Customer Reviews

Any Gun Can Play [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I watched this today after not having seen it since it was released in 1968. It was a lot of fun, but admittedly it is not the equal of the Sergio Leone works, or even those of Sergio Corbucci - although both are spoofed here.

In the opening scene we see a trio that as two resembling Eastwood and Van Cleef's characters in FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE and another who is clearly based on Franco Nero's Django. Clearly here Castellari is letting us know that he's going to have some fun at the expense of what had preceded him in the spaghetti western canon. George Hilton's bounty killer dispatches these three and we're informed that his next target is Monetero, played by veteran Gilbert Roland, then in his early 60s and still the epitome of machismo elegance. At this point he had been in the business for 40 years, and with the slightest of gestures, blows away his younger cast mates.

Monetero and his gang rob a gold shipment from a train loaded with the cavalry as well as Edd Byrnes playing a bank employee. Kookie, Kookie, lend me some money. His gang gets away with the loot, but the money gets away from Monetero. The bank man is after Monetero for the gold shipment, Hilton's character ("They call me the Stranger" - a nod to Tony Anthony's films?) is after him for the reward, and the rest of the film play out a series of crosses and double-crosses, all with a fair dose of humor. The film even anticipates some of the later spaghetti westerns - particularly Gianfranco Parolini's "Sabata" films which also relied heavily on circus-styled gymnastics. Byrnes' character Clayton gets into some Faibanksian-styled gymnastics fights with both Hilton and later about six members of Monetero's gang, and then later both Byrnes and Hilton take on many of the same gang in a bathhouse.

None of this is to be taken any more seriously than Terence Hill's antics in MY NAME IS NOBODY, it's probably just that this early in the game, it wasn't obvious that it was a spoof as the sub-genre was barely around for four years. A scene where Hilton and an insurance man spot each other through binoculars tips its hat to a similar scene in FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, and the overall tale of three men and the search for hidden gold is obviously based on THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. But the best homage comes at the end, a face-off among the three main characters that satirizes the similar scene in the latter film. Only the music fails to make the point here, whereas in other scenes the score is appropriate - as long as one keeps in mind that this is just an affectionate spoof, and on its own, it is an appealing film. The leads are more than capable - although the looping is often flat, and the production design quite attractive. Even at 105 minutes, the film moves quickly and never runs out of steam.

Leonard Molten gave Any Gun Can Play a bomb rating. Why? There are far worse movies that have gotten far better reviews.

The Bad - The voices and ambience sounds are flat. The music ranges from a fair but clichéd imitation of Morricone to sounding like the soundtrack to a bad travelogue (especially during the some action scenes.) The worst is that the music often has terrible wow and flutter; it fades in and out and breaks up. There is an embarrassing clichéd opening song. There are some cheap looking props. (Cowboys crash into cardboard bathtubs painted to resemble some sort of wood. You'll want to adjust the color on your TV) There are some very silly scenes: Hilton wears Red underpants fist fighting a prancing Ed Byrnes in a river. The fight looks like it might end with a kiss. Later Ed meets George in a bathhouse... (What is going on with these two?!) There are a few too many cutesy grins, especially by Hilton. There is corny dialogue " They call me (dramatic pause) The Stranger" There is an out of place female Mexican Bandit who looks like Jane Meadows. It also appears the film makers forgot to insert the opening credits. A train steams through the desert with bad theme music for two minutes where the credits should have been rolling. There are far too many zoom-in shots. The film stock has a [inexpensive] look about it. That's it.

The Good

It appears the cast and film makers never intended to be taken seriously and knew they owed everything to Sergio Leone. It's pretty obvious when Lee Van Cleef, Clint Eastwood and Franco Nero look-a-likes are plugged in an opening scene that mimics A Fist Full of Dollars. The binocular/telescope scene the same scene from For Few Dollars More. There is a parody of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly graveyard showdown - with a humorous twist.

The plot is from The Good the Bad and The Ugly. Again three guys holding part of the answer to where the gold is hidden. The big difference is there is no sadism.

The acting is above average for a spaghetti western and at least Ed Byrnes and Gilbert Roland use there own voices. Gilbert Roland's Mexican stylish bandit has intelligence, dignity and sense of humor. Pretty unusual compared to the way most Mexicans are played in these film.

Director Castallari makes scenes interesting with angles, close ups and colors. Caslellari likes to put his camera on the ceiling, he shoots a cowboys mouth and chin from over the brim of his hat, he films bad guys from a reflection in spilled whisky, or he shows blazing guns fired from a black silhouette in front of a blood red wall. Casterelli understands what's best about the spaghetti western style and works far better then most in the genre. His main fault is in the budgets and postproduction work -such as dialogue inserts, quality of film stock music and sound effects - that typically give his films a cheesey affect.

I recommend Any Gun Can Play as an absolute must to all Spaghetti Western fans.

The VCI DVD has very little extras - but the price is great. I wish someone would clean up the sound problems but I doubt anyone will be issue a better-looking version of this film.

VCI Entertainment presents "Any Gun Can Play" (1967) (Dolby digitally remastered)...also known as "For a Few Bullets More", "Go Kill and Come Back" and "Vado... l'ammazzo e torno" (Original Foreign title) Italian production featuring George Hilton, Gilbert Roland, Edd Byrnes and Kareen O'Hara...storyline of this Spaghetti Western is well thought out, with an opening that will have you reaching for your six guns...our cast works so well together, especially Gilbert Roland who steals every scene he appears in...just picture a bounty hunter, crooked banker and a bandit all searching for a fortune of buried gold...the music builds from composer Francesco De Masi and lends so much to the action with hard riding thrown in...shades of the famous showdown from "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" fall into place...this is not a classic, but a little gem just waiting to be discovered by movie goers who appreciate a thought provoking screenplay and good film making....this above average B-Western will keep you guessing to the very last scene, great entertainment...no one will ever forget The Stranger, The Bandit and The Banker...relive those thrilling days when good drama took us down the dusty trails and plains to exciting adventures.

Under director and screenwriter Enzo G. Castellari, producer Edmondo Amanti, screenplay by Giovanni Simonelli, music composed by Francesco de Masi...the cast include George Hilton (The Stranger/Django/Bounty Hunter), Gilbert Roland (Monetero/the bandit), Edd Byrnes (Clayton/the banker), Kareen O'Hara (Marisol/'Guapa')........special footnote, actor Edd Byrnes found bit parts in films before he moved to a new TV series called "77 Sunset Strip" (1958), along with actors Efrem Zimbalist Jr and Roger Smith, Edd played a hip talking parking lot attendant named "Kookie", with a tag line of "Baby, you're the grinchiest", became a household phrase along with combing your hair in the manner and style of "Kookie"........meanwhile back to the film, there is a great deal of entertainment here for "B-Western" fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features like this one.

BIOS:
1. Edd Byrnes
Birth Date: 7/30/1933 - New York, New York
Died: Still Living
2. Gilbert Roland (aka: Luis Antonio Dámaso de Alonso)
Birth Date: 12/11/1905 - Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Died: 5/15/1994 - Beverly Hills, California (cancer)

SCENE SELECT:
1. The Stranger
2. Train Robbery
3. Looking for the Traitor
4. Monetero is Captured
5. The Escape
6. The Medalion Crest
7. Clayton & the Stranger
8. Monetero & Clayton
9. Bath House Brawl
10.Search for the Gold
11.Monetero's Gang
12.The Gold

Coming soon January 2006 from VCI Home Video on DVD..."FLAMING FRONTIERS" (1938), Universal Serial with 15 chapters, featuring Johnny Mack Brown, Eleanor Hansen, John Archer, James Blaine and Ralph Bowman..."OREGON TRAIL" (1939), another Universal Serial with 15 exciting chapters featuring Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Roy Barcoft and Charles King..."THE TALL TEXAN" (1953), full length feature starring Lloyd Bridges, Lee J Cobb, Luther Adler and Marie Windsor...watch for more details on VCI Entertainment and Amazon your two favorite sites for serials and B-Westerns.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing the "Any Gun Can Play" (1967), digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '40s, '50s and '60s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again with a top notch Westerns from VCI...so saddle up and get ready for some hard riding and adventure that only VCI Entertainment (King of the Serials) can deliver...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 105 mins on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment 8263 ~ (1/29/2002)

Disclaimer: The version of 'Go Kill and Come Back' that I watched was included on VideoAsia's Grindhouse Experience vol 1, which is not currently available on Amazon. As such, I cannot comment on the quality of the product offered on this product page - my review is concerned with the entertainment value of the film only.

Just a bit above average, 'Go Kill and Come Back' (aka 'Any Gun Can Play'), is a lighter approach to the Italian western from director Enzo Castellari; full of nods to the genre and which also pays homage to the films and filmmakers that came before it. In a storyline that may seem familiar, three men, each with partial knowledge concerning the location of $300,000 in gold, cross and double-cross one another in an effort to be the first to the hidden treasure. After several twists and turns, blind dodges and red herrings, the three meet up in front of the gold and contemplate how it should be divided - but nobody does long division in an Italian western without using a gun as a calculator!

'Go Kill' gets a definite recommend for fans of the genre, although, as I said, it's only above average instead of a classic. The script is actually pretty good - at first, I thought it was too derivative until I understood it was meant as a compliment (and maybe a bit of a spoof) to earlier films. But Enzo Castellari's direction has always seemed to miss some important element to me, something that would elevate his films from just good to great. His method of direction is, I think, too much by the numbers - the excellent exception to this is the prologue to 'Go Kill', which finds room for that odd and quirky moment that directors like Sergio Sollima and Sergio Leone were able to stuff into their films.

But the main problem with this film is that only Gilbert Roland, as the bandit leader Monetero, has the charisma necessary to carry his role. These films call for larger than life characters, and Edd 'Kookie' Byrnes is too lightweight to believably compete with the others. George Hilton, as the bounty hunter, too often looks as though he is laughing inside at the entire endeavor - I like him better here than in 'I am Sartana...Trade Your Guns for a Coffin', but his acting style is similar in both films. If you've appreciated his work in previous westerns, chances are you will like his performance here also.

While 'Go Kill' is unrated, and has its share of violent moments, all in all it is subdued in comparison to other Italian westerns I've seen. I would be tempted to call it PG, though depending on how you may feel about western violence, PG-13 may be more appropriate. There are gunfights, of course, and fistfights, but this movie doesn't revel in bloodshed or sadistic behavior like a Corbucci film might. Three and a half stars, and recommended for genre enthusiasts.

I've posted this review under the VHS listing, because the copy that I watched looks a lot like a videocassette - one that was re-recorded over several times before taping this film from television, and then left to percolate in the floorboards of someone's truck for several weeks. Much of the time, I'd recommend these box sets with their versions of obscure films over the individually packaged DVD - usually the price is right, and it would give someone an idea is the more expensive version is worth picking up. But I wouldn't recommend 'The Grindhouse Experience' to anyone looking only for this film - it cost too much unless one was interested in other films included in the set, and is in poor condition. Although I haven't seen it, I'd suggest investigating Spaghetti Western Double Feature Vol 2: Bullet for Sandoval / Any Gun Can Play if your interested in this film - according the information posted on its product page, it sounds as though it may be the best value overall.

I'm one of those people who like to have some kind of noise going on while reading the Sunday newspaper, and if the noise is a movie, I may glance at it from time to time to catch whats going on.
The day I put this movie in, it didn't take long before I'd forgot all about the paper and was captivated by the movie.
It is the story about a train shipment of $300,000 in gold coins. There are several bandits out to get it and a bounty hunter is chasing after them...at least until he gets wind of the shipment, then he's after the gold himself.
It's a movie where nobody trusts nobody, but everybody is using somebody to try and get to the gold. There is so much back stabbing, blind siding, and lying it reminds me of an episode of Survivor. It also reminds me of what the Bible says about putting your trust in man, "never put your trust in him"(man).
It contains lots of perfectly timed action, has plenty of drama, is sprikled with a dash of suspense, breathtaking cinematography, and superb characters. It is filmed in the Sergio Leone' style(though he did not direct the movie), and the main character is a cross between Clint Eastwood in the Good Bad and Ugly , and Terence Hill in Trinity.
And while the movie has some acrobatics in it, it doesn't have the unbelievable stunts like those movies where men jump off 100ft cliffs, hit the ground, stand up, brush themselves off and walk away.
If you want a movie that will entertain you thoroughly, and put you on the edge of your seats, grab the popcorn and slap in this action packed western.

If you like the "Spaghetti" Western
then you will like this film.

It's all there.
The brutality, the cynicism,
the humor, the music, etc.

The plot and characters are
never boring and the ending
remains a mystery.
It is compelling story-telling
presented very well.

Italian film-makers seem to
have perfected the notion
of each scene standing alone
as a work of art in addition
to being part of a continuum.

It is thoroughly entertaining
and interesting from beginning
to end.

In every way a very entertaining,cool and funny western.Enzo G Castellari
is one of the best italian action movie makers,and this film is beutifully
photographed and actionpacked, with a great,classic score by Francesco De Masi.
George Hilton is typecast as a gunslinger dressed in black,and always very good in westerns.Its probably the best Italian production Edd Byrnes
ever appeard in.I recommend it!

This enjoyable, low-budget Euro-western opens with a scene that predates a similar one that Sergio Leone wanted to lens for "Once Upon A Time in the West," but he couldn't persuade Clint Eastwood to appear in. Three tough-looking gunfighters ride into a town. One is dressed like Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name character in a poncho. Another resembles Lee Van Cleef's Colonel Douglas Mortimer from "For A Few Dollars More," and the third is garbed like Franco Nero's Django, except he rides a horse instead of hauls a coffin behind him with a machine gun in it. Our hero meets them in Main Street behind a wagon loaded with three coffins. "Any Gun Can Play" is a spaghetti western with an in-joke on spaghetti westerns since the hero here wipes out all the three killers. Aside from a surfeit of comedy, especially in the acrobatic fight sequences, Enzo Gl Castellari's lightweight western qualifies as an above-average oater.

The notorious Mexican outlaw Montero (Gilbert Roland of "Barbarosa") and his gang of trigger-happy pistoleros rob an army train transporting $300-thousand dollars in gold coins across the frontier. Director Enzo G. Castellari of "Inglorious Bastards" stages the hold-up from a variety of camera angles that thrust you into the forefront of the fracas. The bandits seize the locomotive along with the coach carrying the gold and separate it from the rest of the train that houses the U.S. Cavalry. While Montero and his gunmen keep the Cavalry pinned down, Pajondo (Pedro Sanchez of "Sabata") commandeers the locomotive, kills the engineer and his crew and trundles it away, leaving the other pistoleros behind to fend for themselves. Essentially, Pajondo double-crosses Montero and steals the gold for himself. Later, Montero catches up with Pajondo at the Rio Grande. Before the bandit can reveal the whereabouts of the loot to Montero, however, a Cavalry sergeant shoots Pajondo dead. Before he dies, Pajondo tells Montero about a medallion that serves as a clue about where he stashed the treasure. The irate Cavalry captain (Ivano Staccioli of "Commandos") imprisons Montero, but he cannot loosen the bandit's tongue even after he wields his whip on him. Infuriated by Montero's reticence, the captain threatens to have the Mexican shot if he doesn't talk. Meanwhile, the jailers let a priest speak to Montero, but the priest really isn't a priest. The six-gun toting Stranger (George Hilton of "The Ruthless Four") masquerades as a man of the cloth and rescues Montero from a firing squad. Unfortunately, before Montero is rescued, Clayton (Edd Byrnes of TV's "77 Sunset Strip") takes the medallion away from him and keeps it for himself. Clayton is the bank representative that was sent to safeguard the gold. He is horrified that the Captain wants to shoot Montero. Clayton's career at the bank hinges on his ability to recover the gold. The Stranger stages a fire at the fort to distract the firing squad and Montero takes the Captain as hostage and tries to escape, but the Stranger shoots him off the horse. Before the authorities can verify that Montero is dead, the Stranger claims the body for the handsome reward he will receive and he rides out with the Captain's gracious thanks. No sooner have they left the fort than Montero's men show up to rescue him from the Stranger. From this point on, the Stranger, Montero, and Clayton forge short-lived alliances among each other as they search for the gold. Castellari and scenarist Tito Carpi, who has penned a number of spaghetti westerns such as "A Few Dollars For Django" and another Castellari oater "Seven Winchesters for a Massacre," rely on clever humor and surprise reversals to keep the action fresh and fast-paced. One cool scene has Clayton seated at a table about to eat his meal when he hears some suspicious sounds from behind him. Clayton pours his drink on the table and sees the gunmen behind him with holstered six-guns.

"Any Gun Can Play" lives up to its title. In fact, many guns do play, and at least twenty or more corpses pile up before fade-out. This western isn't so much a parody as it is a knock-off of Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." Mind you, bad guys and good guys fall as frequently as ten-pins in a bowling alley, but their deaths aren't depicted in the brutal fashion of a Leone western. "Any Gun Can Play" doesn't take itself as seriously as the aforementioned Leone masterpiece. The three leads jockey back and forth for supremacy. Each has a piece of the puzzle that will lead them to the treasure, but they refuse to share their information until the shoot'em up finale. Lenser Giovanni Bergamini's colorful widescreen photography is spectacular, especially the opening shots of the train chuffing along railway tracks with distant mountain peaks rearing up dramatically in the background. Another great shot occurs when Montero tests the Stranger's imperturbable calm. This scene happens after the Stranger has rescued Montero and the Mexican's minions arrive to save their chieftain's bacon. Confiscating the Stranger's six-gun, Montero takes aim at the poncho-clad tough guy and empties the revolver, placing his well-aimed bullets harmlessly in and around the unflinching gunslinger. Bergamini, who photographed Castellari's World War II thriller "Inglorious Bastards," frames the scene with the Stranger in the background and his pistol in Montero's hand in the foreground for a pleasing, three-dimensional style shot. Meanwhile, Francesco De Masi's lively orchestral soundtrack is as memorable for its own idiosyncratic melodies as Ennio Morricone's soundtracks were for the Leone westerns. The opening song is reminiscent of a 1950's Hollywood western with its catchy lyrics and guitar riffs. Although it isn't a major spaghetti western, "Any Gun Can Play" is always entertaining nonsense with interesting plot twists and good performances, especially the indefatigable Gilbert Roland who was 62 years old at the time!