My Name Is Nobody Reviews

An offbeat Italian western that has a sense of cocky fun about it. Hill is a young man who relishes the days of the Wild West with its shooting, killing, and looting. He's hired to kill Fonda, a retired outlaw who really wants to settle down in Europe. Hill sets out to blow up Fonda with a bomb, but he can't go through with it because he admires Fonda too much to kill him. Fonda leaves New Mexico for New Orleans with Hill tagging along. He's convinced the only way for the old gunfighter to retire is in a blaze of glory, and he is determined to see this happen. Fonda finally agrees and faces a 150-man Wild Bunch. Like John Wayne's great scene in TRUE GRIT or many serial westerns of the 1940s, Fonda becomes a one-man dynamo, shooting outlaws left and right, setting off masses of explosives, and utilizing other forms of destruction. In the final scene, a bespectacled Fonda is seen quietly writing at his desk. Though the directorial credit is given to Valerii, MY NAME IS NOBODY is clearly a product of its producer, Sergio Leone. Here Leone parodies his own westerns, as well as Sam Peckinpah's THE WILD BUNCH. Fonda made this his farewell western after 15 films in the genre. He plays the role with utmost believability but nevertheless seems to be having a good time with his character. Hill is not as good, resorting to wild gestures and overacting, atypical of Italian westerns. The film is too long and has an eclectic score that runs the gamut from ragtime to rock, both inappropriate styles for the genre. The Italian version runs 130 minutes.