Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

zardoz-13 Argentine actor George Hilton made two Spaghetti western comedies where he played an enigmatic, swift-shooting stranger known as Alleluja who helps Mexican revolutionaries in their struggle against the domination of the Emperor Maximilian. Director Giuliano Carnimeo, who adopted the name Anthony Ascot, helmed both these frivolous shoot'em ups with high body counts. Comparably, "Guns for Dollars" surpasses "Return of Halleluja" with hilarity galore, but "Return" duplicates the formula with all its entertaining twists and turns. The imaginative Tito Capri wrote "Guns for Dollars," also known as "They Call Me Hallelujah," while Capri co-wrote the sequel with "The Italian Connection" scenarist Ingo Hermes and "Any Gun Can Play" scribe Giovanni Simonelli who provided the story idea. These two oaters have the darkly clad Alleluja selling his services to self-proclaimed Mexican revolutionary leader General Manuel Ramirez (Roberto Camardiel of "Seven Pistols for a Massacre") to thwart Maximilian's aims. Virtually all Spaghetti westerns belong to one of three Sergio's. First, Sergio Leone made serious westerns about death and dying. Second, Sergio Corbucci specialized in comic Spaghetti westerns. Third, Sergio Sollima made Spaghetti westerns with disenfranchised peon heroes. "Gun for Dollars" amounts to more a Sergio Leone western with lots of Sergio Corbucci comedy."Guns for Dollars" opens with a suspenseful execution scene. The imperialist villains are about to put not only the General but also the Priest, Victoriano Pacico (Aldo Barberito of "Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead") along with many others against a wall and shoot them. Carnimeo relies on composer Stelvio Cipriani's drum roll music to heighten the suspense and tension. Cipriani's orchestral soundtrack is lively, buoyant material. At some point in their march to the site of execution, Carnimeo frames the action through the arch of a Senger sewing machine. This tongue-in-cheek reference to a Singer sewing machine is clever. What proves to be even more clever but clearly far-fetched is that the stranger Alleluja has modified this sewing machine so that it spits out lead as if it were a Gatling gun! He wipes out the execution squad and agrees to ride off on a quest for General Ramirez to a nearby monastery where a gang of outlaws masquerading as monks have stolen a black satchel stuffed with rare, valuable stones worth over a million pesos. At one point, during the opening sequence, the Senger jams on Alleluja, and he complains, "Shucks, the next thing you know the machine will be sewing bullets and shooting thread." Later, Alleluja must contend with an acrobatic Russian, Grand Duke Alexey Wissayolovich Kropotkin (Charles Southwood of "Roy Colt and Winchester Jack"), who also wants to recover the jewels, too. When the filmmakers introduce Kropotkin, he is decked out in a long, white Cossack tunic, with a sword. These two Hellions must deal with another competitor, Sister Anna Lee (Agata Flori of "Operation Kid Brother"), and she proves to be just as slippery as they are. If nimble Spaghetti western comedies are your taste, you won't find a better example than "Guns for Dollars." "Stranger Returns" composer Stelvio Cipriani provides a catchy, memorable orchestral soundtrack that enlivens the action.

Bezenby This is a film about a gunslinger who owns a machine gun that's also a sewing machine, a nun who is a secret agent like James Bond, and a Russian Prince who does Cossack Kung Fu – Let's see what IMDb commentator Ed the C has to say about it:QUOTE "How did Mexico get Revolvers before the US Army in the Civil War? Maximillian's reign in Mexico ended just before the Start of the American Civil War. Amazing. The Revolver was Brand new Technology at the Start of the Civil War. First guns were a powder Charge and pellet, the Movie Shows a rapid firing revolver which was not introduced until the early 1870's. In 1847 appeared the First Colt Revolvers used by the Texas Rangers. But it was not a "Fan" firing revolver seen in the Movie. The War against the Comanche's an early version of the Revolver was used but it was hammer-less thus incapable of fan Firing."Thanks, Ed the C – your last name has three letters missing from it. This is one of Guiliano Carnimeo's daftest, and therefore most entertaining, Westerns, For his fourth film of 1971, George Hilton plays anti-hero who rescues a Mexican general from execution by using his machine gun/sewing machine combo on the Mexican army. The general then gives him the task of recovering some valuable jewellery, but of course there's a gang of hoodlums after it too (led by the usual corrupt businessman), and a nun who is a secret agent, and an uppity Russian prince who blows up bad guys with a guitar doubling as a rocket launcher. This film is not about realism, you might get that when George uses a birthday cake with dynamite for candles to blow up the bad guys, or when he puts laxative in their food and they all crap themselves, or when he shoots someone over his shoulder without looking. Or how about when the nun climbs up a telegraph pole and uses a gadget to send a message in morse code?I don't know how he does it, but Guiliano Carnimeo manages to find the balance between comedy and violence that is painfully lacking in other Westerns about this time. Maybe they just don't go far enough, but Carnimeo packs the film with absolute madness, and then turns the film into an eighties action flick at the end for good measure! I suppose George Hilton helps, with his Latin charm and quips (some of which make no sense) – looks like there was a sequel to this one too!Oh, good music as well, plus, the cinematography is by future director Stelvio Massi!

Ed the C How did Mexico get Revolvers before the US Army in the Civil War? Maximillian's reign in Mexico ended just before the Start of the American Civil War. Amazing. The Revolver was Brand new Technology at the Start of the Civil War. However the Acting was Theatrical. First guns were a powder Charge and pellet, the Movie Shows a rapid firing revolver which was not introduced until the early 1870's. In 1847 appeared the First Colt Revolvers used by the Texas Rangers. But it was not a "Fan" firing revolver seen in the Movie. The War against the Comanche's an early version of the Revolver was used but it was hammer-less thus incapable of fan Firing.Ed The C

marc-366 Any film with a title as memorable and eye-catching as "Heads You Die, Tails I Kill You" has a lot to live up to. Luckily this one does.... well, for the first half at least.The story centres around George Hilton's character named "Halleluyah" (thus the films alternative title "They Call Me Hallelujah"). He has been hired by Mexican general Ramirez (Roberto Camardiel) to steal jewels from the army, allegedly to help fund the revolution.The beginning of the movie is very strong, as Ramirez is led to the firing line by the army, to Ciprani's fantastic score. Some onlookers are already grieving, but proceedings are intervened when Halleluyah appears with his very novel machine gun. Great stuff.The plot has more twists and turns than, ummmmm, a very twisty turney thing! It is not just Halleluyah searching for the jewels, but a secret agent disguised as a Nun (Agata Flori), the Russian Alexei (Charles Southwood) and a gang of arms dealers led by Fortune (Paulo Gozlino).Whilst the movie is a real roller-coaster of a ride, it does reach new levels of stupidity with the introduction of Alexei. As I said at the beginning of this write up, the film doesn't disappoint - it just (in my opinion) has one eccentric character too many. This makes the second half just a bit too farcical to me at times.Most of the best scenes are based around Halleluyah's interaction with the gang - particularly near the beginning where disguised as monks they successfully steal the jewels (and soon face a confrontation with "Brother" Hallelujah). There is also a hilarious scene in which our hero poisons the gang's food, resulting in much belly ache and diarrhoea enforced swift exists! As far as the cast are concerned, Hilton makes a good leading man for the less serious westerns. Regular spaghetti stalwart Federico Boido is also well cast as the weasel like gang member Slocum.I would definitely recommend this film (despite my reservations about the Russian!). It is a well plotted, good fun view, with enough double crosses and twists to keep you interested and entertained throughout.