The following review is an extract from the book "Italo-Western and more...: A filmic guide", which is now available on Amazon.
"Very entertaining and enjoyable this Christmas western, one of the first to come out in Italy, a blockbuster and very popular, which would have a sequel that same year. It was released shortly after "For a Fistful of Dollars" (Sergio Leone, 1964) - the emblematic feature film with which the sub-genre was launched, and in which Duccio Tessari, director of the proposal under consideration, served as co-writer.
"A Pistol for Ringo" lacks the epic tone that characterizes Leone's western films, and also the melancholy, somber and hypervolent style that is typical of many Italian western gems. The plot is simple and linear, yet rich in nuances and well-crafted characters.
The usual vendettas are dispensed with and we are presented with a story of hostage-taking with its corresponding intrigues, albeit in a light-hearted and humorous way. Ringo is very different from the Leonesian/Eastwoodian "man with no name": Although he is also an amoral loner he is much more talkative, and often makes joking remarks. He is well dressed, well shaved, does not smoke and drinks only milk.
Just as in the film he is a "turncoat", he also switched sides earlier during the civil war: "At first I was with the Confederates, but when I saw that they were losing, I switched to the North. You should never be with a loser... it's a matter of principle"."
"Very entertaining and enjoyable this Christmas western, one of the first to come out in Italy, a blockbuster and very popular, which would have a sequel that same year. It was released shortly after "For a Fistful of Dollars" (Sergio Leone, 1964) - the emblematic feature film with which the sub-genre was launched, and in which Duccio Tessari, director of the proposal under consideration, served as co-writer.
"A Pistol for Ringo" lacks the epic tone that characterizes Leone's western films, and also the melancholy, somber and hypervolent style that is typical of many Italian western gems. The plot is simple and linear, yet rich in nuances and well-crafted characters.
The usual vendettas are dispensed with and we are presented with a story of hostage-taking with its corresponding intrigues, albeit in a light-hearted and humorous way. Ringo is very different from the Leonesian/Eastwoodian "man with no name": Although he is also an amoral loner he is much more talkative, and often makes joking remarks. He is well dressed, well shaved, does not smoke and drinks only milk.
Just as in the film he is a "turncoat", he also switched sides earlier during the civil war: "At first I was with the Confederates, but when I saw that they were losing, I switched to the North. You should never be with a loser... it's a matter of principle"."