Wonderful character development!

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Unofficial lawman John Corbett (Lee VanCleef) hunts down Cuchillo Sanchez (Tomas Milian), a Mexican peasant accused of raping and killing a 12-year-old girl."The Big Gundown" hit American theaters thanks to the success of Sergio Leone's Clint Eastwood films. Despite being made before "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", it was that film's power that attracted people to "Gundown" and star Lee VanCleef. Unfortunately, the folks at Columbia did not give the film the respect it deserved and tried to pass it off as a film starring "Mr. Ugly" (who was actually Eli Wallach, not VanCleef, showing how little they cared).Ennio Morricone, the biggest name in Italian composing, provides the score and it is among his best work. Actor Milian was actually Cuban, not Mexican, but he filled the role as well as anyone could (and starred in two more Sergio Sollima westerns in 1967 and 1968).Through Grindhouse releasing, the film is now available on DVD and Blu-ray, completely uncut, looking sharp and sounding great. There are interviews with Sollima and Milian, as well as a complete commentary from Western authority C. Courtney Joyner. If the film itself were not enough, the booklet has a few essays and a bonus CD contains Morricone's entire soundtrack.

This is the original installment from Cuchillo trilogy and again an awesome Tomas Milian . This is the first part from Sergio Sollima trilogy, starred by Tomas Milian, as the roguish Cuchillo and formed by ¨Face to face¨ with Gian Maria Volonte and ¨Run Cuchillo run ¨ with Donald O'Brien and this one . It deals with Jonathan Corbett , a real personage well played by Lee Van Cleef , who pursues a Mexican accused of rape and murder . The solitary , self-reliant Corbett tracks down Cuchillo who is wrongly accused of killing . The relentless chase is set against strong environment, risked mountains and hazardous trails. Later on , the dangerous pursuit includes a numerous posse formed by Walter Barnes, Angel Del Pozo , Gerard Herter , among others . Now as absolute starring Tomas Milian named Cuchillo and supported by Lee Van Cleef as obstinate pursuer . It will be a long and dangerous pursuit with continuous getaways . It's set during early Mexican revolution with Benito Juarez ruling . The Cuban Thomas Milian, as usual, puts faces, grimaces, crying and overacting, but plays splendidly.This Zapata-Western is superior than subsequent entries because it displays stirring adventures, shootouts, riding pursuits and is pretty amusing. It's an exciting SW with breathtaking showdown between the protagonists Lee Van Cleef , Tomas Milian and the enemies as Walter Barnes and his hoodlums as Angel Del Pozo and the German officer Gerard Herter . Tomas Milian is very fine, he ravages the screen, he jumps, bounds and leaps, hit and run , besides receives violent punches, kicks and wounds . Gerard Herter as a cruelly baddie role as Prussian baron with monocle is terrific , subsequently the would play similar role in other Spaghettis . Furthermore, appears usual secondaries of Italian/Spanish Western as the femme fatal Nieves Navarro or Susan Scott as a black widow , in addition Robert Camardiel ,Lorenzo Robledo, Luis Barboo , Fernando Bilbao, Barta Barry , Frank Braña and of course Fernando Sancho in his ordinary role as Mexican . The film blends violence, blood, tension, high body-count and it's fast moving and quite entertaining. There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing a shootout or stunt every few minutes. There are many fine technicians and nice assistant direction and excellent production design by Carlo Simi , Sergio Leone's usual , he creates a magnificent scenario with barren outdoors, dirty landscapes under a glimmer sun and a fine set on the final scenes . As always , the musician Ennio Morricone, composes a nice Spaghetti soundtrack and well conducted ; it's full of guttural sounds and emotive score . Interior filmed at Elios Studios and outdoor sequences filmed at Tabernas , Cinecitta Studios , Rome and of course Almeria, Spain.Sergio Sollima's direction is well crafted, here he's less cynical and humorous and more inclined toward violence and too much action. Colorful and evocative cinematography by Carlo Carlini , reflecting marvelously the habitual Almeria outdoors . The picture is well directed by Sollima who would be his last Western and following directing success such as Pirate films as ¨ Sandokan ¨ and the ¨ Black Corsario ¨ . Rating : Better tan average Western . Essential and indispensable watching .

I listened to the theme song on YouTube numerous times and I already watched and enjoyed the sequel "Run, Man, Run"; so it was about time for me to watch the one and only "The Big Gundown". Everybody is always talking about the spaghetti westerns directed by Sergio Leone, and particularly the Dollar-trilogy, and even though I'm the very first person to admit his films truly are genius, there were so many over- talented Italian directors making great westerns around that same time and nobody ever mentions their work. Sergio Sollima's "The Big Gundown", for example, which came out during the same year as "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and even shares the same protagonist with Lee Van Cleef, is also a truly stellar and prime example of the spaghetti western genre. The film has a great cast, a stupendous Morricone soundtrack, an arousing plot outline, an intelligent script and numerous moments of great action & adrenalin, but apparently that's still not enough to qualify as an internationally acclaimed classic. Oh well, who cares, at least there's a handful of Italian cinema freaks out there (including Quentin Tarantino) that acknowledge and appreciate the smaller diamonds in the rough. I was fortunate enough to watch the fully uncut 107 minutes version, which features bits and pieces with original Italian sound edited into the American dubbed version. It's occasionally a bit peculiar to hear the sound switch and watch the colors fading, but the film makes much more sense with the cut bits into it. "The Big Gundown" has a very simple and rudimentary plot, but the elaboration is terrific and the chemistry between the two lead players – serious autonomous Lee Van Cleef and playful daredevil Tomas Milian – is sublime. Jonathan Corbett (Van Cleef) is a practically unbeatable Colorado lawman turned bounty hunter, and because of his prestige and honorable position, his friends are even suggesting him to run for congressman. Corbett then volunteers to bring Cuchillo Sanchez to justice; a Mexican immigrant and petty criminal who's now accused of raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl. Cuchillo is heading for Mexico and Corbett has to arrest him before he crosses the border. Cuchillo is a sly fox, however, and always manages to escape just in time. Meanwhile, Corbett increasingly grows uncertain whether he's even chasing the real culprit. "The Big Gundown" is literally full of memorable and notably brilliant sequences that are exemplary bits of great scriptwriting. Cuchillo's escape in the middle of the desert, for example, with just the help of a cactus and an innocent snake, is truly ingenious and clever. There are many more highlights in the film as well, like the escape from a ramshackle Mexican prison, the shootout between Van Cleef and a bunch of obnoxious simple-minded Texan cattle farmers and the virulent climax with not one but two duel showdowns! The soundtrack is legendary, with musical bits of Morricone genius like "The Verdict" and "The Surrender". The direction by Sergio Sollima – also responsible for the great "Violent City" and "Revolver" – is taut and professional, while Van Cleef and especially Milian deliver dazzling performances. This is Italian film-making at its finest.

A truly dreadful film with some of the worst dubbing of all time. Worse, apparently some scenes were filmed, then their continuations were shot based on OTHER scenes! One example (from many): during a gunfight a woman is clearly shot seriously, probably fatally, and the camera shows her slumping to the floor. Seconds later, she is apparently unhurt, begging Van CLeef not to go!! A real laugher, made with high school talent, poor direction, and dubbing that is (like I said) so poor it makes Chinese Kung-Fu movies look good! If you need a laugh, and there is absolutely nothing else to do, and if you must, watch this film...but mostly to see how NOT to make movies. Van Cleef must have groaned when he saw this piece of garbage.