Sergio Sollima (1921–2015)

"La Resa del Conti", which broadly translates as "The Settling of Scores" is one of the greatest of all spaghetti westerns. Written by Sergio Donati and directed by Sergio Sollima it features Lee Van Cleef in his first leading role and delivers a highly politicised story of the manipulation of the poor and the working classes by the political and business class. Van Cleef plays Jonathan Corbett a famous bounty hunter who has almost single-handedly cleaned Texas up of criminals and outlaws. He is feted by the wealthy and influential businessman Brokston (Walter Barnes) who wants Corbett to run for the Senate in order to help him push through plans for a railroad that he hopes to build between Texas and Mexico. While Brokston tries to persuade Corbett to stand news arrives that a 12 year old girl has been raped and murdered by a small-time Mexican crook and drifter, Cuchillo Sanchez (Tomas Milian). Corbett agrees to track Cuchillo and bring him to justice, and sets out in pursuit. He captures, recaptures and loses the slippery Cuchillo on a number of occasions, but with each encounter becomes less convinced of the Mexican's guilt. Meanwhile Brokston has brought together his own posse including the arrogant and cold-blooded Austrian aristocratic sharp-shooter Baron Von Schulenberg (Gérard Herter) in order to ensure that Cuchillo dies.

"La Resa del Conti" is an excellent spaghetti western arguably matching Sergio Leone's masterful "Dollars Trilogy". Donati and Sollima combine well-drawn and well-developed characters with a political backdrop that touches on racism, intolerance, greed and manipulation while also providing some beautifully composed desert photography (courtesy of cinematographer Carlo Carlini) and some exciting and cleverly composed gun battles. The political backdrop of the rich corrupt businessman / politician taking advantage of the impoverished, down-trodden and misunderstood peasant is said to have come out of Sollima's experience of living through the Mussolini dictatorship and forms the core through-line of "La Resa del Conti" giving it a visceral intellectual power. These political story elements would resonate less well if Sollima hadn't also delivered a fine visual film populated with great characters. Each of the leading characters in the film are nicely developed and in the best spaghetti western tradition there are some great eccentric and over-the-top lesser characters that could almost be subject of films in their own right. The beautiful ranch-owning Widow (Nieves Navarro), the only female surrounded by macho ranch hands, but still lusting after Corbett and the uptight, upright, heel-clucking Baron Von Schulenberg, sporting monocle, cape and expensive pistols are both the epitome of spaghetti western under-characters who come close to stealing the show. "La Resa del Conti" is also full of brilliant and memorable sequences such as Cuchillo's snake and cactus escape; the shoot-out at the Widow's ranch; Cuchillo's run through the cane fields and the climatic showdowns. The score by the great Ennio Morricone is a masterpiece and a perfect companion piece to his work on the "Dollars Trilogy". It is grandiose and operatic and perfectly choreographed to the action - his music is a character in its own right. The title song, "Run, Man, Run", sung by Christy (Maria Cristina Brancucci) with lyrics by Audrey Stainton Nohra is a brilliantly compelling tune and is one of Christy's best collaborations with Morricone. Christy sings with a wild passionate delivery that gives Nonra's lyrics a real power and resonance: "Somewhere there is a land where men do not kill each other / Somewhere there is a land where men call a man a brother / Somewhere you will find a place where men live without fear / Somewhere, if you keep on running, someday you'll be free". The film also has two perfect leading performances in Lee Van Cleef's Corbett and Tomas Milian's Cuchillo. Van Cleef is cool and confident, fitting into the role with effortless ease, while Milian is a constant source of entertainment, bringing a resolute determination and a sense of witty humour to Cuchillo. Everything in "La Resa del Conti" works in clever concert - Sollima's direction; Donati's story; Van Cleef and Milian's performances; Morricone's music and Christy's spine-tingling song all make this a spaghetti western classic.… (more)