The Mercenary

"He sells death to the highest bidder! Buy or die!"

1968 1h 41m IT

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 171

WesternComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“He sells death to the highest bidder! Buy or die!”

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Cast

Franco Nero
Sergei Kowalski, The Polish
Tony Musante
Paco Roman
Jack Palance
Ricciolo ("Curly")
Giovanna Ralli
Columba
Franco Giacobini
Pepote
Eduardo Fajardo
Alfonso García
Franco Ressel
Studs
Álvaro de Luna
Ramon

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sergio Corbucci
Writers: Franco Solinas, Luciano Vincenzoni, Giorgio Arlorio
Languages: Italian
Countries: Italy, Spain, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Italy, Spain, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sergio Corbucci, shot by Alejandro Ulloa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Eugenio Alabiso shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Franco Nero and Tony Musante and Jack Palance carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He sells death to the highest bidder! Buy or die!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0063293 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sergio Corbucci directs. Alejandro Ulloa behind the camera. Ennio Morricone scores. Eugenio Alabiso cuts. Produced in Italy, Spain, United States of America. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

158 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 3 countries: Italy, Spain, United States of America.
3Directed by Sergio Corbucci, shot by Alejandro Ulloa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Ennio Morricone. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Eugenio Alabiso shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Franco Nero and Tony Musante and Jack Palance carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "He sells death to the highest bidder! Buy or die!".
8IMDB entry: tt0063293 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Alejandro Ulloa
Original score: Ennio Morricone
Editing: Eugenio Alabiso
Production design: Luis Vázquez
Costume design: Jürgen Henze
Makeup / hair: Alejandro Millón
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Status: Released
Original language: IT
Certification (US): 16
IMDB: The Mercenary (1968)

Also by

Sergio Corbucci

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-09-24
★ 8/10
You play by the rules you lose! Il mercenario (The Mercenary) is directed by Sergio Corbucci and Corbucci co-writes the screenplay with Luciano Vincenzoni, Sergio Spina and Adriano Bolzoni. It stars Franco Nero, Tony Musante, Jacl Palance and Giovanna Ralli. Music is by Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai, with cinematography by Alejandro Ulloa. It's the Mexican Revolution and Sergei "Polack" Kowalski (Nero) is a gun for hire. Hired by revolutionary Paco Roman (Musante), Kowalski muses on all the scrapes they got into before bringing the story to a present day resolution... A Technicolor/Techniscope production, Corbucci's Zapata Western is a barnstormer full of political bents, wry humour and searing action. With beautiful Spanish vistas prominent and a musical score that's like a spicy jumping bean, story holds court from beginning to end. Essentially at it's heart it's a buddy buddy piece, though these buddies are hardly what you would call rock solid. Into the mix comes the gorgeous Ralli to add the sauce, whilst as Paco and Kowalski take on the Government and its Army, they also have to contend with Curly (Palance), a camp sadistic dandy with revenge on his mind. Corbucci has a great eye for action, there's reams of gun fire, with machine guns, artillery and even a plane laying waste to bone and buildings, and usually the cruelty and carnage on show is done with a glint in the eye (milk and dice drink/grenade in mouth), and splendidly so. It's so deft that often a scene is being played out and on the side there is an execution going on, casually unfurled as matter of fact. There's also religious fervour cheekily in place, with Paco's army the Apostles and Polack their Jesus, so it's no surprise that religious imagery is placed within. Corbucci also likes to let his camera talk. Standard Pasta Western traits operate, such as close ups of the eyes, roving tracking shots, angled up tilts and glides. He also gets lucky with the weather for one shot, capturing a natural rainbow amid some more furious character action. Cast are doing sterling work. Nero is cool supreme, with awesome face fuzz and casually striking matches on various things, Nero proves to be a fine action hero and it's so easy to buy into his character. Musante is also excellent, giving Paco an earnestness that's beguiling, he's a lovable rogue, at times bumbling but utterly heroic within the revolutionary arc. While Palance, though not in it as much as you would think, is giving Curly a most intriguing persona, confusing sexuality and religious alibi. From a bullring circus opening featuring midget clowns, to a glorious clifftop turkey shoot finale, there is nary a dull moment in the pic. Top dollar Pasta Oater. 8.5/10

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