WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Izzy Adkins The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

TankGuy A train is attacked by a massive outlaw gang led by bloodthirsty criminal Billy Kane.Onboard the train is famed gunslinger and successful wild west show entertainer Richard Martin(ENRICO MARIA SALERNO).After the passengers, conductors and engineers have all been killed, Kane recognises Martin and confronts him. Kane mercilessly shoots Martin in both hands, leaving him incapable over using a gun ever again. Several years later, Martin is living in poverty and struggles to survive. The success of his wild west show is also fading. One day he gets into a brawl with some thugs and a young stranger named Ricky Shot(TERRY JENKINS),helps him fight them off. The grateful Martin sees potential in Ricky and adopts him as his protégée. Ricky proves to be adept at using a gun and learns quickly how to shoot.However,the fatherly Martin has a darker motive. Crazed by revenge and embittered by the fact he can no longer shoot, he hopes Ricky will hone his gunfighting skills and kill Billy Kane. Although Ricky has his own reasons for being interested in Kane's gang.BANDIDOS is a story of revenge and retribution, but it isn't as dark as other Spaghetti westerns. It's still quite dark, but the story is told in a sensitive and thoughtful manner. The film does have a few moments of quick(but mostly ungraphic)brutality, and the opening slaughter of the train passengers and the subsequent aftermath are indeed very chilling. However the film ends on a sad but positive note. The Italians and Spanish could pen a script a hundred times stronger than any American screenwriter in the employ of a top Hollywood studio.Here,the script and plot are the best things about the film, it's definitely more story driven than most Spaghetti westerns. The script is one of the most robust in the genre with great dialogue and thanks to concrete built characters, the film succeeds . Unlike other Spaghettis, where the "avenger" is just as corrupt and immoral as the villains he hates, the "avengers" in this film(Richard Martin and Ricky Shot)are decent and upstanding. Martin is a gentleman,albeit a lonely one,with chivalrous morals and a genuine respect for others, including the law. Even when thirsting for revenge, he upholds these characteristics. He becomes an affectionate father figure to Ricky, which I found quite heart warming. At one point he even urges Ricky to give up on killing Billy Kane, whereupon Ricky suggests to Martin that he come and live with him on his ranch. Ricky is an appealing character, one innocent mistake in his past forced him onto the wrong side of the law. It is fate that brings himself and Martin together and this is worked cleverly into the script.He's not a bad man and in the end carries out Martin's will. Enrico Maria Salerno gave a fantastic performance as Martin. Terry Jenkins was solid as Ricky. Jenkins was a British actor and it was nice to see a new face. There is fine chemistry between Salerno and Jenkins which is reflected in the scenes in which Martin is teaching Ricky to shoot,it is in these scenes that the brilliance of the script shines through. The script has a couple of unexpected twists and surprises which made the film even more engrossing.BANDIDOS benefits from amazing cinematography.The film is stylishly shot with some sequences filmed in first person view.There is a scene in which Billy Kane enters the saloon and I felt as if it was me who was walking in.The camera also pans around in a lot of scenes,a technique favoured by cameramen and directors in many Spaghetti westerns,therefore the film is not reliant on awkward cuts. Another point of interest is the camera following a bottle of Whisky as it slides down the bar, which I thought was rather incredible. The shootouts are also extremely well lensed, enabling the viewer to witness the action from a more interesting perspective.Egisto Macci's soundtrack, although not one of the best compositions to feature in a Spaghetti western, is really atmospheric and evokes the film's tone excellently. After the attack on the train, haunting vocals are added to a scene as the camera pans over the lifeless bodies of the victims. These vocals were really effective and made this scene suitably grim. As I've mentioned previously, the film is driven more by it's characters and story rather than by action scenes. The action is tightly restrained, with short bursts of violence only exploding when truly necessary. The film begins on a thrilling high with outlaws chasing the train accompanied by a shootout. The stuntmen also do their thing awesomely in the final shootout. Although it was rather drawn out, the climatic showdown between Ricky and Billy Kane was absolutely gripping with the director squeezing out every last drop of tension.At times the film moves at a slow, but satisfying pace. The quality of the DVD print that I watched could have been better but it was alright.The picture was good but the audio could have been revamped to give some scenes more of a staunch oomph.BANDIDOS is not one of my favourite Spaghetti westerns, but it's definitely on the best side of westerns as a whole.Overall,it is a filling plate of Spaghetti Bolognaise skilfully directed by Massimo Dallamano.8/10.

Woodyanders Rugged famous gunslinger Richard Martin (an excellent performance by Enrico Maria Salerno) has both of his hands shot in a brutal hold-up on a train by ruthless former student Billy Kane (a perfectly nasty turn by Venantino Venantini). The bitter and vindictive Martin joins forces with amiable and mysterious escaped convict Ricky Shot (a solid and engaging portrayal by Terry Jenkins) to exact revenge on Kane and his men. Director Massimo Dallamano relates the complex and absorbing story at a steady pace, maintains an appropriately harsh and gritty tone throughout, stages the plentiful exciting shoot-outs with rip-roaring aplomb, and tops things off with a nice sense of deliciously dry dark humor. The sound acting from the capable cast rates as a substantial asset: Salerno and Jenkins display a pleasingly natural chemistry as the appealing protagonists, Venantini makes for a suitably hateful villain, Cris Huerta is amusingly scuzzy as slimy bandito Vigonza, the lovely Maria Martin adds considerable sass and sexiness as Martin's loyal lady friend Betty Starr, and ubiquitous character actor Victor Israel has a neat bit as an ill-fated train conductor. Emilio Foriscot's expansive widescreen cinematography offers a wealth of sweeping panoramic shots of the dusty and desolate landscape. Egisto Macchi's moody'n'twangy score likewise hits the harmonic spot. An attempted ambush in a bar is a definite stirring highlight. The tense final confrontation between Kane and Ricky also totally smokes. An extremely worthwhile and entertaining oater.

spider89119 "Bandidos" is a great, action-packed revenge story that is set up by a very dramatic opening scene that has a rogue gunfighter meet up with the man who taught him to shoot. The gunfighter shoots his former friend in both hands, and then tells him to try to get revenge if he's able to hold a gun. The stage is set, and the film doesn't let up until the very end.All the elements of a great spaghetti western are here. There is a cool music score, an engaging story, suspenseful gunfights, cheesy acting, a couple of great one-liners, and it is all done way over-the-top, like a good western should be. This movie is loaded with style, and style is the reason why the Italian westerns are so much more fun to watch than the ones made in the U.S.There is a lot of great camera work in this movie. The interesting use of camera angles here gives the film a distinct character in much the same way that the use of close-ups marks the Leone westerns.My favorite scenes in the movie are the ones that take place in saloons. There is one especially amusing one in which a man who has just lost a gunfight is sitting at a table drinking and harassing customers and saloon girls while he waits to die from his bullet wound. This old woman tells him to "hurry up and die," and he decides he wants to shoot one of the saloon girls so that he can take her to hell with him."Bandidos" is a must-see for anyone who likes their westerns Italian style.

MARIO GAUCI Like THE PRICE OF POWER (1969), which I watched last September, I only became aware of this obscure Spaghetti Western when it was included in an all-time best poll on the "Spaghetti Westerns Database" website. As it turned out, it's a pretty good example of the genre, though I wouldn't quite place in the top rank. Star Enrico Maria Salerno brings intelligence to the genre - much like Gian Maria Volonte' did in FACE TO FACE (1967). The credits are quite modest, but Egisto Macchi's score is certainly exemplary; interesting characterizations, too, are somewhat nipped in the bud by a mostly unfamiliar cast.Still, the complex plot keeps one watching: featuring a traveling-show backdrop, it's essentially a revenge saga between old pals; one trains a young gun to eliminate the other, because he can no longer use his smashed hands - but the villain is revealed to be the one man who could clear the mysterious boy of murder! Though the film's tone is generally serious, an anarchist streak surfaces during one scene where Salerno's current protégé is murdered in cold blood by a cowboy in the audience, just for a lark. The climactic shoot-out is somewhat drawn-out, but it's capped by a clever bit involving a mirror.I watched this via a slightly trimmed German DVD - where one graphic shot to the neck is missing from the main feature but curiously present in the accompanying theatrical trailer!; it also seems to cut off a little too abruptly at the very end.