Reviews (43)

Bad history, good movie
Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, and Kiefer Sutherland are just a few of the all-star cast who fill out this film about outlaws set in the old west: The story of Billy the Kid & Co. Aside from the fact that its historical accuracy is more than highly questionable, the movie was more than entertaining.

Emilio Estevez plays William H. Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid who was a runaway and an alleged murderer, who was taken in by Mr. John Tunstall, an English cattleman. Tunstall was murdered by a rival cattleman, a Mr. Murphy, played by Jack Palance. The movie goes on from there with a killing spree of those who were responsible for the death of Tunstall. The acting was great. "Dick," played by Charlie Sheen, was very good and one of Sheen's better roles. Lou Diamond Phillips was absolutely amazing as the Mexican Indian: Jose Chavez y Chavez. Charlie, played by Casey Siemasko, was a great and devoted friend, to Billy, and to the rest of the "Regulators."

It is said that Billy the Kid was no where near as arrogant, nor as trigger happy as the film portrays, but Estevez was rather impressive in his skills both as an actor and a gunslinger. Sutherland's "Josiah 'Doc' Scurlock" was an admirable man; full of character and class given the circumstances. Terrance Camp's role as "John Tunstall" was short-lived but excellent.

This movie is highly entertaining. I recommend it to anyone who likes a good Robin Hood story (who isn't terribly concerned of historical accuracy). It is fun to watch, and the cast is second to none.

epc

Everyone will hack on you if you do not buy this DVD
Young Guns is definitely one of the best Westerns ever made. It is the story of how Billy the Kid and his legend was created. John Tunstall an English merchant takes in runaways and those on a downward spiral in life and in return for protecting his ranch from poachers gives them (his regulators) an education and board. After he is murdered by L.G. Murphy's men, Tunstall's regulators are deputised and set out to bring in those responsible. The Lincoln War is on and William H. Bony and the other regulators have prices on their heads.

The Young Guns DVD also contains a featurette, which was made in 1988. It's kind of a behind the scenes, interview with the actors type thing. It's quite interesting and a flash back to 1988 with mentions of Tom's Cruise latest movie being Cocktail re-enforcing this was made in 1988. Seeing Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Keifer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips over fifteen years younger than today and hearing them talk about their careers to that point is also rather interesting.

I don't really like Westerns but I loved Young Guns. Check out the sequel Young Guns II as well.

an apology for a western that is not authentic
I always thought of this film as a western for young people. I don't understand the "brat pack" label. I could give some pretty friggin' nasty labels to some John Wayne films I've seen. And please don't tell me there's such a thing as a thinking man's western. Is Young Guns not a quality western since it lacks some vacuous, ponderous shots of deserts with a raspy-voiced squinty eyed god-fearing fat alcoholic moron squinting into the sun and speaking like a disgruntled janitor about how he's going to get his revenge on someone who done wronged him? I always though Young Guns was exciting and funny with a cast of youthfuls who make the 'mistake' of acting youthful in front of the screen. And as for Terrence Stamp? He's friggin' horrible! He gets blown off the screen literally and for which this viewer is eternally grateful. The only other actor miscast is Charlie Sheen. The rest of the cast is great. Jack Palance is comically unhinged as the true psychotic in this film. If John Wayne were in this film he would be a bearded bad guy who gets his brains blown out. And that's the way it should be. And one final word: why is it American films (particularly westerns) are always judged based on films that came before. In this case it doesn't make sense. Young Guns is influenced by some westerns, but in execution, tone, and style it is a complete original. It deserves mention with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time In the West, My Darling Clementine, One-Eyed Jacks, Johnny Guitar, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Tombstone as one of the great westerns. But if you're over 21 just go get hammered and watch TNT to get your weekly western fix you friggin' republican.

Mindless Drivel of the Worst Kind
This is an utterly unhistorical movie. The real Billy the Kid was basically a loner who shunned gangs such as the "Regulators" bunch in this movie. One of the characters is a deputy marshal who throws away his badge and utters the usual lines about how the law is really on the side of evil. In this case, the ex-deputy joins the rest in a revelry of mindless violence all of which is committed in the name of a good cause, although it is hard to see how the violence did anything constructive.

Basically, this is just another empty action flick of mindless violence and mayhem with characters who have deluded themselves into thinking that they are the good guys. Worst of all, the movie basically portrays these juvenile delinquents as being on the right side. The idea that violence is an acceptable thing to engage in if you believe that you are in the right is just simply not the kind of message that Hollywood should be conveying to young people.

In summation, this is an awful movie.

Mindless western fun - but a classic it ain't
Brash, loud, and totally rock and roll, "Young Guns" is less a classic western and more a typical late 80s, early 90s action flick. And that's just fine. It's a stupidly fun, turn-off-your-head flick if you're willing to approach it that way. Watch it as a serious western, though, and you're likely to be disappointed. This is an MTV western. No more, no less.

Emilio Estevez puts a lot of energy into Billy the Kid, keeping the movie brisk. The rest of the cast are all solid, playing their clichéd characters as well as can be expected.

Compared to today's rapid-fire action, "Young Guns'" blast em ups might seem lacking and tame, but it all works pretty well (for what it is). The style is all late-80s -- flashy, loud and rude. Big gun shots, rock and roll soundtrack, and car chases on horses. If that's your thing, "Young Guns" fits the bill. It's pure Bs to the wall action.

But take note: If what you want is a strong western that lives beyond the genre as a standout film, western or not, you'd be better off seeking "Once Upon A Time In The West" or "Unforgiven." This ain't it.

The DVD is of fine quality. The picture has never looked better, the audio is very impressive, and the packaging will look nice on your shelf. The extras are pretty good, too. A nice behind the scenes featurette, an excellent documentary on the real Billy The Kid, and a decent commentary make this a great bang-for-your-buck buy. You can't beat the price.

As a DVD set for Young Guns fans, this is a five-star set (*****). As a film, this is a three-star film (***). For Amazon.com, I'm splitting the difference with four stars (****) ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Bad history, good movie
Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, and Kiefer Sutherland are just a few of the all-star cast who fill out this film about outlaws set in the old west: The story of Billy the Kid & Co. Aside from the fact that its historical accuracy is more than highly questionable, the movie was more than entertaining.

Emilio Estevez plays William H. Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid who was a runaway and an alleged murderer, who was taken in by Mr. John Tunstall, an English cattleman. Tunstall was murdered by a rival cattleman, a Mr. Murphy, played by Jack Palance. The movie goes on from there with a killing spree of those who were responsible for the death of Tunstall. The acting was great. "Dick," played by Charlie Sheen, was very good and one of Sheen's better roles. Lou Diamond Phillips was absolutely amazing as the Mexican Indian: Jose Chavez y Chavez. Charlie, played by Casey Siemasko, was a great and devoted friend, to Billy, and to the rest of the "Regulators."

It is said that Billy the Kid was no where near as arrogant, nor as trigger happy as the film portrays, but Estevez was rather impressive in his skills both as an actor and a gunslinger. Sutherland's "Josiah 'Doc' Scurlock" was an admirable man; full of character and class given the circumstances. Terrance Camp's role as "John Tunstall" was short-lived but excellent.

This movie is highly entertaining. I recommend it to anyone who likes a good Robin Hood story (who isn't terribly concerned of historical accuracy). It is fun to watch, and the cast is second to none.

epc

Everyone will hack on you if you do not buy this DVD
Young Guns is definitely one of the best Westerns ever made. It is the story of how Billy the Kid and his legend was created. John Tunstall an English merchant takes in runaways and those on a downward spiral in life and in return for protecting his ranch from poachers gives them (his regulators) an education and board. After he is murdered by L.G. Murphy's men, Tunstall's regulators are deputised and set out to bring in those responsible. The Lincoln War is on and William H. Bony and the other regulators have prices on their heads.

The Young Guns DVD also contains a featurette, which was made in 1988. It's kind of a behind the scenes, interview with the actors type thing. It's quite interesting and a flash back to 1988 with mentions of Tom's Cruise latest movie being Cocktail re-enforcing this was made in 1988. Seeing Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Keifer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips over fifteen years younger than today and hearing them talk about their careers to that point is also rather interesting.

I don't really like Westerns but I loved Young Guns. Check out the sequel Young Guns II as well.

an apology for a western that is not authentic
I always thought of this film as a western for young people. I don't understand the "brat pack" label. I could give some pretty friggin' nasty labels to some John Wayne films I've seen. And please don't tell me there's such a thing as a thinking man's western. Is Young Guns not a quality western since it lacks some vacuous, ponderous shots of deserts with a raspy-voiced squinty eyed god-fearing fat alcoholic moron squinting into the sun and speaking like a disgruntled janitor about how he's going to get his revenge on someone who done wronged him? I always though Young Guns was exciting and funny with a cast of youthfuls who make the 'mistake' of acting youthful in front of the screen. And as for Terrence Stamp? He's friggin' horrible! He gets blown off the screen literally and for which this viewer is eternally grateful. The only other actor miscast is Charlie Sheen. The rest of the cast is great. Jack Palance is comically unhinged as the true psychotic in this film. If John Wayne were in this film he would be a bearded bad guy who gets his brains blown out. And that's the way it should be. And one final word: why is it American films (particularly westerns) are always judged based on films that came before. In this case it doesn't make sense. Young Guns is influenced by some westerns, but in execution, tone, and style it is a complete original. It deserves mention with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time In the West, My Darling Clementine, One-Eyed Jacks, Johnny Guitar, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Tombstone as one of the great westerns. But if you're over 21 just go get hammered and watch TNT to get your weekly western fix you friggin' republican.

Mindless Drivel of the Worst Kind
This is an utterly unhistorical movie. The real Billy the Kid was basically a loner who shunned gangs such as the "Regulators" bunch in this movie. One of the characters is a deputy marshal who throws away his badge and utters the usual lines about how the law is really on the side of evil. In this case, the ex-deputy joins the rest in a revelry of mindless violence all of which is committed in the name of a good cause, although it is hard to see how the violence did anything constructive.

Basically, this is just another empty action flick of mindless violence and mayhem with characters who have deluded themselves into thinking that they are the good guys. Worst of all, the movie basically portrays these juvenile delinquents as being on the right side. The idea that violence is an acceptable thing to engage in if you believe that you are in the right is just simply not the kind of message that Hollywood should be conveying to young people.

In summation, this is an awful movie.

Mindless western fun - but a classic it ain't
Brash, loud, and totally rock and roll, "Young Guns" is less a classic western and more a typical late 80s, early 90s action flick. And that's just fine. It's a stupidly fun, turn-off-your-head flick if you're willing to approach it that way. Watch it as a serious western, though, and you're likely to be disappointed. This is an MTV western. No more, no less.

Emilio Estevez puts a lot of energy into Billy the Kid, keeping the movie brisk. The rest of the cast are all solid, playing their clichéd characters as well as can be expected.

Compared to today's rapid-fire action, "Young Guns'" blast em ups might seem lacking and tame, but it all works pretty well (for what it is). The style is all late-80s -- flashy, loud and rude. Big gun shots, rock and roll soundtrack, and car chases on horses. If that's your thing, "Young Guns" fits the bill. It's pure Bs to the wall action.

But take note: If what you want is a strong western that lives beyond the genre as a standout film, western or not, you'd be better off seeking "Once Upon A Time In The West" or "Unforgiven." This ain't it.

The DVD is of fine quality. The picture has never looked better, the audio is very impressive, and the packaging will look nice on your shelf. The extras are pretty good, too. A nice behind the scenes featurette, an excellent documentary on the real Billy The Kid, and a decent commentary make this a great bang-for-your-buck buy. You can't beat the price.

As a DVD set for Young Guns fans, this is a five-star set (*****). As a film, this is a three-star film (***). For Amazon.com, I'm splitting the difference with four stars (****) ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A miserable affair
I love Treasure Island, but I hated this movie. This uninspired version plods along until the end, and then it becomes wretched. Jim teams up with the pirates to kill the Doctor, Squire, and Captain. This movie was so bad I felt sick after watching it. Jack Palance would have made a fine Long John in a better directed version. On the plus side, the camera work is decent and the Hispaniola is beautiful.

Go for the Disney or Charlton Heston version instead.

A Kevin Zegers Must-Have
Kevin Zegers and Jack Palance shine in this adaptation of the classic novel. You probably need a calculator to add up all the different versions of the film, and everybody agrees that the version starring Bobby Driscoll is by far the best - but this one is an enjoyable journey.

The DVD itself is nothing to brag about with very limited "special features" - it is obvious it was cheaply produced but the video quality is good. Worth a viewing by any Kevin Zegers or Jack fan.

Same Story Different Ending
If you've seen any of the many versions of Treasure Island then you've seen them all. Whats makes this version at least different, (if not better) is the dramatic change at the end of the story. I realize its not what the author had in mind, but hey this is hollywood and they reserve the right to alter the story.
The acting ranged from very good to very bad; with Kevin Zegers (Jim Hawkins) probably doing the best acting job in the movie. Another version, and in my opinion the best to date, features Christian Bale & Charlton Heston in the lead roles. This version was still one of the better ones though and all in all I give it four stars.

Did the film makers read the book?
Anyone who has actually read the book will be disappointed with this version of the film. Despite pretty good casting, the film is ruined by an unforgivable altering of the story. Peter Rowe owes an apology to all fans of R. L. Stevenson.

total perversion of a wonderful story
We rented this out of our love for the Treasure Island story as well as our respect for Jack Palance's acting skills. While Mr. Palance performed well, the story itself was totally twisted. The "good guys" became the "bad guys" and the "bad guys" turned out to be actually the "good guys". Par for our modern PC culture which fortunately R. L. Stevenson knew nothing about (and yes, I have read the original story). SPOILER: the story ends by the "hero" Long John Silver sailing to Jamaica with Jim Hawkins and Ben Gunn (the "good guys" of the show were killed during a fight at the treasure -- but the story was so twisted that you were actually glad they received their "just reward" in death!). The only reason I rated this a "1-star" was because there was not a "zero-star" rating. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

once again
This has to be the worst movie I have ever seen (right below "Green Slime"). Ever a big Richard Boone fan: he is forgiven in this movie. Jack Palance: not believable, no matter what role except "City Slickers" where his persona, a dead cowboy playes true. Lee Van Cleef ever steely eyed, ever smooth talking is the only reason to see this film. The downfall, and major blunder, was to cast an amature (immature) to the film: preteen hearthrob Leif Garret. "Thankfully" throughout the video he is a mute boy but his acting skills, I give this flick a 1

Great Movie!!!
What's wrong with you people??? This was a great all round Spaghetti Western!!! Sure, it may not rate up there with "The Good the Bad and the Ugly" or the other two of the trilogy, but it is nonetheless a very good movie. Lee Van Cleef plays a great dual role of the priest (Father John) and the twin brother gun-slinger (Lewis), Sybil Danning (Jenny) is flat out beautiful and Leif Garrett is plays a very believable Johnny son of Danning. Oh, and lets not forget Jack Palance as the very bad Sam Clayton. All these characters blend together to make a very memorable movie. One the better scene's in the movie is when Johnny is trapped in the church bell tower and he takes a metal bolt and flings it at his pursuer hitting him in the head, causing him to go head over heals to the ground below. I also enjoyed the wonderful dancing lady in the Saloon. Sante Maria Romitelli produced a sound track equal to anything Ennio Morricone ever did and Orlando Signorelli did an equally good job in editing the film. This is one of my all time favorite Spaghetti Westerns and one I would recommend YOU buy. Forget the prior reviews and buy this movie.

Great Title, Great Actors, Bad Movie
What potential - A great title "Gods Gun" - three of the best tough guys ever, all with very respectable careers - Lee Van Cleef, Jack Palance and Richard Boone.
What is right?

Jack Parlance comes off OK. At times there are some clever script elements. That's it!

What's Wrong?

What "Plan Nine From Outer Space" was to Bella Lagosi, "Gods Gun" might be to these three actors. "Gods Gun" rivals Terror In Tiny Town in ineptitude. The actors in this Israeli - no budget Western must have been very hungry. You watch this film and wonder - how did this happen to them?
Van Cleef (who must have had the worlds worst agent), had all but lost his menacing charm. At this time in his career you wonder if directors were purposely mocking him -having him wear embarrassing costumes, wigs and at times singing awful theme songs. He must have realized he wasn't getting paid for this abomination because he obviously didn't stick around to loop in his own voice. He is ludicrously dubbed to sound like "A Sons of Hercules" character. Cheep sets, lame clichéd music, horrendously bad costumes, awful peripheral actors, stereotypes, and a bland and confused teen idle - Leif Garret. The whole thing would be unintentionally funny if it were not for the sadness of seeing three quality actors trying desperately to make this thing work. At least you don't feel so bad about Palance who went on to some better things - some quality Hollywood films and push-ups during an Academy Award ceremony. It is very disturbing watching Van Cleef, and Boone knowing that for the remainder of their lives they were hopelessly stuck in poverty row films like this one. "Gods Gun" has a very high cringe factor for those of us who were once entertained by these guys. Others who don't care may be able to laugh at the film. I personally could not stand watching what seemed like three old reliable pals being degrading junk like this.

Gianfranco Parolini's God's Gun
Parolini, directing under the American-friendly name "Frank Kramer," comes up with a film that almost succeeds.

Jack Palance and his gang take over a small town. Leif Garrett and priest Lee Van Cleef stand up to the gang, and Van Cleef is killed. Garrett rides off to find the priest's twin brother, a gunfighter, also played by Van Cleef. They ride back and defeat the baddies.

The film makers give Van Cleef the world's most hideous wig in his scenes as the priest. He and Garrett seem to be competing in a contest for the film's most unappealing hairstyle. Palance, as the outlaw gang leader, must get on his knees every day and thank God "City Slickers" came along and rescued his career from messes like this. Sybil Danning, as Garrett's mother, is given little to do but stand around wide eyed, worry about her son, and flash her right breast in a rape scene to be discussed later. Richard Boone, desperately missing John Wayne and the chance to be in his films, plays the stereotypical drunken sheriff who cannot stop the outlaws.

Garrett, who does not sing in this, heads to Mexico to find the gunfighting brother. It takes him just two days, since apparently Mexico is the size of a city block. Van Cleef as the gunfighter is more effective, especially in a clever plan to stop the outlaws by making them think the priest has come back from the dead. The gunfighter does this with the minimum use of guns, and it is entertaining.

The bad news? Ennio Morricone should sue the composer here for ripping off "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"'s soundtrack. Every time Van Cleef is shown, you here that "aahh" sound that pops up all time in the superior Sergio Leone film. About an hour into this, the gang tries to rape the judge's daughters. They then go to the saloon and proceed to rape the women there. Then Danning tells Palance he is the father of Garrett, and we are treated to her flashback when Palance raped her years before. I do not know why the majority of modern westerns must feature rape, but this trio of scenes lasts a very long SIX minutes, and seems longer. They are ugly scenes that did not have to be done, and only pander to the lowest form of viewer who needs to have it hit over their head that these are villains, in case all the murders and robberies were confusing.

Parolini finally starts doing some funky things involving his camera with about twenty minutes to go, but it is too late. The baddies are defeated, Garrett learns a big life lesson, and gunfighter Van Cleef rides home.

"God's Gun," also known as "A Bullet from God," had a lot going for it, but cannot overcome its own ugliness. I cannot recommend it.

This is rated (R) for physical violence, gun violence, strong sexual violence, gore, some profanity, brief female nudity, brief male nudity, and sexual references.

so bad, it's actually quite good
I saw this film a few years ago, on a home TV channel, and I thought I had just entered the twilight zone. I could not believe my eyes! What on earth was going through the filmmaker's mind as they sat down to green light this one? The main idea was a passable one, if a little unoriginal, but it was the execution that went wrong. It is hard to think that both the director and star of this one were responsible for the excellent 'Sabata' nearly a decade earlier.

A few highpoints of this film to watch out for:

1. In the saloon scene, note the whore in the red dress doing a very 'groovy' dance despite the actual music that is playing. Great arm movement, eh?

2. Another gem is the scene where Lee van Cleef confronts Jack Palance while they are camped for the night. Was it my imagination, or were the villains sleeping in the middle of the road? A bit dangerous, isn't it? I know that they are hardened criminals, their evil posturing has already alerted us to that fact, but this really is dicing with death.

3. A final word about the costumes. What happened? Most of the money seemed to go on the whore in the red dress (a talented dancer) but it seemed that van Cleef was forced to wear his own trousers for most of the shoot. How can I tell? The film was made in the late seventies or early eighties and this is reflected in the circumference of the bottom of his jeans. This is most noticable in the introduction of the twin brother mid way through the film.

That said, I have never laughed at an italian western so much in my life. Go on, buy it. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

once again
This has to be the worst movie I have ever seen (right below "Green Slime"). Ever a big Richard Boone fan: he is forgiven in this movie. Jack Palance: not believable, no matter what role except "City Slickers" where his persona, a dead cowboy playes true. Lee Van Cleef ever steely eyed, ever smooth talking is the only reason to see this film. The downfall, and major blunder, was to cast an amature (immature) to the film: preteen hearthrob Leif Garret. "Thankfully" throughout the video he is a mute boy but his acting skills, I give this flick a 1

Great Movie!!!
What's wrong with you people??? This was a great all round Spaghetti Western!!! Sure, it may not rate up there with "The Good the Bad and the Ugly" or the other two of the trilogy, but it is nonetheless a very good movie. Lee Van Cleef plays a great dual role of the priest (Father John) and the twin brother gun-slinger (Lewis), Sybil Danning (Jenny) is flat out beautiful and Leif Garrett is plays a very believable Johnny son of Danning. Oh, and lets not forget Jack Palance as the very bad Sam Clayton. All these characters blend together to make a very memorable movie. One the better scene's in the movie is when Johnny is trapped in the church bell tower and he takes a metal bolt and flings it at his pursuer hitting him in the head, causing him to go head over heals to the ground below. I also enjoyed the wonderful dancing lady in the Saloon. Sante Maria Romitelli produced a sound track equal to anything Ennio Morricone ever did and Orlando Signorelli did an equally good job in editing the film. This is one of my all time favorite Spaghetti Westerns and one I would recommend YOU buy. Forget the prior reviews and buy this movie.

Great Title, Great Actors, Bad Movie
What potential - A great title "Gods Gun" - three of the best tough guys ever, all with very respectable careers - Lee Van Cleef, Jack Palance and Richard Boone.
What is right?

Jack Parlance comes off OK. At times there are some clever script elements. That's it!

What's Wrong?

What "Plan Nine From Outer Space" was to Bella Lagosi, "Gods Gun" might be to these three actors. "Gods Gun" rivals Terror In Tiny Town in ineptitude. The actors in this Israeli - no budget Western must have been very hungry. You watch this film and wonder - how did this happen to them?
Van Cleef (who must have had the worlds worst agent), had all but lost his menacing charm. At this time in his career you wonder if directors were purposely mocking him -having him wear embarrassing costumes, wigs and at times singing awful theme songs. He must have realized he wasn't getting paid for this abomination because he obviously didn't stick around to loop in his own voice. He is ludicrously dubbed to sound like "A Sons of Hercules" character. Cheep sets, lame clichéd music, horrendously bad costumes, awful peripheral actors, stereotypes, and a bland and confused teen idle - Leif Garret. The whole thing would be unintentionally funny if it were not for the sadness of seeing three quality actors trying desperately to make this thing work. At least you don't feel so bad about Palance who went on to some better things - some quality Hollywood films and push-ups during an Academy Award ceremony. It is very disturbing watching Van Cleef, and Boone knowing that for the remainder of their lives they were hopelessly stuck in poverty row films like this one. "Gods Gun" has a very high cringe factor for those of us who were once entertained by these guys. Others who don't care may be able to laugh at the film. I personally could not stand watching what seemed like three old reliable pals being degrading junk like this.

Gianfranco Parolini's God's Gun
Parolini, directing under the American-friendly name "Frank Kramer," comes up with a film that almost succeeds.

Jack Palance and his gang take over a small town. Leif Garrett and priest Lee Van Cleef stand up to the gang, and Van Cleef is killed. Garrett rides off to find the priest's twin brother, a gunfighter, also played by Van Cleef. They ride back and defeat the baddies.

The film makers give Van Cleef the world's most hideous wig in his scenes as the priest. He and Garrett seem to be competing in a contest for the film's most unappealing hairstyle. Palance, as the outlaw gang leader, must get on his knees every day and thank God "City Slickers" came along and rescued his career from messes like this. Sybil Danning, as Garrett's mother, is given little to do but stand around wide eyed, worry about her son, and flash her right breast in a rape scene to be discussed later. Richard Boone, desperately missing John Wayne and the chance to be in his films, plays the stereotypical drunken sheriff who cannot stop the outlaws.

Garrett, who does not sing in this, heads to Mexico to find the gunfighting brother. It takes him just two days, since apparently Mexico is the size of a city block. Van Cleef as the gunfighter is more effective, especially in a clever plan to stop the outlaws by making them think the priest has come back from the dead. The gunfighter does this with the minimum use of guns, and it is entertaining.

The bad news? Ennio Morricone should sue the composer here for ripping off "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"'s soundtrack. Every time Van Cleef is shown, you here that "aahh" sound that pops up all time in the superior Sergio Leone film. About an hour into this, the gang tries to rape the judge's daughters. They then go to the saloon and proceed to rape the women there. Then Danning tells Palance he is the father of Garrett, and we are treated to her flashback when Palance raped her years before. I do not know why the majority of modern westerns must feature rape, but this trio of scenes lasts a very long SIX minutes, and seems longer. They are ugly scenes that did not have to be done, and only pander to the lowest form of viewer who needs to have it hit over their head that these are villains, in case all the murders and robberies were confusing.

Parolini finally starts doing some funky things involving his camera with about twenty minutes to go, but it is too late. The baddies are defeated, Garrett learns a big life lesson, and gunfighter Van Cleef rides home.

"God's Gun," also known as "A Bullet from God," had a lot going for it, but cannot overcome its own ugliness. I cannot recommend it.

This is rated (R) for physical violence, gun violence, strong sexual violence, gore, some profanity, brief female nudity, brief male nudity, and sexual references.

so bad, it's actually quite good
I saw this film a few years ago, on a home TV channel, and I thought I had just entered the twilight zone. I could not believe my eyes! What on earth was going through the filmmaker's mind as they sat down to green light this one? The main idea was a passable one, if a little unoriginal, but it was the execution that went wrong. It is hard to think that both the director and star of this one were responsible for the excellent 'Sabata' nearly a decade earlier.

A few highpoints of this film to watch out for:

1. In the saloon scene, note the whore in the red dress doing a very 'groovy' dance despite the actual music that is playing. Great arm movement, eh?

2. Another gem is the scene where Lee van Cleef confronts Jack Palance while they are camped for the night. Was it my imagination, or were the villains sleeping in the middle of the road? A bit dangerous, isn't it? I know that they are hardened criminals, their evil posturing has already alerted us to that fact, but this really is dicing with death.

3. A final word about the costumes. What happened? Most of the money seemed to go on the whore in the red dress (a talented dancer) but it seemed that van Cleef was forced to wear his own trousers for most of the shoot. How can I tell? The film was made in the late seventies or early eighties and this is reflected in the circumference of the bottom of his jeans. This is most noticable in the introduction of the twin brother mid way through the film.

That said, I have never laughed at an italian western so much in my life. Go on, buy it. ... Read more