At the beginning of the movie a pharmacist receives an anonymous letter that threatens him of death. And the murder actually happens. Seems very simple but nothing is what it seems and the journey to the truth will be long and difficult. The book is excellent and the movie is at par with it and very faithful to the romance. Great direction. Incredible cast with Gabriele Ferzetti in his best interpretation together with the one in "C'era una volta il West" and Gianmaria Volonté simply beyond reach as always. Many other great actors. Yes I am an enthusiast 'cause there's not a word or a shot out of place in this movie and the plot is ingenious. Who is going to see this film for the first time will be taken away by the developments (the pace seems to be calm but looking in between the kinks you may realize that many things are going rapidly on). Trying to figure out what is the kernel of the happenings and the "reasons" for the murder is a very interesting exercise but it's highly unlikely for the spectator not to experience a big surprise at the end. In my opinion Elio Petri at his best (I mean at the same level of his other masterwork: La classe operaia va in Paradiso).

墨西哥边境小镇来了一位大镖客（克林特·伊斯特伍德 Clint Eastwood 饰），他得知镇上势不两立的两大帮派罗霍兄弟和镇长巴克斯特相厮杀已久，便决定与两派斡旋，除去镇上恶势力，恢复小镇的平静。他目击罗霍兄弟劫杀了一队士兵并私占黄金，于是利用两具士兵尸体吸引巴克斯特来寻找罗霍兄弟的罪证。同时，他又将消息透露给罗霍兄弟，导致双方展开了一场激烈枪战。乔在两派激战时找到了黄金，并发现被罗霍兄弟囚禁的女人玛利索，他将玛利索交给巴克斯特，换回了在激战中被捕获的儿子安东尼奥。但后来他得知玛利索是被罗霍家的雷蒙抢占，于是设法救出了她，帮助她与丈夫孩子一起逃出镇子。深爱着玛利索的雷蒙发现心爱的女人被放走，便认定是巴克斯特一家所为，于是展开了疯狂的报复。究竟两大帮派谁胜谁负，作为中间人的大镖客能否实现恢复小镇和平的计划？