You can't blame people for not thinking much of this from the sounds of things - an Italian Western shot in Spain with a US TV star in the lead. But Sergio Leone turned out to be one of the all time great directors and he found his perfect icon in Clint Eastwood, all squinty eyes, three day growth and sucking down a cheroot (the costumer on this deserves all the awards they can get).
The plot gleefully rips off Yojimbo (which ripped off Westerns in turn so there's nice synergy) with Clint playing off two sides against each other until he tries to do the right thing (cue some heavily sentimental music and acting) and suffers for it. But don't worry - super human vengeance awaits.
The action scenes are incredibly well done and the whole piece drips in atmosphere. Clint is remarkably good - every actor should have a vehicle like this one. Gian Maria Volonte is a strong antagonist. And of course the music is divine.
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