Bullet for the General (1967)

The Film

The Spaghetti West was a lonely place, where sharpshooting anti-heroes with one word names roamed – coming from nowhere, disappearing to nowhere. One might be forgiven for thinking that every Spaghetti Western featured at least one character like this. However, there were some very different films shot during the Spaghetti boom, and Bullet for the General is one of them.

A voice-over introduction declares us to be in Mexico, 1910, a country marred by revolution, with competing bands of revolutionaries. We are introduced to Bill Tate, an American heading north by train. The train is also occupied by a detachment of Mexican soldiers. Shortly after leaving town the train comes to a halt because a man is tied to the track ahead of them, he turns out to be a senior officer in the Mexican army, he also turns out to be bait for an ambush. With the train unable to proceed, bandits in the hills make short work of the soldiers. Although they move off, the train is brought to a halt again as Bill Tate seizes the controls; as the bandits depart, stocked up with stolen weapons, he takes a horse and attempts to join them, reluctantly they accept him. In quick succession, the bandits attack a variety of Mexican army locations and seize more weapons – their goal being to sell them to the revolutionary leader. The situation becomes more complex when the bandits arrive in the town of San Miguel and are forced to decide whether or not to stay and defend the townsfolk or move off with the weapons to sell. Although bandit leader El Chuncho seems eager to stay and defend the people, Bill Tate is determined to move off, his motives unclear.

Bullet for the General is a solid production. From a very slow and paced opening – the siege of the train is very detailed and lasts a clean 16 minutes – the film speeds up with a near-montage of the bandit attacks on Mexican army locations, then slows down again when the bandits arrive in San Miguel. However, at no point does the film seem overly rushed or slow. The script is clever; watching the opening sequence on the train, the character of the army lieutenant is built up strongly and we expect him to be a major player in the film, but he does not last long, and the viewer's focus and sympathies are shifted from the army to the bandits. In the train sequence we also realise that something is odd about Bill Tate's motives – but these are not explained for a long time, although in the end all becomes clear. The only sequence that could use further elaboration comes late in the film when the bandits come under attack, although we assume that the attack comes from a rival band of bandits, it is never made clear. Without giving anything away, the conclusion of the film is very effective and powerful, while seeming quite anti-climactic.

Bullet for the General was the first of the explicitly political Spaghetti Westerns, followed by Sergio Sollima's The Big Gundown (1966) a few months later. Although it would be impossible to discuss the political sphere properly without spoiling the film, the character of Bill Tate stands in for American (CIA) interference in foreign revolutions – big business in the 1960s when the film was shot. While El Chunco, as he comes to realise that he can directly help the people (in this case the people of the town of San Miguel) by removing their opressive overlords, represents the revolutionaries, and also the damage they can do to their cause if not sufficiently committed - he is forced to choose between money and the revolution. The ending to the film drives this home. Indeed, director Damiano Damiani has stated that the film is not a Western, rather a direct political statement – however, the statement is presented subtly enough that it is not intrusive, and the film is completely watchable.

The picture looks great, the wide-screen is continually filled with beautiful Spanish locations and a plentiful supply of extras, nothing takes away from the 'south of the border' feel of the film. Gunfights are suitably filmed, there is no sharpshooting hero in this film, so instead we get masses of bandits and soldiers firing at each other. Unlike the later films of its genre, there is little visible bloodshed in this picture. The music adds to the feel of the film and is a pretty standard affair.

Gian Maria Volonté (Fistful of Dollars) plays El Chunco, the charismatic bandit leader and does a very good job. The character varies from wildly over-the-top leadership, to very subdued and caring, and Volonté pulls it off successfully. Klaus Kinski gives a good range from insane to restrained as El Santo, a religious man who is more than at home with a rifle or grenade. The rest of the cast look fine in their roles as well.

This impressively shot film features an exciting and addictive storyline and offers a break for Spaghetti Western fans who have tired of the conventional genre offerings. The strong political theme is unlikely to be to everyone's taste, but it is well written into the film, and is quite unintrusive to the casual viewer.

In brief:

The DVD

Summary

• An entertaing, thought provoking and very different Spaghetti Western, worth watching.
  

• Decent release, the film is watchable although very grainy. Notable lack of extra features.
  

Links

• IMDB entry

• DVD Rewind - DVD release comparasons.
  

• Find the other films in the Once Upon a Time in Italy collection

• Find our other Spaghetti Western DVD Reviews.

• Find reviews of our other films starring: Klaus Kinski

• For explanations of technical terms, see the DVD Dictionary.

All text in this review written by Timothy Young - 15th Jan. 2006.
Text from this review not to be used without authorization.

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