Content: A nameless gringo (Philippe Leroy), a professional bounty hunter, shows up in a small Mexican village, close to the border, in search for some dollars to earn. As “Yankee” enters the godforsaken place, there are some hanged men, conveying a clear message: This is the kingdom of Concho (Adolfo Celi), who spreads fear and horror in the region. Concho and his gang make themselves a home in an abandoned chapel and cash up the border traffic. The chapel’s wall is decorated with masses of oil paintings of Concho, produced by his own court painter. Exactly this bunch of rogues shall carry a good yield to the gringo, because authorities have set a nice amount of bounties on the heads of the bandidos. Concho, who either wears a gorgeous poncho or a fantasy uniform, is not amused about the stranger’s emergence, because he plans his next big coup: the raiding of a gold transport of the US government. So Concho tries to dispose of the gringo, who thins out the gang severely. But this is not all as that easy, because the stranger is a fast hand and extremely versed in psychological warfare.
| The Gunslinger says: This quite obscure SW, made by later “amorist” Tinto Brass, smashes, compadres. This is not ought to the conventional story, but the details.
First of all the camera work is great with an extreme agile camera guidance, which offers some nice angular shots beside the typical close ups. This is supported by lighting and colouring: Shots in the view of crucified Yankee, hanging upside down, are completely red for example. In addition there’s the exceptional cutting with its staccato like image sequences, accounted by Tinto Brass as a learnt cutter. Brutalities a well staged and set standards for the genre, i.e. the crucifying or the balancing act, standing on shoulders with a rope around the neck. Everybody accepts violence and obviously likes to be violent.
Especially the character of Concho is great. Adolfo Celi gives a fine performance as kind of mad beast, serving Whisky in sacral cups, letting read his palm by his girlfriend and caning his own men with a whip. Concerning this, Philippe Leroy seems to be quite normal apart from his really big hat and his extreme deep hanging colts. Furthermore Tinto Brass even gives us voyeurs something to look at, from the shameless shot in the plunging neckline of a hostess up to the barely naked Rosita, who is tied up at a stake by Yankee.
The score by trumpeter Nini Rosso is successful: a melancholic main theme, which offers whistling and trumpet, occasionally contoured by guitars, strings, choirs and a banjo.
I don't think, that there is a version in english language up to now, so watch out for things to come, compadres.
| Rating: $$$$$-
| Bodycount:ca. 27 Mexicanos, ca. 14 Gringos, 2 women
| Explicit Brutalities:
- A bandit knocks out the golden teeth of a dead comrade with his revolver
- After Yankee has plastered the village with Concho’s oil paintings, the bandits burn down big parts of the village with several collateral damage
- Yankee cripples the hand of a bandit, who sticks warrants of him in the village
- A campesino has to carry his wife on his shoulders, who wears a rope around her neck
- Concho shoots Rosita, after he has forced her to kiss the crucified Yankee
- Concho wastes his informer, a bank clerk, without reason
| Luv': What are you talking about?? 0/10
| Gore: 3/10
| Specials: Concho likes to use his whip
| Trailer: by SpoonMHD
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| OT:
Yankee
AT:
El Yankee (SP)
Yankee, l'Americano (I)
Jahr: I/SP 1966
R, B: Tinto Brass
B: Alberto Silvestri, Giancarlo Fusco
K: Alfio Contini
M: Nini Rosso
D: Philippe Leroy, Adolfo Celi, Jacques Herlin, Tomas Torres, Paco Sanz
 | Philippe Leroy enters the City of Love
|  | ... and visits first the local arts gallery with Victor Israel as curator
|  | Adolfo Celi posing for his personal court painter
|  | Philippe Leroy loves his job ...
|  | ...and can soon bring in his first harvest, ....
|  | ... despite occasional backlashes
|  | Party fun the Mexican style
|  | Probably the premiere of a prospective SW classic ;-)
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