A spaghetti western that features the bloody violence one would expect from the genre but also much that sets it apart. The spectacular snowbound locations give the film a unique look, while its mute hero displays a strong moral fibre that’s at odds with the usual Italian western anti-hero. Known as Silence because he cannot speak, he refuses to shoot first, preferring to goad his opponents into making their move, he also has a tendency to shoot their thumbs off.
It’s unusual for having a black love interest for the hero, in the shapely form of Vonetta McGee who later found fame in Blacula and a score of other blacksploitation flicks in the ‘7os. The film has an international cast with French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant playing Silence, while Klaus Kinski is the main villain, Loco. Sadly none of them provide their own voice on the dubbed English soundtrack.
The king of spaghetti western composers, Ennio Morricone contributes a striking score. It’s more subdued and less catchy than his more famous compositions for Eastwood’s Italian films but no less effective.
Climaxing with bloodbath so unremittingly bleak that an alternate happy ending was shot but not used, this isn’t your average shootout. It’s an ending that stays with you and makes you wonder what, if anything, director Sergio Corbucci was trying to say. Is it just nihilism or something more?
It may not rank alongside the best spaghetti westerns of Leone but it’s certainly a cut above the average and a film all fans of Italian horse operas should see.
