Curator's Take
“Ideally the best cat-and-mouse game in the genre. Lee Van Cleef is the lawman, Tomas Milian is the bandit, and Morricone’s score is thunderous. Sollima directs with a political edge that questions the very nature of law and order.”
Why This Movie Is Important
A brilliant chase movie with a political brain. The cat-and-mouse game between Van Cleef and Milian evolves into a class critique, where the lawman realizes the law protects the rich, not the just. It is one of the most satisfying scripts in the genre.
Production Details
The Big Gundown is a 1967 western film directed by Sergio Sollima. Originally released in Italy under the title "La resa dei conti", the film was produced during the golden era of European westerns. The film features a score composed by Ennio Morricone. Cinematography was handled by Carlo Carlini. The screenplay was written by Sergio Donati. The film stars Lee Van Cleef as Jonathan Corbett, Tomas Milian as Manuel 'Cuchillo' Sanchez, and Walter Barnes as Brokston. Running 1 hour and 51 minutes, it is a well-paced entry in the genre. The film features a notable on-screen body count of 22 kills. It holds a solid average rating of 7.3 from 176 ratings.
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Did You Know?
Lee Van Cleef did all of his own horse riding stunts in this film, including the difficult mountain pursuits. He was an accomplished rider long before he became an actor.
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