A Pistol for Ringo (1965)

Una pistola per Ringo (A Pistol for Ringo) is directed and predominantly written by Duccio Tessari. It stars Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho, Lorella De Luca, Nieves Navarro and Antonio Casas. Music is by Ennio Morricone and cinematography by Francisco Marin.When a gang of bandit bank robbers hole up at a rich family's hacienda - taking all who reside there as hostages - the authorities free the gunman known as "Angel Face" from prison to ingratiate himself into the bandit horde. His mission is to destroy from within and free the innocent...Filmed in Technicolor/Techniscope out of the familiar Spaghetti Western stomping grounds of Almeria in Spain, A Pistol for Ringo is a very enjoyable piece of pasta. From the quirky sight that greets us at pic's beginning, where our anti-hero gunman with the baby face plays hopscotch with children - then quickly dispatching four enemies enemies in the blink of an eye - to the wholly satisfying finale, it's quirky yet dramatic entertainment.Set at Xmas time, Duccio enjoys dallying with the season's motifs as part of the narrative, and even Morricone gets in on the act, imbuing his varied score with seasonal strains (the Silent Night section simply wonderful). Gemma is very likable in the lead role, helped enormously by a screenplay that introduces a character that uses cunning whiles that are as deadly as his pistol skills. He is also very athletic (no doubt boosted by the calcium from all the milk he drinks), which brings some energy to the narrative. What action there is is brisk and zippy, with heaps of horse and stuntman felling going on, and little stabs of humorous violence (the bell shot oh my) induce smiles. Add in a couple of verbally jousting babes (Luca and Navarro) and Sancho as a bulky and moody bastardo, and yer good to go for one of the better Spags of the time. 7/10

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.

Based on the dubbed Koch media version.If we would take one genre and analyze it, the western is the most obvious. Themes appear and come back because they work. Style means everything, the story comes in second. Acting is not really required; (most characters are sociopaths anyway) as long as the stars of the film have the right face. Spaghetti westerns have style.The greatest weakness of this movie is exposed in the opening shot; the lack of style. Sure, there is a form of style, but its not the style a western need. The spaghetti western is a pretty vulnerable subgenre since the lack of budget requires for real talent. Choices must be made and especially in Italian westerns, these choices push the film towards greatness or towards weakness. The first shot says a lot. The camera work is completely uninspired. We see all characters from a strange distance most of the time (I saw the widescreen version), almost like a stageplay filmed from the audience! Most scenes are played out in one shot, leading to an enormous lack of intensity in almost every scene! The characters seem to be dressed by the wardrobe department of a western TV series for children (clean shaven, way too much color, clothes in excellent condition and stupid looking hats).A western seems to profit from being unrealistic, creating a myth of some sorts, but this movie does none of the above. That not every director is Sergio Leone or John Ford for that matter, seems obvious, but some link is needed to feel for the story. The story itself is good. In the hands of a more skilled director, it might even be a real classic! It doesn't matter it's over the top sometimes, but it does matter if the things that ARE over the top are not filmed that way. Someone being smashes through a wall seems very silly if filmed like a dialog without any notable emotions. It's just the action we see, nothing more.The locations are good. The exteriors are superb, the interiors are weaker. Not that the locations are not good, but the light is completely uninspired! The interiors look like the are filmed under the light of TL light. It looks like a modern office! The cast itself is good; they do what they should. Only two of the main characters (Ringo and the Sheriff) seem schoolboys playing cowboy. Fernando Sancho as Sancho is a great villain, but the camera doesn't seem to appreciate him. Only beauty Nieves Navarro seems to be aprreciated by the camera. Maybe the director or the DOP fell in love with her and only concentrated on the shots with her in the center. The sound quality of the English track is a bit muddy sometimes, but understandable.The music is good. I say good, while it could have been great. Morricone composed yet another great score. The tracks itself are good. Some honky tonky music is present, but the real western themes are great. From a main theme that sometimes seems to be bordering lounge music, to a soaring trumpet theme; Maestro Morricone is really the absolute best in his line of work! It's a shame that the editing is never really done to the pace of the music. The music works, but could have carried the movie if only it was not used as ambient.There is many more to tell about this movie, but it comes down to one thing. There is a lot to see in this one, but when it's simply not filmed or filmed incorrectly, there is not much left to admire. Maybe it's due to lack of budget, but if they somehow could make this movie really work, it might become a classic.

1965: the year when Italian westerns were busily developing a style of their own after the success of "A Fistful of Dollars" - while the influence of the American classics was still visible. "A Gun For Ringo" is a good example for this search of new ways. On one hand, we have a cynical hero seemingly only motivated by money: after a bank robbery, Ringo only agrees to help and free the hostages after his demand of a 30 per cent share of the stolen money is accepted, and he's not ashamed to ask the bandits whether they would offer more? On the other hand, we see a sheriff (George Martin) in love with one of the hostages (Lorella de Luca) and a land owner who keeps up the traditional values of hospitality, courtesy and honor even under the most difficult circumstances, recalling the 1950s."A Gun For Ringo" is a lively movie created in the middle of a small revolution, the beginning of a successful European western wave, and the makers seem to have had a feeling "we've got our hands on something here!", a certain excitement that hasn't faded away. Great fun to watch, and both the youthful Giuliano Gemma (Ringo) and the charismatic Fernando Sancho (Sancho, leader of the bandits) went on to play similar roles in many movies of the following years.