Grindhouse Releasing’s rich packaging for The Big Gundown is immediately inviting, which is strange because I rarely care about such things. I expected two or three discs, but four? With this edition, you’ll get the American version of the film on Blu-Ray and DVD, the Italian-language version of the director’s cut, La Resa dei Conti, with optional subtitles as opposed to dubbed voice work, and a CD containing Morricone’s score. I’ve listened to the soundtrack five times now. I’m listening to it as I write this.
The movie opens on a trio of outlaws trying to outrun the famous bounty hunter Jonathan Corbett (Lee Van Cleef in his first leading role at the age of forty-one). What they don’t know is he isn’t following them. He’s actually well ahead of ’em. When they fall into his trap, he tells them they either get the gun or the rope as he calmly chooses a single a bullet for each of the men. A few days later, Corbett is attending a wedding party where a Texas railroad tycoon (Walt Barnes) convinces him to run for senator. Corbett agrees it’s time to settle down, but only after going on one last bounty: to apprehend a child murderer.
Soon after the manhunt begins, Corbett thinks he found the guy. The suspect draws on him and Corbett guns him down with ease. Corbett confesses disappointment, saying, “I thought he’d be smarter.” Naturally, the movie can’t end there, so it turns out Corbett killed the wrong guy (conveniently enough, the wrong guy was wanted for murder anyway). We learn the guy he’s really after is smarter when he successfully gives Corbett the slip.
The name of the bounty is Cuchillo and he’s played by Cuban actor Tomás Milián. The filmmakers want you to believe Cuchillo is a master escape artist, but here’s one of my few complaints: Corbett becomes uncharacteristically incompetent whenever he catches up to Cuchillo. The tricks Cuchillo plays on Corbett just wouldn’t work on the kind of godlike bounty hunter who can arrange a trap ahead of the outlaws who think he’s behind them. There’s a line later in the movie that kind of explains why Corbett gets downright stupid at times, but it’s a bit of a cheat.
Leonard Maltin called The Big Gundown the best spaghetti western without Leone’s name on it. I wouldn’t agree, but it’s up there—like, way up there—among the absolute best. There are plenty of great scenes, beautiful camera work, and a ton of production value. I am unconditionally in love with this film and Grindhouse Releasing’s presentation. It’s worth every penny.
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