MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Rexanne It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

scottmwade-1 Don't waste your time on this one. Basically there really isn't much of a plot at all so it's just a big bunch of shooting and killing for no readily apparent reason. This film just meanders around and not much of a plot is evident at all, although there is a train robbery at the beginning with the bandits robbing the train to raise funds for a political movement. At the end the main character is killed but it doesn't really matter because this film is so horrible you don't even care and probably won't make it that far anyway. Do not recommend this one at all unless you have insomnia and can't fall asleep...

TankGuy In revolutionary Mexico, a bandit army under the grandiose El Chuncho ambush a government train. A mysterious American named Bill Tate kills the driver before bringing the train to a halt, thus gaining El Chuncho's trust. Bill joins the gang and it isn't long before he and El Chuncho are like brothers. He aids the bandits in attacking the federales and raiding their armouries, with El Chuncho intending to sell the rifles to bandit chief General Elias. However Bill has an ulterior motive, and why does he carry on his person a golden bullet...Steeped in Marxist philosophy, Damiano Damiani's revered Zapatafest is a critique of U.S involvement in the affairs of third world countries. With the Mexican revolution as his canvas, Damiani analyses and deconstructs the ideology behind social revolution and how it can be influenced and corrupted by both violence and greed. Gian Maria Volonte is on delightfully charismatic from to the point where he almost outdoes his performances in the Dollars films. Lou Castel and Martine Beswick were superb too and the great Klaus Kinski gave a brilliant turn as the bloodthirsty Priest. The bodycount is deliciously high and the action scenes certainly do not disappoint.It's easy to see why this film is held in high regard among Spaghetti western aficionados. A fantastic effort from Damiani. 9/10

thisissubtitledmovies Set during the Mexican Revolution of the early 20th century, a group of Mexican bandits led by El Chuncho (Gian Maria Volonté) rob a train carrying weapons for the Mexican army. They are assisted by an American passenger, Bill Tate (Lou Castel), who stops the train in exchange for him being allowed to join the group. Whilst A Bullet For The General is not as fun as say Django, it could be argued that it is a superior film - wonderful central performances under quietly confident direction attest to that. A spaghetti western that's not afraid to get its hands dirty with a dose of social commentary – highlighting the morally dubious nature that the sub-genre and its characters consistently revel in – A Bullet For The General, whilst not perfect, is a solid entry nonetheless with enough compelling characterisation (certainly more compelling than Django, save for that film's titular antihero), drama and action to tick most boxes.

merklekranz "A Bullet For the General", exceeded my expectations, and is the best of five DVDs in the "Once Upon a Time in Italy" set. There is no mistaking that this is Gian Maria Volonte's movie. He has way more screen time than in either "A Fistful of Dollars" or "For a Few Dollars More". Klaus Kinski admirers might be disappointed as his screen time is limited in a supporting role. Lou Castel's character seems to barely be breathing in what can only be described as the lowest key performance ever. Martine Bestwick is somewhat livelier, but her appearance is flawed by a Mexican makeup job that can only be described as dreadful. The Ennio Morricone score is above average. Though not quite as good as "The Big Gundown", "A Bullet For the General" must be considered one of the better non-Leone "spaghetti westerns". - MERK