A Bullet for the General

During the Mexican Revolution, American adventurer Bill Tate lends unexpected assistance to El Chuncho Muños's gang of bandits in hijacking a government munitions train. Posing as a proponent of the revolution, Tate joins the gang and is quickly befriended by Chuncho, who nicknames him "Niño." After several heists, the gang rides to the town of San Miguel. El Chuncho executes the loyalist town leader and installs a poor, young scholar as his replacement. This proves a popular move, and the townspeople shower Chuncho with adoration -- so much so, that Chuncho intends to stay in the village and temporarily set aside the cause. But later, while missing the camaraderie of his gang, he decides otherwise.

After leaving San Miguel, Tate and Chuncho use a stolen machine gun to shoot down a contingent of Federales in a bloody desert battle. However, the encounter proves costly; except for Tate, no one from Chuncho's gang survives the battle. Even so, Tate is stricken with malaria. While searching through Tate's belongings for quinine to ease his symptoms, Chuncho comes across a bullet made of gold. Tate claims he carries it as a good-luck charm. Later, Chuncho and Tate arrive at a revolutionary general's encampment. Tate wanders off at one point, leaving Chuncho to sell their stolen weaponry and ammunition to the general for 5,000 pesos. After authorizing payment, the general informs Chuncho that San Miguel's inhabitants were wiped out by federal troops. He accuses the ex-gang leader of abandoning the village in its hour of need. He pronounces Chuncho a traitor and sentences him to death. But before the execution can be carried out, the general becomes victim to an assassin's bullet -- in fact, a bullet made of gold.

Cut to Ciudad Juarez. Tate has traveled there to collect a reward of 100,000 pesos from Mexican government representatives for the killing of the general. As he carries the loot back to his hotel, he is surprised by the appearance of Chuncho, to whom he turns over half of his reward. That evening, the two comrades celebrate their reunion with a night of revelry and carousing. The next day, as they prepare to board a train together for America, Chuncho pulls out a pistol and takes aim at Tate, who asks "Why?" Chuncho replies, "Quien sabe? (Who can say?)" and puts three bullets into Tate's chest.

The screenplay and story for A Bullet for the General is credited to Salvatore Laurani while Franco Solinas is credited with the adaptation and dialogue.[3] Film historian Howard Hughes noted that A Bullet for the General was the first Italian Western to seriously deal with the Mexican revolution and credited Solinas with the political aspects on the film.[3] Solinas was a Marxist writer best known in film for his screenplays for Salvatore Giuliano and The Battle of Algiers.[3][4]

A Bullet for the General was directed by Damiano Damiani and shot in Almería between July and August 1966.[3][5] Damiani had originally wanted to shoot the film in Mexico which proved to be impossible.[5]

A Bullet for the General was released in Italy in December 1966.[6]

In a contemporary review, the Monthly Film Bulletin declared the film to be "a lively sortie into the Mexican Revolution with a good deal of boisterous action and a spirited performance from Gian Maria Volonte".[7] The review noted the running time cut from 135 minutes to 77 minutes, stating "substantial pruning unfortunately plays havoc with the continuity (a character who was clearly of some importance in the original is here reduced to a few marginal references)."[7]

Damiano's film has been called a "serious statement about the Mexican Revolution" and has been recognised as an accomplished blend of "tension, action, politics and history".[8]

• A Bullet for the General at IMDb