The Grand Duel is a 1972 movie directed by Giancarlo Santi.
WHAT HAPPENS?
A former Marshal defends a young gunfighter against a corrupt family. The Marshal comes to terms with his past before engaging in a final confrontation.
ONE LINE REVIEW
The Grand Duel is a stylistic, inventive European Western.
THE ACTORS
Lee Van Cleef plays Clayton, the Marshall seeking justice. It’s a typical Van Cleef Western role, as the veteran actor delivers witty, grim lines and maintains a grizzled, sage presence. At times, it appears Van Cleef is sleepwalking through his role – his Marshal sums up the role: “I don’t talk unless I feel like it. That’s one of my rules.” Yet, he delivers in the movie’s finale – a superb dramatic shootout.
Alberto Dentice is Phillip Vermeer, the young gunfighter shepherded by Clayton. It’s a stock role and a largely forgettable performance. The movie’s true standout is Klaus Grunberg’s Adam, a fey, dangerous murderer who leaps from the screen. His entry helps revitalize the movie’s lumbering, repetitive story.
THE DIRECTOR
Known for being Sergio Leone’s second unit director on some classic Westerns, Giancarlo Santi helms one of his few movies in an impressive manner. While the story doesn’t stray from Western tropes and is clunky in parts, Santi’s style is evident throughout. He uses a series of tight framing shots, black and white flashbacks and inventive color contrasts to achieve a unique vision.
Of course, The Grand Duel is greatly enhanced by Luis Bacalov’s soaring theme song. There is a majesty to this theme that the movie cannot match. It is simply one of the most gorgeous instrumental pieces you’ll find in a movie – and it certainly was better employed in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.
THE BEST – The Theme Song
There are a few European Westerns where the theme song is the high point of the movie – and everything craters afterward. The Grand Duel doesn’t fit this criteria, but it would be extraordinarily difficult to distinguish the movie without it’s spectacular theme.
THE BEST Part 2 – Van Cleef’s One-Liners
A Van Cleef Western is always good for some dry one-liners. Some of his best here include:
-“Did you kill them?” “They never noticed.”
-“I’m too old to sell myself. Phillip is too young.”
-“Never consider a gun empty.”
THE BEST Part 3 – Enter the Machine Gun
It wouldn’t be a European Western if a machine gun wasn’t introduced. The Grand Duel features a bloody sequence where Adam unloads on innocent townspeople.
THE BEST Part 4 – The Final Duel
Given that the movie occurs towards the end of peak European Westerns, it’s ending is a unique and inventive take on the final shootout.
THE WORST – A Bounty Hunter Comedy
True to European Westerns, the tone awkwardly shifts from grim revenge piece to goofy comedy in the span of a few scenes. Dentice’s character shifts in tone depending on the scene – giving an unbalanced performance.
FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – 4/5
The Grand Duel is a hidden gem in a genre where originality can be difficult to obtain. Santi’s lone Western is an inventive offering that’s worth a watch.
