Streaming tip on Amazon Prime: The spaghetti western The bill is paid with lead deserves much more attention. Because it’s just as brutal, clever and epic as Two Glorious Scoundrels
The Bill is Paid in Lead is the lesser-known brother of Two Magnificent Scoundrels. It was released just one year later, in 1967, and starred a prominent actor who was also part of the Western classic: Lee Van Cleef. He made a name for himself in the film world as a merciless gunfighter. In this movie, too, he is part of a gang of bad guys. But are his motives really that clear?
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15 years of thoughts of revenge: That’s what the Western highlight on Amazon Prime is all about
After the massacre of a family by bandits, young Bill Maceita (John Phillip Law) is the only survivor. 15 years pass, Bill is now in his mid-20s and thinks of only one thing: revenge
Here you can watch the trailer for The Bill is Paid in Lead:
He meets Ryan (Lee Van Cleef), a bandit traveling alone, who puts Bill on the right track. Bill gets closer and closer to the bandits who murdered his family. But Ryan is also interested in the murderers. The motive remains unclear at first.
Man to man – the two main characters make this western something special
On the hunt for the murderers, you see everything an Italo-Western should offer. Cool saloon scenes, stand-offs on the street and plenty of iconic one-liners. Always accompanied by a glass of whisky. Lee Van Cleef in particular makes this movie a western reminiscent of Clint Eastwood highlights from the era. But his companion Bill also knows how to handle a revolver. However, he has to realize more than once that he is still pretty green behind the ears. This dynamic is the heart of the film.
The bill is paid with lead has the much nicer original title Da uomo a uomo. Translated, this means “From man to man”, which is also a familiar title for the film in this country. But who are the men? They are Bill and Ryan, who work with and against each other and carry the whole movie with their dynamic. We don’t want to reveal Ryan’s motives for helping Bill here. So you can let the double-edged relationship between the two of them sink in even more
