except for Sergio Leone, his films I'm reviving cyclically, about 10 to 10 years, with great great pleasure. Not just for Leone's sake and his unique, original stories (though sometimes inspired by Japanese like Kurosawa), but also for Morricone's music and some actors, especially Gian Maria Volontè, Lee Van Cleef, Klaus Kinski, Charles Bronson. Clint Eastwood never fascinated me (not in Westerns, I liked him in "The Bridges of Madison County" and "Escape from Alcatraz"). Why am I saying all this here? Because Max Dillman, the director of this western, is none other than the one who filmed "Fistful of Dollars" and "For a Few Dollars More", Mr. Expert Cinematographer Massimo Dallamano, dead at the tender age of only 59. He just tried his luck, like many others, with a not too great story, in fact one very predictable, to copy the success of Leone's dollars. The Cinematography, also very professional as Master Dallamano's, is not signed by him, as would have been natural, but by the Spanish Emilio Foriscot. The distribution is made up of unknown actors, which, despite the slim scenario, they pay off somehow honorably. The music of the film, signed by Egisto Macchi, is clearly the Morricone clone, with guitars and trumpets, but not so successful as the original. Surprisingly, Venantino Venantini, after seeing him in many roles totally opposite to the tough guy, is here trying to equate Gian Maria Volontè as a villainous gunman. Of course he does not succeed, no one can do that, but he is not bad. The second reason I wanted to see this movie, apart from Massimo Dallamano, was the presence of another huge talent, another delight of my childhood, the Italian actor Enrico Maria Salerno. In spite of Salerno's talent and the only cool idea of the film, somehow like a christian symbol, in my humble opinion, the bullet holes in his character's hands (just like Jesus) (the idea had to be exploited and the script developed exactly there), the film is somewhere between average and mediocre. Only for those obsessed by Western.

This is one of those films where the running time flies by because the film you are watching is so good. This Spaghetti Western was directed by the guy who made What Have You Done To Our Daughters, stars the cop from Bird with the Crystal Plumage, so it makes sense that contained within the first scene is a giallo-like clue to what happens later in the film.You also get a sense straight away that the guy behind the camera knows what he is doing - check out that beautiful tracking shot of all those dead folk lying in and around the train following Venantino Venantini's massacre. The whole film plays out like that.Yep, this one starts with a train robbery and a massacre, and the only man left alive is, or was, a sharpshooter named Martin. Shot in both hands but left alive for some unknown reason, Martin seeks revenge against those who robbed the train, and for other reasons that aren't explained at this point either. What he finds first is a young potential trainee sharpshooter, but as this film is full of mysteries, he may not be what he seems either.So, gorgeously filmed, fully of inventive camera-work, great actors in front of the screen, loads of twists and turns. This one has it all and is one of the better Spaghetti Westerns out there (and that's me saying that! I love most of them!). There's plenty of shootouts too and the final duel is very creative, only eclipsed for me by a more emotional shootout a wee bit earlier in the film. Enrico Salerno has a certain aura about him in every film I've seen him in - I can't put my finger on it but he's probably the best thing in this.

Rugged famous gunslinger Richard Martin (an excellent performance by Enrico Maria Salerno) has both of his hands shot in a brutal hold-up on a train by ruthless former student Billy Kane (a perfectly nasty turn by Venantino Venantini). The bitter and vindictive Martin joins forces with amiable and mysterious escaped convict Ricky Shot (a solid and engaging portrayal by Terry Jenkins) to exact revenge on Kane and his men. Director Massimo Dallamano relates the complex and absorbing story at a steady pace, maintains an appropriately harsh and gritty tone throughout, stages the plentiful exciting shoot-outs with rip-roaring aplomb, and tops things off with a nice sense of deliciously dry dark humor. The sound acting from the capable cast rates as a substantial asset: Salerno and Jenkins display a pleasingly natural chemistry as the appealing protagonists, Venantini makes for a suitably hateful villain, Cris Huerta is amusingly scuzzy as slimy bandito Vigonza, the lovely Maria Martin adds considerable sass and sexiness as Martin's loyal lady friend Betty Starr, and ubiquitous character actor Victor Israel has a neat bit as an ill-fated train conductor. Emilio Foriscot's expansive widescreen cinematography offers a wealth of sweeping panoramic shots of the dusty and desolate landscape. Egisto Macchi's moody'n'twangy score likewise hits the harmonic spot. An attempted ambush in a bar is a definite stirring highlight. The tense final confrontation between Kane and Ricky also totally smokes. An extremely worthwhile and entertaining oater.

This film starts with a classic sequence in which a train is held up by Billy Kane (Venantini) and his bandits. All the passengers are brutally massacred because, as Kane rightly states, if you don't want your face on any reward posters, you don't leave any witnesses. There is one survivor however - Richard Martin (Salerno) - a renowned fast gunslinger who attempts to take on the gang singlehandedly. There is previous history between the gunmen, and to remove the threat Kane shoots and cripples both of Martin's hands, ending his gunslinging days for good.Years pass, and Martin is now travelling from town to town, hosting a gunslinger show. Fate brings him face to face with escaped convict Ricky Shot (Jenkins) who he takes under his wing, passing on his prowess with a gun, with the aim of using the young hotshot to gain his revenge on Kane. As it happens, Ricky Shot has his own motive for facing Kane, as we find out as the story unfolds.Bandidos is a classic spaghetti western in the revenge sphere. Whilst the cast features none of the usual spaghetti stalwarts that we know and love, it is well casted, particularly Salerno in the part of Martin. It is also superbly directed by Dallamano, a man better known for his thrillers.The film contains some superbly tense gunfights, matched with a decent soundtrack. The story is at all times riveting, making Bandidos a highly recommended film for all lovers of Italian westerns, and maybe a few more besides.