Monday, May 26, 2008

MY NAME IS NOBODY (1974)

Under the aegis of ‘spaghetti Western’ master Sergio Leone, Tonino Valeri helmed this playful variation on the genre’s familiar tropes. They were going for Leone-lite, but got Leone-cute, too cute. Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti) is the goofy, but staggeringly talented young gunslinger who needles Henry Fonda ’s aging marksman to end his career with a legend sealing mission. The plot never quite adds up, but there are some effective comic/sadistic set pieces that keep you hanging in there, along with ultra- sharp cinematography and Ennio Morricone’s over-the-top score. Hill is a remarkably odd screen presence & it’s easy to see why he never quite caught on in the States.

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