BULLET FOR SANDOVAL, A

Italian locandina for A BULLET FOR SANDOVAL

aka Quei disperati che puzzano di sudore e di morte (I), Los desperados (Es), Les quatre desperados (Fr), Um sie war der Hauch des Todes (WG), Vengeance is Mine (UK), A Bullet for Sandoval (US)
1969
Italy/Spain
Elio Scardamaglia and Ugo Guerra for Leone Film, Daiano Film (Rome), Atlantida Film (Madrid)
Director: Julio Buchs
Story & screenplay: Ugo Guerra, Jose Luis Martinez Molla, Francisco De Urrutia, Julio Buchs
Music: Gianni Ferrio
Cinematography: Francisco Sempere {Eastmancolor}
Editor: Daniele Alabiso
Set design: Giuseppe Bassan
Cameraman: Roberto Girometti
Filmed:
Original running time: 108 mins
Release information: Registered 20.11.69. Italy (26.11.69, 108 mins), Spain (15.12.69, Madrid), France (1971, Paris), West Germany (20.11.70, 89 mins), UK (1971), US (06.70, 91 mins)
Spanish takings: €214.002,77
Cast : George Hilton (John Warner), Ernest Borgnine (Pedro Sandoval), Alberto De Mendoza (Lucky Boy), Leo Anchoriz (Friar Converso), Annabella Incontrera (Carol Day), Gustavo Rojo (Guadalupano), Antonio Pica (Sam), Manuel De Blas (Gonzales Sandoval), Jose Manuel Martin (One Eye), Andrea Aureli (Wannabe gangmember), Jose Guardiola (Governor Gonzales), Andres Mejuto (the judge), Manuel Miranda (Francisco), Vidal Molina (Captain Parker), Maria Paz Pondal (Isabel Gonzales), Jorge Rigaud (the General), Alfonso Rojas (the Ranch Owner), Adalberto Rossetti, Claudio Trionfo [Claudio Trionfi], Alfredo San-Tacruz [Alfredo Santa Cruz] (Senator Walsh), Jose Riesgo, Charly Bravo [Ramon Carlos Miron Bravo] (a mexican soldier), Rafael Hernandez, Lorenzo Robledo (the corporal), Alfonso De La Vega (Sandoval's man), Tito Garcia (a Mexican ranch owner), Luis Barboo (the Mexican ranch owner's foreman), Dan Van Husen (a bandit), Jose Luis Zalde (festival organiser)

This title is available from AMAZON on DVD

A truly memorable Spaghetti Western, Sandoval is unquestionably one of the top ten examples of its type. It exhibits a singularly mean spirited atmosphere as well as an unusual plot that incorporates the 'revenge for a slaughtered family' theme in an engrossing and unusual way. For some reason it has traditionally been rather ignored by genre aficionados, but a well-deserved DVD release gives the opportunity for a timely reappraisal.

George Hilton loses his temper for the first - but not the last - time in A BULLET FOR SANDOVAL

John Warner (George Hilton) is a soldier fighting with the losing side in the civil war. He hears that his beloved is about to give birth and reluctantly decides to desert, return home and marry her. He is soon captured, court-martialed and sentenced to death. Along with two friends, Sam (Antonio Pica) and Lucky (Alberto De Mendoza), he manages to escape. Arriving back at his hometown, he finds it to be in the grip of a cholera epidemic, and that his girlfriend has died during childbirth. Her father Sandoval (Ernest Borgnine), who has always hated him, hands Warner his newborn son and forces him out into hiding. After his requests for help are callously ignored by all of those with whom they come into contact, the child dies.

Consumed by grief, he decides to have vengeance, and starts by drowning a rancher - who had turned him away fearing the spread of cholera - in a pail of milk. He then forms a gang, centrally composed of his fellow deserters and an ex preacher (Leo Anchoriz), and begins to terrorize the surrounding countryside. Before long his path again crosses with Sandoval and, in a superb climax set in a bullring, their differences are resolved the only way possible - with bullets.

As you can probably tell from the above synopsis, this is not a typical George Hilton film. There is no humor whatsoever, and the character he plays treads a precarious line between being sympathetic and an out and out bastard. He doesn't hesitate in carrying out acts of alienating cruelty, and at no point is there even the suggestion of a wisecrack being uttered. Then again, his nemesis is not much better - an overly possessive parent who destroys the ones he loves with his hatred for a demonized enemy.

George Hilton takes aim in A BULLET FOR SANDOVAL

In fact what we have here is one of the few instances in which an Italian oater can be considered as an out and out tragedy. By this I mean that both central characters start out as basically dignified people. Sandoval cares for his children - perhaps too much - and it is his unwillingness to let go of his daughter that triggers the events that turn him into an irrationally selfish tyrant. He still retains his dignity, and is appalled when he is forced to break his word - even to his nemesis - as the result of an impetuous act by his eldest son. Warner is a brave and honorable soldier who is transformed by events into a murderous criminal (his destiny seems to be shaped by the maxim "If you've had to be a killer once, you'd better carry on if you want to stay alive"). It's no mean task, but Sandoval manages to make both of the main characters equally (un) sympathetic.

The whole production is drenched with the feeling of death. It starts with the corpse-strewn aftermath of a battle, veers into a disease-ridden town and ploughs to its inevitable downbeat conclusion. Strangely, the gun battles are often shown simply by the sight of someone holding a gun and then people lying dead on the floor. The moment of destruction is not shown, merely the aftermath of the act of shooting.

With fine acting - both the leads give the performances of their life - a wonderful Gianni Ferrio soundtrack, literate scripting, sumptuous photography and top-notch direction, this is one of the very best of it's type. It must have had a pretty decent budget. Apart from the topline cast (supporting actors of the quality of De Mendoza, Anchoriz and Manuel Martin) it also has quite a few large-scale shots (i.e. the army chasing the outlaws across the Almerian landscape). Blessed with the double whammy of a totally arresting beginning and end (this is one of the few Spaghetti climaxes to truly give Leone a run for his money), Sandoval is a must see for anyone with even the vaguest interest in the genre.

The climactic bullring sequence from A BULLET FOR SANDOVAL

On the downside, the DVD is not of the highest quality: the print suffers from some dreadful scratches and occasionally veers towards the inpenetrably dark, the sound isn't always particularly clear and it appears as though there's been a bit of sneaky cropping going on. To be honest, it looks suspiciously similar to the version that turned up on Greek Video a good few years back. It also apparently suffers from a few minor cuts, especially at the climax (I'll say no more), and poor old Anabella Incontrere is annexed completlely! From the sound of it, though, these haven't done anything to hinder proceedings too much - in fact I have a sneaking suspicion that they may merely add to the poignancy (and it very rare for me to say that). Taking account of these reservations, however, let's not be pedants: this is a great film and worth seeing in any form.

Matt B