Finally the release fans of this film have been waiting years for!
This is possibly my favorite western of all time and I have gone through several versions over the years that were usually bootlegs due to it not even being available on DVD in the US. This version trumps all though, unless you're someone who prefers the Franco Cleef version that mixes the English and Italian dub for the uncut version. If you're one of those people, the German blu ray release will suit you fine. For me though, I sometimes liked to just watch the US cut of the film without all the Italian parts and sometimes I liked to see the full uncut version in Italian, so the fact that this set gives you both version over two blu ray discs is truly the best way to appreciate the film. Oh, and the film itself has never looked better and is truly stunning in HD. The sound offered is only the original mono, which is great, as I love to see the original sound preserved, but it would have been nice if they could have tried to create a 5.1 mix for this release. Still though, I can't...
Masterpiece of the Spaghetti Western genre.
Excited to finally see a hi def release of this most significant film in the long career of Lee Van Cleef. A cut down version of THE BIG GUNDOWN with faded color shown in pan & scan on the Encore Western channel cannot do justice to director Sergio Sollimas classic Western. Lee Van Cleef turns in probably his best performance as an egotistical lawman with political ambitions who engages in a brutal hunt for the Mexican peon Cuchillo (Little Knife. his weapon of choice.) Tomas Milian gives a very energetic performance here as Cuchillo. As a frustrated Van Cleef fails to capture his prey he begins to doubt his abilities, a dangerous development for him as he must soon face an eccentric Prussian gunslick (The Baron)who is determined to murder Cuchillo and is every bit as capable and deadly as Van Cleef himself.
Also, in a too small role, is actress Maria Granada as Cuchillos wife and part time prostitute. Surely one of the most beautiful creatures to ever walk the face of this...
Fantastic!
It's Awesome to see this movie again,after years of glimpses from late night TV and in a bar somewhere with no sound.They've done it justice in a nice package with the original score thrown in.Believe me,it is not a throw in.Morricone's score is Beautiful.
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