Review: A Bullet for Sandoval

 Set during the American Civil War, soldier George Hilton deserts his post to be with his lover who is about to give birth. She dies of cholera before he can get there, and the child later dies of cholera as well. It’s spread just about everywhere, it seems. Hilton lays the blame for this double tragedy at the hands of the child’s grandfather, landowner Ernest Borgnine, who disapproved of their union and basically abandoned the baby. For his part, Borgnine throws the blame in Hilton’s direction. Hilton forms a gang of outlaws (including Alberto de Mendoza and Gustavo Rojo) to seek his vengeance.

 

The fantastic poster featuring the mean mug of Ernest Borgnine inspired me to check out this 1969 revenge-spaghetti western from director Julio Buchs (“I’ll Kill Him and Return Alone”, co-scripted by Lucio Fulci). Also known as “Vengeance is Mine”, you can see why: It’s a cold, hard revenge film and damn underrated if you ask me. Buchs shows that vengeance is ugly, bloody, messy, and affects a person externally and internally. Here’s a spaghetti western that isn’t content to merely rip-off Sergio Leone, it’s got its own harsh, thoughtful vibe. It’s so grim and violent that after a while you start to wonder if George Hilton even remembers the wife and child whom all this bloodshed was supposedly motivated by. Meanwhile, a cholera outbreak gives the film something a little different, a certain mood in an otherwise relatively familiar revenge plot.

 

George Hilton is pretty good in the lead, and Ernest Borgnine owns his every scene through sheer force of personality. Borgnine could get angry and enraged with the best of them, but I actually think his best moments here are sorrowful ones. This man loved his daughter. Some might find it hard to accept Borgnine as a Mexican wearing mariachi get-up and calling our Uruguayan lead ‘gringo’. However, Anglo casting is the order of the day in these sorts of things, using American stars/actors to give the film a selling point. Alberto de Mendoza is pretty good in support as well, and Gustavo Rojo steals scenes as one of Hilton’s recruits. There’s a nice imitation Morricone score by Gianni Ferrio (“Find a Place to Die”, “A Man Called Sledge”, “Death Walks at Midnight”) as well.

 

Is this a world-beater? No, it’s slow and the dialogue is hit-and-miss. However, it’s pretty damn solid and interestingly dark and sad. The ending is bleak as hell, too. Worth seeking out, this one’s quite underrated. The screenplay is by Buchs, along with Federico De Urrutia (“Texas Ranger”) and Ugo Guerra (Mario Bava’s “The Whip and the Body”).  

 

Rating: B-