not as good as all the hype

Don't Believe the Hype

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Paid to deliver fifty mail-order brides for fifty miners, blind mercenary Tony Anthony finds himself double-crossed by his partner, who takes the women to Mexico and sells them to a grungy slaver and his lovesick brother Ringo Starr(!), leading to a dangerous back-and-forth between the blindman and the bandits.Fast, amusing, and with some genuinely funny moments, this is like a live action comic book. Despite the subject matter and flippant tone, this avoids becoming (too) silly, like a few of director Fernando Baldi's other over-the-top spaghetti westerns.Writer, producer, star Tony Anthony delivers an eccentric, low-key performance that matches the subdued one by second-billed, top-draw Ringo Starr, who let their manic co-stars do all the heavy lifting, energy-wise.Violent, politically incorrect, and surprisingly sexist, this may not be fine art or, "...more popular than Jesus Christ." (hee-hee), though it's a minor cult classic thanks to it's similarities to the Japanese Zatoichi series and the presence of Starr, still looking as he did on the covers of the last few Beatles records. We love you yeah, yeah, yeah, yeaaaah!

Impressive,stylish spaghetti western with a little bit of everything thrown in and never a dull moment.film has action,humour,nudity,plenty of pretty women,and violence some of which is quite brutal.there are quite a few scenes where the violence is towards women and it's not a film feminists will take to,but the most gruesome violence is saved for the climax involving the chief villain which will go some way to equal the score.film also features an almost unrecognisable Ringo Starr the drummer from the legendary "beatles"as the brother of the bandit leader,he certainly looks the part,and of course does not speak in his native "liverpudlian" voice.frankly this film has a ridiculous premise of a blind gunfighter but it works.film is immensely entertaining and one of the best spaghetti westerns.

"Blindman" is a bizarre piece of fantasy,and a fine work in its kind. Baldi fumbled in his pocket for a lay-out of slum burlesque and sombre surreal,where he could unfold his ghosts and intuitions.Of course,there is a certain amount of coarseness and rudeness,compensated by the excellent sense of the waggish narrative cartoon and peculiar aquaforte. Baldi knows and does well his job,in spite of the sometimes quite poor quality of the material.The movie manages to be interesting and so agreeable.Any psychology or human truth are entirely absent,as it must be with this kind of movie.The characters are mere puppets,the humor is thickened,cruel and disrespectful,sometimes out of tune,and in a way unworthy of Baldi.Of course,the whole scheme is unbelievable and absurd.With this movie,by this movie,we see what were able to do some talented directors with a western script,in the 60s and 70s.Such movies give the impression of being totally free of commercial compulsions and humdrum drawings,and show a remarkable skill for ranging a stock of epic elements.If the coarseness I've been mentioning does not lack at least sometimes,there are,in exchange,great amounts of humor,charm, resourcefulness,quickness,a powerful and vivid drawing,fancy,even some impudence,craft,merriment,striking beautiful music.Very often,the actors are outstanding and skillful (and so is T. Anthony too,to be sure).All these things place the European westerns together with the great Italian opera and the surrealist prose:the bread of the fanciful.A form of art unconventional and popular, intelligent and light.(there are,in "Blindman",some things insipid, clumsy and boorish,some bad taste,but also some unsurpassedly accomplished.)"Blindman" is a good sample for the genre's fine qualities.Anthony looks now petulant and now mild,now serene and now sanguinary,now sinister and now nice,adamant and cunning.His sniggers fit well.He is as great an western actor as Nero,Kinski,Volonte,Gemma and Eastwood are.His acting is liquid,elastic and sober,real and manly;a great actor.Anthony acts with a visible relish and delight,obviously enjoying.I greet all those who already like "Blindman" and the European westerns;and also all those who will.

This is one of those movies that is just plain great. I would recommend this movie to anyone, not just spaghetti western fans.Tony Anthony is great in this movie. This is the second Anthony spaghetti western that I have seen, and the other one (A Dollar Between the Teeth) is incredible also. After seeing this film, I am convinced that Tony Anthony deserves more recognition as a spaghetti western star than he has gotten. He belongs right up there with Nero, Gemma, Eastwood, and Milian (no one comes close to Lee Van Cleef). His character in this film is one tough hombre. He really takes a beating, but always returns to create Hell on Earth for his enemies. He has a lot of great lines in this movie too.The movie really stretches ones suspension of disbelief when the blind man is able to ride a horse to Mexico, and when he exhibits his uncanny ability to aim a gun, but this is such a high-quality film that it manages to pull it off with ease.The music score is excellent -a great classic spaghetti western sound with a little bit of sitar thrown in.Besides being a spaghetti western, this film also borrows some elements from exploitation movies, (lots of scantily clad and naked women, women behind bars, etc.) but manages to do it without sacrificing the quality of the movie. Fans of both genres should be especially pleased with this film.This is a must-see for spaghetti western fans, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys movies that are somewhat off-beat, and very well made.