Tag: lou castel

Requiescant

Requiescant is a 1967 movie directed by Carlo Lizzani.

Requiescant tells the story of a preacher’s adopted son who attempts to save his sister from a corrupt group of ex-Confederates. Lou Castel stars in the title role and while his Colombian roots don’t exactly match his Mexican character, he exhibits a quiet intensity. Mark Damon’s George Bellow Ferguson steals the show. His aristocratic Confederate character is both genteel and vicious – but also reveals a simmering attraction to Carlo Palmucci’s Dean Light. It’s an intriguing performance – especially cast against Castel’s Bible-toting sharpshooter.

THE BEST – Overhead Shots

There’s nothing extraordinary about Lizzani’s direction – in most respects, Requiescant is a straightforward Euro-Western. However, during the movie’s climatic final scenes, Lizzani lifts his camera high above to show the wreckage of a saloon battle. It’s a simple and cheap technique, but extraordinarily effective.

THE WORST – Navajo Joe Levels of Casting

Castel is an interesting and occasionally dynamic actor but it’s hard to overlook his complexion – especially when cast against the Mexican peasants he represents. This contrast is even more striking when you remember Castel’s role in A Bullet for the General.

FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – 3.75/5

You have to suspend reality for much of the movie, but Requiescant is a solid Euro-Western that features some unique touches. It’s definitely worth a watch.

A Bullet for the General

A Bullet for the General is a 1967 movie directed by Damiano Damiani.

A Bullet for the General tells the story of the bandit Chucho, who tries to secure weapons for a rebel General. He is joined in his pursuit by the enigmatic Bill Tate, a Gringo whose motives are vague.

Readers of this site know my criteria for an enjoyable European Western: I’m looking for style, great music, fun bad guys and some violence. Throw in some weirdness and I’m hooked. A Bullet for the General covers all these bases and while it’s not outright strange, the movie boasts a bold, defined style.

The two leads create a fun dichotomy. Gian Maria Volonte and Lou Castel are perfect strangers – actors who can only come co-exist in a Spaghetti Western universe.

Volonte’s Chucho initially appears cartoonish. He’s the brash, sometimes oafish Mexican bandit who dominates the screen. Yet, a softness and depth emerges as the movie unfolds. The hardened bandit transforms into a man of the people, then undergoes a reckoning as returns to his previous life.

Perhaps Volonte’s graying mane and sad face contribute to the effect, but he easily absorbs the audience’s empathy. A few scenes after viciously killing a fellow bandit, he wrestles with his conscience. He implores the cynical Tate to look into the eyes of a poor farmer: “He’s a man like me and you – do you understand?”

Tate’s reply: “No.”

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