Purely Joyful Movie!

Crappy film

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This Italian Western - which just so happens to be set at Christmastime - made a star out of the charismatic former stuntman Giuliano Gemma. Using his Anglicized pseudonym Montgomery Wood, he stars as title character Ringo, an amiable outlaw. Ringo is in jail for murder (which he says was done in self defense) when the town bank is robbed of a substantial amount by bandits. They hole up in a remote community, and take hostages. The law enforcement types come up with the idea to have Ringo infiltrate the criminal gang, which he does in his own inimitable style."A Pistol for Ringo" is a solid and engaging example of the Spaghetti Western. It may not be as well known, or well regarded, as the most famous films in the genre, but it offers ample entertainment. A large part of the appeal is Gemma himself. Handsome, charming, and sly, he does a fine job at portraying a man who doesn't seem to have any real loyalty to anything other than money. He actually offers his services to the bandits if they will promise him a larger percentage of the take than the law. We're never quite sure what to make of him, but we do know that he's fun to watch.The exceptional composer Ennio Morricone, who's done hundreds (!) of scores during his life and career, gives this film a typically atmospheric soundtrack. The widescreen photography is first rate, and Gemma has a fine supporting cast to work with. The prolific, corpulent, robust character actor Fernando Sancho has a field day as bandit leader Sancho. Lorella De Luca as Miss Ruby and Nieves Navarro as Dolores are simply beautiful. Antonio Casas is excellent as the hospitable Major Clyde, as is George Martin as Sheriff Ben, who is in love with Ruby (you can't blame the guy).Exciting action scenes and a healthy dose of humour also make this quite pleasing to watch.Seven out of 10.

After killing four men in self defence, gunslinger Ringo(GIULIANO GEMMA),also known as "Angel face" is arrested by the town sheriff(GEORGE MARTIN).Shortly after Ringo has been locked up in the town jail, a massive bandit gang led by Sancho(FERNANDO SANCHO)crosses the Rio Grande and arrive in the town, where they proceed to hold up the bank. The bandits subsequently flee in the chaos of a shootout and are pursued by the sheriff and his posse. Sancho and his men take refuge at a Hacienda owned by Major Clyde(ANTONIO CASAS)and his daughter Ruby(LORELLA DE LUCA)who is the Sheriff's fiancée. The outlaws lay siege to the property and take everyone inside hostage. The sheriff releases Ringo, who goes to the Hacienda and infiltrates Sancho's gang in the hope of freeing the hostages and recovering the stolen money. He gains Sancho's trust whilst the sheriff plans to attack the Hacienda after the hostages safety has been secured. Can Ringo successfully free the hostages without having his cover blown...?After the release of A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS(only 8 months prior to the release of this film),the Spaghetti western was firing on all cylinders. A PISTOL FOR RINGO is an excellent sign of things to come regarding the Spaghetti western. The film is just a joy to watch and this is down to several factors. It is fantastically scripted with strong characters and robust performances. The script provides Ringo and Sancho with sharp dialogue and cracking one liners which are scattered throughout the film. These one liners inject humour into the film and create fantastic chemistry between the hero and the villain, which is rarely seen in a Spaghetti western. The sharp dialogue meant the two leads could portray their characters vigorously and with aplomb.This,as well as the script is why I enjoyed the film so much. I found myself smiling and occasionally laughing throughout most of it's duration. The film was quite fast paced and I was impressed with the snappy editing which sped things up. Ringo is an immensely likable character, even though he's not the rugged,sadistic,stereotypical Spaghetti western brute, he is one of my favourite western action heroes. He's charming, witty and cool and is up there with granite edged characters played by Randolph Scott, James Stewart and John Wayne in the American westerns .Giuliano Gemma acquits himself magnificently in the role, he's definitely full of the get-up-and-go which is showcased in awesome fashion, particularly in the final shootout. Fernando Sancho is rather hilarious as the cruel bandit leader, although he still brings an air of ruthlessness to the film. There's one particular scene in which he is shaving and he brutally guns down a male and female hostage by aiming his pistol over his shoulder and looking at their reflection in his mirror. The well crafted dialogue and brilliant one liners are shared between himself and Gemma. George Martin also turned in a great performance as the sheriff and Lorella De Luca was quite a beautiful distraction.The action scenes were utterly gripping and of quite a spectacular nature. The first shootout after the bandits rob the rob the bank set the tone for the other shootouts. These shootouts were also superb and included typical Spaghetti western deaths like guys flinging their arms in the air as they get shot and falling from rooftops. I also found some of these deaths rather funny,there's one where a guy opens the blinds and yawns, only to be shot in the head. The bruising fistfight between Ringo and one of the bandits was stupendously shot and choreographed. The frenzied final shootout between Ringo and Sancho was energetic and featured more terrific set pieces. I could really feel the tension as the two men shoot it out. The atmosphere could only be described as taut. Sancho's death is brilliantly overacted. The main title song "Angel face" by Maurizio Graf was exceptional and is one of my favourite Spaghetti western songs.Masterfully directed by Duccio Tessari, A PISTOL FOR RINGO is escapism at it's greatest. This film, and many other Spaghetti westerns like it helped lay the foundations for what I believe to be the best sub-genre in the history of cinema. With a satisfying script,appealing characters and staunch performances from the two leads as well as rollicking action sequences, this one is a winner. I only hope Tessari can live up to expectations with the sequel, THE RETURN OF RINGO.10/10.

When smarty-pants bandito Fernando Sancho and his gang rob a bank and begin executing hostages while conducting a standoff at a near-bye ranch, local authorities send in ultra-slick (and equally glib) gunfighter Giuliano Gemma to infiltrate the ranch and hopefully rescue the survivors.Sancho is a hoot and Gemma oozes charm in this light-hearted, action-filled, and fast-paced flick that spawned a slew of bogus "sequels" and catapulted the name Ringo to icon status, like fellow one-name spaghetti stars Djang, Sartana, and Trinity.Although not quite a masterpiece, A Pistol For Ringo is an awful lot of fun, with a memorable score by Ennio Morricone, making it worthwhile viewing for fans of European westerns.

This euro-western takes place during the Christmas holiday season. While not really a Christmas-themed movie per se, the backdrop for the film is laden with people acknowledging and celebrating the holiday, complete with decorations and a Christmas tree, which makes this the closest thing to a Christmas western that I've seen. As such, for the spaghetti western fan, it is a welcome seasonal alternative to watching "It's a Wonderful Life," or the latest Moron Clause movie on your local big screen or cable movie channel.Giuliano Gemma does a fine job, as usual, portraying the protagonist of the film, and Fernando Sancho is even better as "Sancho," the Mexican bandit. Nieves Navarro is breathtaking as "Dolores," the female bandit who becomes romantically involved with one of her hostages.The production is above-average for a euro-western, and the film has an engaging storyline with lots of action and suspense. Add to that a great music score by Ennio Morricone, and you definitely have a winning combination that spaghetti fans will be sure to enjoy.