The Big Gundown (1967)
Got myself the nice bluray release which is a massive improvement over the botched up version I had seen previously where about 15 minutes was missing. The new transfer looks great while keeping the gritty film grain and aesthetics. Sollima may be just below the other two Sergios, Leone and Corbucci, but with assistance from Lee van Cleef and Ennio Morricone it gets pretty damn close to perfection. The main theme for this is among the absolute best of any spaghetti western. Amazing energy from Maria Cristina Brancucci.
This movie starts a bit wonky with what seems to be a pretty standard fare of a manhunt, but it gradually gets better as more depth is revealed about the plot. All ending in an absolute spectacular finale. It is a joy to see how Thomas Milian contentiously outsmarts van Cleef in new kinds of clever ways. There is a lot of humor here, but it never gets silly like the genre did in the 70s.
If you have already seen the great movies by Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci, give the third Sergio a chance.
Rating: 4.5