bareliberty A man guided by God's hand without knowing it, Leon Alastray fulfils his destiny following a chain of violent events out of his control. Definitely Leon Alastray is God's Messenger. Father Joseph, the priest who saves his life from the King's soldiers, makes a quick remark about God's sharp sight about Leon. His comment really summarises the spirit of the movie. 10/10 I don't know why this Film has not received a reward from the Academy. It should have. The sound track is one of the best I have ever listened to. The casting is extraordinary. This film has left a lasting impression in my memory, I watched its premiere when I was 10 years old, and I still watching the film full of emotion.

ma-cortes This exciting picture deals with an outlaw disguising himself as priest who helps defend tribal land ,(people living on the edges of themselves and their resourcefulness and limited supplies) from a gang of mean bandits and rebel Indians that want tribe's crop . ¨Two hundred years ago Mexico was ruled by a King in far-off Spain who was attempting to impose an alien religion and system of law upon a proud but diverse people . They ranged from simple villagers , torn between old and new , to the most warlike of the Indian tribes : the Yaquis who were determined to resist all change . This is the story of Astray who chose to fight both the king and the Yaquis ¨ . Leon Alastray (Anthony Quinn) is a bandit who has been given sanctuary in a church by Father John (Sam Jaffe), whom he then accompanies to the village of San Sebastian (Mexico) . The village is deserted, with its cowardly residents hiding in the ridges from Yaquis, who ordinarily attack the little town and rob all their food . When Father John is killed, the villagers mistakenly believe the bandit is a parish priest . Alastray at first tell them he is not a priest, but they don't believe it, and an apparent miracle on a San Sebastian sculpture seems to demonstrate they are correct . After that , the priest train them to kill and defending themselves when the village is besieged by the violent Yaquis . Meanwhile , the Indian war party (commanded by Jaime Fernandez as Golden Lance) and a rebel group (led by Charles Bronson) then head out to conquer the Mexican village held in an impregnable fortress that the villagers have built and the priest assists them in regaining their confidence.This Western movie produced by Jacques Bar is a Franco-Mexican-Italian co-production,; it packs thrills, emotion, romance, action packed , extraordinary performances and spectacular finale battle . This Western-drama is an interesting story that carries a genuine charge of intelligence with exciting battle of wits between an upright outlaw and a nasty mestizo . Sensational acting by two big star names, Anthony Quinn and Charles Bronson . Strong secondary cast plenty of Mexican actors as Silvia Pinal, Pedro Armendariz Jr , Enrique Lucero, Jaime Fernandez, Chano Urueta and special mention to Sam Jaffe as kind old priest and Leon Askin as Vicar General . Interesting and thrilling screenplay by the prestigious James R Webb . Very good cinematography filmed in Metrocolor by Armand Thirard and on location in Durango, El Saltito, Durango, San Miguel de Allende, and Guanajuato, Mexico . Sensible musical score by the maestro Ennio Morricone in one of his best scores , including particular style and sound . The picture is splendidly directed by Henry Verneuil, a Turkish director working in France from the 40s. Although not a director of great reputation among the critics, his movies have almost all been aimed squarely at the commercial market. Verneuil is an expert on heist-genre such as he proved in ¨The Sicilians clan(68)¨ also with Gabin and Delon, ¨The burglars(1971)¨with Omar Shariff and Jean Paul Belmondo , furthermore on Warlike genre : ¨Weekend at Dunkirk¨and ¨The 25th hour¨and only one Western : Guns of San Sebastian(68)¨. He seemed to have dropped out of the film-making after 1976, but in 1981 unexpectedly reappeared with yet another of his caper film : ¨Thousand millions of dollars¨. Rating : Good movie and above average, a must see for Western lovers and Quinn and Bronson fans.

chuck-reilly In "Guns for San Sebastian," Anthony Quinn plays a wanted Mexican bandit who escapes execution through the inadvertent help of a humble and good-natured priest (played by veteran actor Sam Jaffe). The good father's new assignment is San Sebastian and, to escape the authorities, Quinn goes along for the ride. Overrun by the local Indians, the town is empty upon their arrival. After the priest is murdered in cold blood by some despicable Mexican bandits, Quinn avenges his death and then is mistaken for the old padre when the townsfolk return from the hills. Why they should believe that Quinn is their new priest is known only by God and the scriptwriter. Of course, Quinn plays along with the charade and soon falls for the local good-looking chica (Anjanette Comer). Unfortunately for Quinn, the girl and the town, the Indians (led by Charles Bronson) are up to no good and making their usual forays and unrelenting demands. Quinn decides that what the town really needs to do is defend itself. All that's required is a few crate loads of guns and ammunition and some much-needed guts. It doesn't take old Charlie too long to figure out that Quinn is going to be a big headache for him. After that conflict is established, the film moves along a brisk pace and an even faster body-count.Director Henri Verneuil knew something about being besieged on all sides. As a young boy, he and his family had to flee Armenia to escape annihilation from the Turks. He eventually settled in France. I don't believe that this film makes any type of personal statement, but it is possible that Verneuil's own history may be an undercurrent theme. As for the film itself, it's an above-average Spaghetti Western directed by a Frenchman with American actors in the cast. You might call it a very mixed bag in more ways than one. Quinn, as usual, gives a fine performance as does his chief antagonist, Charles Bronson. Bronson's character is a bit conflicted which adds some much-needed ambiguity to his role. He's not all bad all the time and has worthy motives for his mischief. The rest of the cast includes beautiful Anjanette Comer who provides the love interest and holds her own throughout.

Bob-45 Anthony Quin plays Leon Alastray, part time revolutionary and full time bandit, on the run from the Spanish authorities in Old Mexico in the 18th Century. Through a series of unlikely but possible events, Quinn is mistaken for a priest whom has come to the small village of San Sebastian. The villagers are being victims by Jaime Fernandez and his band of Yacquis. Charles Bronson plays (badly, worst performance of his career) a half-breed whose loyalties are always suspect. Anjanette Comely, er Comer, plays the sultry love interest. Rather silly story, good cinematography, fairly good special effects, and outstanding music (by the master, Ennio Morricone) makes this a worthwhile view. Turner Classic Movies shows it in letterbox. Otherwise, you are out of luck. It's not available in video.