Seen It: Run, Man, Run (1968)

Another trend emerges... the actor (in this case, star Thomas Milian) voiced title song.
Though set on the verge of the Mexican Revolution, director Sergio Sollima's Run, Man, Run (Corri, Uomo, Corri) only touches the usual Zapata western themes in favor of an adventurous treasure hunt story. I selected this film due to its online status as an "underrated classic of the genre," as well as its star, Cuban-born actor Tomas Milian, here billed as "Thomas", about whom I had read good things.

While the movie was mildly entertaining (the aforementioned title song, some intriguing political threads), I must confess to having had to start (and re-start) it a number of times and was never able to watch the whole thing through without failing asleep. It's not that the elements of a satisfactory Spaghetti Western weren't there, it was just that the overall inconsistent tone of the film was poorly executed. Picturesque vistas? Check. Soft-spoken gringo foil? Check. Goofy primary protagonist? Uh... check?

While certainly not unusual for the genre, Thomas Milian's Sanchez 'Cuchillo' Detto, was just a little too goofy for my tastes. In fact the mercurial tone of his performance was much more reminiscent of (and suitable for) the "old coffin maker" role, a performance usually set-aside for minor character serving as comic relief. Had I been prepared going in with for the comedic tone perhaps Milian's mugging would not have seemed so off.

Perhaps, were I to attempt to rewatch Run, Man, Run in the future I might see more of the elements that resulted in the high praise that initially brought me to it, but given the other films out there, that is unlikely to happen anytime soon.