Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

FightingWesterner George Martin returns to his family's farm after six years on the run for killing his brother's murderer. He makes a vow to his wife, never to use violence again, but runs afoul of vicious land-grabbers and ruthless bounty hunter Klaus Kinski.Billed on some prints as a bogus Trinity sequel, this is actually a remake of a previous spaghetti western, Clint The Stranger, also starring Martin in an identical role with some footage from the previous film used as a flashback.Both films are about on par, though if watching both, the viewer is liable to decide for his or herself which one is better.Once again, it's hard to watch Martin, doing his best to remain passive in order to conform to his wife's standards. I personally don't see much virtue in letting people as nasty as they are here, run rough-shot over one's self.Overall, George Martin is adequate, Klaus Kinski is great, so too is the canned Ennio Morricone score, and this has a good finale. It's okay viewing for fans of the genre who've seen everything else.

zardoz-13 Writer & director Alfonso Balcázar's Spaghetti western "Il ritorno di Clint il solitario" is marginally better than his previous oater "Clint el solitario." Basically, "Clint el solitario" qualified as a rehash of George Stevens' classic Alan Ladd western "Shane" where a legendary gunfighter toiled as a day laborer for a sodbuster and wound up defending his family against predatory cattlemen. "Il ritorno di Clint il solitario" recycles the formula that "Clint el solitario" borrowed and makes some changes that generate greater tension and at least one major surprise that should leave hell-bent-for-leather Italian western fans astonished. Along the way, Balcázar and scenarists Giovanni Simonelli of "Any Gun Can Play" and Enzo Doria appropriate some narrative ideas from Sergio Leone that didn't appear in "Clint el solitario." Indeed, this Spanish produced sagebrusher looks like it was lensed on a shoe-string budget, but its threadbare production values actually enhance the authenticity of this frontier western. Sure, the story is an anthology of clichés with stereotypes circling them in predictable fashion, but Balcázar does a competent of job of keeping the action going at full steam. Anybody who sees this western knows what is going to happen, except perhaps for the eleven hour revelation that is pretty incredible. "Fistful of Dollars" composer Ennio Morricone provides a taut, atmospheric orchestral score that distinguishes this horse opera and the great Klaus Kinski is a definite asset as a greedy bounty hunter who would rather bring them in dead than alive. Virtually, every scene has been tweaked in"Il ritorno di Clint il solitario" so that it is a ruthless banker who wants the land belonging to the ranchers and farmers because the railroad is coming through and he intends to cash in on it.Although he is called 'Trinity,' the George Martin protagonist shares nothing in common with Terence Hill's comical gunslinger. Furthermore, nobody calls him 'Clint' in this quasi-sequel. Joe Harrison's brother died at the hands of a killer after his wedding and Joe gunned down the killer. Six years has passed and Harrison has had to abandon his family, his wife Norma Harrison (Marina Malfatti of "Savage Guns"), his oldest son Jimmy Harrison (Augusto Pescarini of "The Ugly Ones"), and his young daughter Betty (Susanna Atkinson) because gunmen are in pursuit of him. Worse, he has been imprisoned and he breaks out. Early, he guns down the Murdock brothers. Not long afterward, a lethal, cigar-smoking bounty hunter, Scott (Klaus Kinski of "For A Few Dollars More") learns about the five thousand dollar bounty on Trinity's head, but doesn't care for the fact that he has to bring him back alive to get the money. Meanwhile, Trinity rides off to a town near the vegetable farm that Norma has bought from the treacherous banker. The banker has three slimy gunslingers working for him that constantly try to provoke the settlers into violence and badger them about selling their land.The banker, Mr. Scranton (Francisco José Huetos of "Hands of a Gunman"), isn't as sneaky as Walter Barnes was in "Clint el solitario." Scranton doesn't manipulate the law the way Barnes' villain did. Nevertheless, Scranton's men single out one rancher and frame him for a bank robbery. They enter the bank late one evening and shoot the guard, holding a pillow against his chest, like 'Angel Eyes' did in Leone's "The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly." Afterward, they capture Brandell (Luis Ponciado) and frame him for the robbery. The sheriff locks him up and the villains plan to hang him without a trial. Trinity intervenes to keep his hot-tempered son from interfering. Brandell's son dies in a showdown trying to free his father.Meantime, Scott has ridden into town and is curious about Trinity because he remembers seeing him somewhere earlier. Not only must Trinity abide by Norma's anti-violence stance and bury his guns as well as avoid trouble, but he also must not give into temptation and shoot it out with the bad guys because Scott is monitoring his every move like a hawk. Eventually, as in "Clint el solitario," Trinity challenges the gun-toting villains to prove themselves in a fistfight and they come close to destroying the saloon. This fight isn't as rugged as the one in "Clint el solitario." The connection with "Clint el solitario" in "Il ritorno di Clint il solitario" is Balcázar's use of footage from the previous western when the hero and the boy rounded up a young colt. Near the end, Scott orders a wanted poster of Trinity to confirm his identity and then moves in to take him into custody. At this point, the villains are really getting down and dirty. "Il ritorno di Clint il solitario" is a predictable but entertaining western.

Witchfinder General 666 Alfonso Balcázar's "Il Ritorno Di Clint Il Solitario" aka. "The Return Of Clint The Stranger" is a Spaghetti Western that is mediocre at best, with a storyline that is normally found in American 'Good Guys vs. Bad Guys' Westerns. The movie is, however, saved by two geniuses: Klaus Kinski, who once again delivers a great performance in an excellent role (the only great role in this, otherwise below average film), and Ennio Morricone who delivers the score. The score is far from one of Morricone's strokes of genius, basically one of the scores where you know Morricone just did them for the money and didn't invest too much time, but it is still capable of partially saving the movie and making it a lot better. This movie's highlight, however, is the bounty hunter character played by the brilliant Kinski, who is basically the only typical Spaghetti Western character in this.The main character of Clint, played by George Martin, is basically a typical 'good guy' who wants to return to family life after five years of fleeing the law. Five years after killing his brother's murderer, Clint comes back to his hometown, which he finds terrorized by a gang of unscrupulous criminals who want to steal the land from poor local farmers. Furthermore, a mysterious bounty hunter named Scott (Kinski) has been following Clint for the reward on his head.This movie's storyline is not too original, and the performances are not too impressive either. George Martin may fit in his role, and his leading performance is not necessarily bad, but he is not very charismatic, and his character is far away from the antihero characters my fellow Spaghetti Western fans love. Klaus Kinski's character, on the other hand, is the only true Spaghetti Western character in this, and what a Spaghetti Western character he is. Seeing Kinski play a cynical, long-haired, cigar-smoking bounty hunter in a poncho is a true highlight of this movie, and probably the only aspect which really makes "The Return Of Clint The Stranger" worth watching. This particular role, however, is such a great aspect, that I recommend it for every fan of Spaghetti Westerns, even if just for this role and nothing else.All in all, "Il Ritorno Di Clint Il Solitario" is a Spaghetti Western that would be rather unsatisfying, if it wasn't for Morricone's score and, mainly, for the great Klaus Kinski and the great role he plays. Therefore it is certainly worth watching. 5/10

tomdowse a very moving film, strongly influenced by Shane. the hero (played by George Martin) returns to his family 6 years after avenging his brother's murder. he agrees to put down his guns and become a rancher. meanwhile, some baddies (very bad) threaten his family and the local ranchers. Klaus Kinski, as a bounty hunter stalks the hero to claim a $5,000 reward. great performances and a powerful ending. a beautiful Morricone score. apparently, only available in DVD in a Best Entertainment German Pal 0 release (it played on my DVD player).