The Ugly Ones (1966)

My first film by Eugenio Martin, and I am deeply moved. Nagisa Oshima once wrote that all filmmakers want to film sex and death the most. I always understood the first part, never the second. I think, now I do. The moment when Tomas Milian's character lies on the ground, dying, his face covered with dirt, and we see only half of it, as the camera shows us an extreme close-up, with a lonely tear rolling down his cheeks as he exhales his last breaths that stir the dust of the soil to lift itself up from the ground a few more times.The relentlessness of the view. The relentlessness of the camera watching. That's been something which I've been pondering a lot ever since I started falling in love with cinema. Looking, not wanting to let go, and at last having to, at some point in time – because everything has to end. That is death. Everything is death. We die a thousand times each day.Those looks, those insisting eyes Martin keeps us showing and showing, paired with the melancholy tunes of master composer Stelvio Cipriani are the heart and soul of the whole movie. Which is a melodrama at its core, a subdued, forlorn melodrama. A film of the past, looking upon it. Once upon a time in the West.The editing is also top-notch always putting people side by side, giving everyone at least a little attention and thus creating an ensemble piece of people, connected like beads on a string. Everyone is important in this film. Because everyone is human.The dying – in the end we all have to die. I would like to think that at the end of the movie, the protagonist, a Bounty Killer, doesn't collect the bounty for Milian's character but lets the townspeople bury one of their own, one who used to belong. He is still a part of them.Anyways, the film is a statement, a demonstration, an elegy, wonderfully executed up until the end-titles which must have been some of the first in film history created in this now dominant way. 1966: After the credits have rolled, the image turns black and we remain to hear a wailing trumpet and finally the last strings of a soothing guitar. Maybe it's not what you see before you die, but what you hear. The last sounds of this world.

¨The ugly ones¨ is a terrific example of the spaghetti western genre from Spain. Offbeat Paella-Spaghetti Western co-produced between Spain and Italy . The band ( Tito Garcia, Hugo Blanco) of a nasty Mexican frees Jose Gomez ( the Cuban Tomas Milian ); he and his bandits trespass the frontier and occupy a village .Escaped Jose Gomez goes back to his home town chased by a bounty killer . The towns people protect Gomez, unaware, at first, that he is changed and become an evil gunfighter . Our hero named Luke Chilson (Richard Wyler) is a bounty hunter riding on a robust horse and hunting outlaws . Gomez returns his ranch and seeks vengeance against Luke , while his hoodlums kill , mistreat countrymen . Meantime his former girlfriend (the Eurobabe Zalowska)double-crosses his friend .It's an exciting western with breathtaking gun-play between the protagonist Richard Wyler against the heartless Tomas Milian and his hoodlums . Milian is fine, he ravages the screen, shoots, hit and run and kills . In the film premiere attained quite success and nowadays is well valued and I think it turns out to be a good Spaghetti Western. This movie is a lot of fun to watch. It's a fascinating story with a touch of peculiarity, some great characters, and an amazing music score.The picture also titled ¨The bounty killer¨is a tale of justice and revenge, as a man returns home to his village after his breakout and mistreats the townspeople . The basic plot is typical spaghetti western fare, but what makes this movie stand out is its style. Richard Wyler's performance in the movie is a bit wooden for the role of such an interesting character, but the fantastic performance by the always great Tomas Milian as the slimy, menacing outlaw and gang leader Gomez, make up for it. Appears as secondaries the habitual in Spanish/Italian Western such as Jose Canalejas , Luis Barboo, Ricardo Palacios , Mario Brega and Frank Braña , usual in Leone films. Special mention to Tito Garcia in his ordinary role as fatty Mexican bandit and in a cruelly baddie role , he is terrific, and bears a hysterical and mocking aspect , subsequently he would play similar characters .The film packs violence , shootouts , high body-count and it's fast moving and quite entertaining . There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing some shoot'em up or stunts every few minutes. There is a very odd implementation of zoom shots in the camera work during some particular scenes as the film approaches its climax. Rather than the usual sustained, intensity-building close-ups that Sergio Leone was so fond of, the filmmaker here uses a rapidly zooming in and out camera for a more unsettling effect. The movie gets the usual Western issues, such as avengers antiheroes , violent facing off , quick zooms, exaggerated baddies, soundtrack with Morricone influence , among them . Good production design creating an excellent scenario with luminous outdoors, dirty and rocky landscapes under a glimmer sun and a fine set on the manor . The musician Stelvio Cipriani composes a nice soundtrack and well conducted , this turns out to be one of the most memorable parts of the movie; as it's full of strange sounds and haunting musical background . The opening theme is one of my favorites, and is one of those unforgettable tunes that will play in your mind over and over long after the movie is realized. The soundtrack contributes tremendously to the atmosphere of the film, including an emotive leitmotif, the music score is perhaps the best part of this film . Striking cinematography by Enzo Barboni , ¨Trinity and Bambino¨ films director though is necessary a correct remastering . Outdoor sequences with barren exteriors filmed in Spanish places located on desert of Tabernas , Almeria . This motion picture produced by Jose G Maesso (Gringo , Django, Tarantos) is professionally directed by Eugenio Martin and won prizes conceded by Spanish Spectacle Syndicate. Martin is a horror movies expert ( Hypnosis, A candle for the devil , The fourth Mrs Anderson ) and Spaghetti Western ( Requiem, for a gringo , Pancho Villa , The ugly ones , Bad man's river ). Rating : Acceptable and passable Spaghetti Western , well worth watching .

Cagey and charismatic outlaw Jose Gomez (a typically fine portrayal by the always reliable Tomas Millian) escapes from the authorities and seeks refuge in his old hometown. The townspeople which include Joses's sweet and fiery old flame Eden (an excellent performance by the lovely Halina Zalewska) gladly give him shelter; they aren't aware that Jose has become a very dangerous criminal. Meanwhile, tough and shrewd bounty killer Luke Chilson (a superbly rugged portrayal by Richard Wyler) arrives in town to collect the sizable reward that's been placed on Jose's head. Director Eugenio Martino, who also co-wrote the sharp and intriguing script with Jose Gutierrez Maesso and James Donald Frindle, ably relates a strong and compelling story which unfolds at a steady pace and delivers a potent central message about the perils of taking someone at sentimental face value. The startling outbursts of raw violence pack quite a wallop and the climactic confrontation between Chilson and Jose's gang is very gripping and exciting. The three main characters are exceptionally well developed and expertly acted by the uniformly terrific leads. Enzo Barboni's crisp cinematography boasts several breathtaking panoramic shots of the vast and desolate desert landscape. Stelvio Cipriani supplies a first-rate robust and rousing score. Highly recommended.

This one starts out slow but gets good. It is reportedly Tomas Milian's first western. He turns in one of his best performances as an escaped convict who returns home, where the "bounty killer" of the title lies in wait for him. The townsfolk side with their old friend Milian, only to watch his behavior degenerate into that of the miscreant he's become. Soon his entire gang of freaky looking b**tards (the alternate title is "The Ugly Ones") has trickled into town and the villagers are at their mercy.This film is the ideological opposite of "The Great Silence" in that everyone hates the bounty hunter, but in the end he turns out to be right. Just the same it's quite entertaining when it gets going and features the best "outlaws terrorizing the townsfolk" sequence of any western I've seen. Rivals the one in the first "Mad Max," which isn't even a western. One of the terrorizing outlaws is the drunk from "Cutthroats Nine." Actually, the cast all around is great, with more than one familiar face. The musical score works well once you get used to it, though it sounds a lot like a cross between a Morricone rip-off and something by that guy who did the "Brady Bunch" music. Eugenio Martin's direction, while it has some slow spots and flaws, shows true inspiration.All in all, worth seeing for genre fans and a must for those of Tomas Milian.