A Bullet for the General

Original title: Quién sabe?

1967
PG
1h 17m

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

5.2K

YOUR RATING

Martine Beswick, Klaus Kinski, and Gian Maria Volontè in A Bullet for the General (1967)

A Spaghetti Western on a par with best of Sergio Leone's work, A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL (aka Quien Sabe?) is a radical and politically committed film directed by Damiano Damiani (A Genius, Two Partners And A Dupe; Amityville II: The Possession) from a brilliantly powerful screenplay by Oscar nominee Franco Solinas (co-writer of the award-winning The Battle Of Algiers).

Less a western and more an allegory on South American politics, A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL initiated a whole sub-genre of pro-revolutionary westerns, including Sergio Leone's own "A Fistful Of Dynamite". Scriptwriter Solinas, himself, describes the film as a more accessible version of his screenplay for "The Battle Of Algiers". Violent, stylish and with a refreshingly leftist point of view, the film wears its "Yankee go home!" message proudly on its sleeve.

Now fully restored from the original Italian negative materials this forthcoming DVD release from Argent Films is the longest and most complete version of A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL available.

Play trailer1:39

1 Video

34 Photos

Spaghetti Western Action Western

A band of Mexican gunrunners employed by a revolutionary General accept an American mercenary into their gang, unaware of his true intentions.A band of Mexican gunrunners employed by a revolutionary General accept an American mercenary into their gang, unaware of his true intentions.A band of Mexican gunrunners employed by a revolutionary General accept an American mercenary into their gang, unaware of his true intentions.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

5.2K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

El Chuncho Muños
(as Gian Maria Volonté)
…

Klaus Kinski

El Santo

Martine Beswick

Adelita

Lou Castel

Bill 'Niño' Tate…

Jaime Fernández

General Elías
(as Jaime Fernandez)

Andrea Checchi

Don Felipe

Spartaco Conversi

Eufemio

Joaquín Parra

Picaro
(as Joaquin Parra)

Aldo Sambrell

Lt. Alvaro Ferreira

José Manuel Martín

Raimundo
(as José Manuel Martin)

Santiago Santos

Guapo

Valentino Macchi

Train Engineer

Sal Borgese

Bandit
(uncredited)

Damiano Damiani

Journalist with Gen. Elías
(uncredited)

Carla Gravina

Rosario
(uncredited)

Guy Heron

Pepito
(uncredited)

Rufino Inglés

Capt. Enrique Sanchez Compoy
(uncredited)

Vicente Roca

Hotelier
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
It is rumored --to the point of almost being a legend--that director Damiano Damiani became so frustrated with Gian Maria Volontè and Klaus Kinski, two actors who were notorious for being difficult to work with, that one day they pushed him so hard that he beat them and whipped them on the set until they finally behaved and did as they were told.

Goofs
When the bolt action rifle are being used they never eject the spent cartridge upon being reloaded, showing them to be empty.

Quotes
[last lines]
El Chuncho: [to a beggar he gave money to earlier] Don't buy bread with your money! No, hombre! Buy dynamite! Dynamite! Dynamite! Dynamite!

Connections
Featured in L'Oeil du cyclone: Westernissimo (1995)

Soundtracks
Ya Me Voy
(uncredited)
Written by Luis Bacalov
Performed by Ramon Mereles
Courtesy of EMI General Music srl

User reviews45

Review

Featured review

6/10

A tale of Mexican bandits (or revolutionaries) and one shady, baby-faced gringo

RELEASED IN 1967 (but not till 1968 in the USA) and directed by Damiano Damiani, "A Bullet for the General" (aka "El Chuncho") takes place during the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s and involves a gang of gunrunners led by El Chuncho (Gian Maria Volontè) and enlisted by a revolutionary general (Jaime Fernández). They allow a taciturn American gringo into their band (Lou Castel), oblivious to his objectives. Klaus Kinski plays the semi-crazy priest of the bandits (I mean revolutionaries) while Martine Beswick is on hand as the babe of the bunch.

This is a decent Spaghetti Western focusing on Mexican bandits. The tone is serious and the cast, costumes, dirt and sweat lend to the gritty realism. The opening sequence where a munitions train is forced to stop due to a crucified army captain blocking the tracks is notable. The script respects the intelligence of the viewer and doesn't spell everything else, even while everything is obvious if you read between the lines. Volontè, who plays the filthy, but amicable Mexican protagonist, is best known for his roles with Clint Eastwood in "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964) and "For a Few Dollars More" (1965). The score by Luis Bacalov is quite good and was supervised by the inimitable Ennio Morricone.

THE FILM RUNS 115 minutes and was shot in Almería & Guadix, Spain, with indoor sequences done in Rome. WRITERS: Salvatore Laurani and Franco Solinas.

GRADE: C+/B-