A greedy Polish mercenary aids a mine worker and peasant girl as they lead a revolution against the oppressive Mexican Government, and are pursued by an American rival.
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The Mercenary (Il mercenario) Region B
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Title: The Mercenary (1968)
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Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Franco Nero | ... | Sergei Kowalski - the Polish | |
| Tony Musante | ... | Paco Roman | |
 |
Franco Giacobini | ... | Pepote |
| Eduardo Fajardo | ... | Alfonso García | |
| Franco Ressel | ... | Studs | |
| Álvaro de Luna | ... | Ramón (as Alvaro De Luna) | |
|
|
Raf Baldassarre | ... | Mateo |
|
|
Joe Kamel | ... | Sebastian |
|
|
Ugo Adinolfi | ||
| Jack Palance | ... | Ricciolo - 'Curly' | |
| Giovanna Ralli | ... | Columba | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (22) »
Storyline
While a Mexican revolutionary lies low as a U.S. rodeo clown, the cynical Polish mercenary who tutored the idealistic peasant tells how he and a dedicated female radical fought for the soul of the guerrilla general Paco, as Mexicans threw off repressive government and all-powerful landowners in the 1910s. Tracked by the vengeful Curly, Paco liberates villages, but is tempted by social banditry's treasures, which Kowalski revels in. Written by David Stevens
Plot Keywords:
spaghetti western | machine gun | day of the dead | italo western | mexican |Taglines:
He sells death to the highest bidder! Buy or die! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Release Date:
22 April 1969 (West Germany) See more »Also Known As:
A Professional Gun See more »Company Credits
Production Co:
Produzioni Europee Associate (PEA), Produzioni Associate Delphos, Profilms 21 See more »
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
Kowalski aka the Pole: [narrating] So, Paco Roman is a clown. Well, better a live clown than a dead hero. As I, Sergei Kowalski, Polish emigrate to the New World, always realised...
[fade-in to flashback of Paco working in a mine]
Kowalski aka the Pole: When our story began, Paco was only a peon. But one... with a difference.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The original draft of the screenplay was written by Franco Solinas and Giorgio Arlorio, and was largely inspired by Bertolt Brecht's "The Exception and the Rule". Gillo Pontecorvo was the intended director. The screenplay was, however, largely rewritten by Luciano Vincenzoni and several others, who re-conceived the film as a Mexican Revolution-based Spaghetti Western. Solinas and Arlorio disowned the new script, and Pontecorvo stepped down as director, believing he did not have enough experience with Westerns. He instead directed Burn! (1969), a film with a similar concept. Alberto Grimaldi then hired Sergio Corbucci to direct because of his experience with Spaghetti Westerns. See more »Goofs
A plane is used to bomb Paco's fort. However planes did not begin to drop bombs until the late stages of WWI, in which they were dropped by hand. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Kowalski aka the Pole: [narrating] So, Paco Roman is a clown. Well, better a live clown than a dead hero. As I, Sergei Kowalski, Polish emigrate to the New World, always realised...
[fade-in to flashback of Paco working in a mine]
Kowalski aka the Pole: When our story began, Paco was only a peon. But one... with a difference.
See more »
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One of Corbucci's better westerns. The story concerns a bandit (Musante) who wants the legitimacy of being a "revolutionary", but needs the help of a hardened professional (Nero) to do it. Palance gives the movie some of its best moments as a gay gunslinger ( a rival mercenary) out to revenge himself on Musante for humiliating him. Not much plot, but Corbucci's fluid direction keeps it from growing stale and the god performances from the stars make it worth watching. Also look for fun, cynical dialogue and story elements from genre expert Vincenzoni. Contains the dark undertones present in other Corbucci (and Leone) westerns, but not to as great an extent as his masterpiece, "The Great Silence".