Hole in the Forehead (1968) User Reviews

"Hole in the Forehead" is an exciting Spaghetti containing noisy action , fights , shootouts and violence

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 4 December 2017]

¨A Hole Between the Eyes" is an Italian Western stars the Yugoslavia-born Dragomir Bojanic-Gidra , nicknamed under pseudonym as Anthony Ghidra who interpreted a lot of Westerns , along with Claudio Undari , and it was uneven but professionally directed by Giuseppe Vari . This turns out to be an acceptable Western and entertaining enough . It's a so-so Western All'Italiana including high body-count , zooms , eccentric situations , twists and turns . Dealing with a stranger gunfighter and a Mexican bandit seek out a trio of playing cards that will lead them to hidden treasure through various clues and red herrings . Fun but average Western about two contenders who confront to steal three cards ; both of whom carry out strong confrontations to rob a treasure . Passable Spaghetti Western concerning about a greedy mouse-and cat game to take valuable cards in which there are inscriptions to locate the hidden treasure of General Santa Ana who previously defeated the Texans in ¨El Alamo¨ but he was subsequently vanquished by Sam Houston in battle of ¨San Jacinto¨ . As a few people are on the search of three cards with words that show where a Mexican treasure is buried . The mysterious drifter Billy Blood (Anthony Ghidra) is captured by General Munguya (as Robert Hundar) but he breaks out and uses a machine gun , doing a massacre against the cohorts . Both contenders , Billy Blood and Munguya , are frequently fist fighting , disputing and shooting each other to keep the treasure for themselves . Meantime , Billy Blood helps some Mexican damsels in distresses against the Munguya's hoodlums . Along the way our two not so upright Pistoleros steal some robbers , but , needless to say , at the end takes place the ordinary final dispute at a monastery .

It is a moving western with breathtaking showdown between the stoic starring Anthony Ghidra and his enemy Robert Hundar . Regular Spaghetti Western about a simple and plain plot , as two avaricious outlaws compete with each other over a treasure . As duo protagonists take on themselves , crossfire , fist-fight , to attempt to find the Mexican Army treasure . This movie is a bawdy , plenty of action Western , about ambition and greed , a dark and sinister subject one might expect from a typical Spaghetti , being more a story of ambitious people than about avenger gunslingers seeking revenge . The story is one of those in which everyone double crosses one another in the search for gold , as a great number of betrayals while hunting the fabulous treasure . It is typical , so-so film , but acceptable . There is a twist at the end , but I saw it coming about 10 minutes into the movie.

Stars the serious Anthony Ghidra , he is fine , he ravages the screen , he jumps, shoots in the forehead , bounds and leaps , hits and runs ; besides receiving violent punches , kicks , lashes . It is a serviceable as well as misogynist Spaghetti which doesn't take itself too seriously . This regular spaghetti packs thrills , brawls , shoot'em up , go riding throughout the inappropriate landscapes posing as Far West and results to be quite violent . There are pursuits , attacks , crossfire , fights , heinous cutthroats , and many others things . The acting seems about average for a Eurowestern . It stars a tough and quite gunslinger played in stoicism style by Dragomir Bojanic-Gidra , who was born in Servia Yugoslavia , he emigrated to Italy and developed a brief career , mostly Pasta Western as "May God Forgive You... But I Won't" , "Ballata Per Un Pistolero" or ¨Pistoleros¨, "And Then a Time for Killing" or ¨Tequila Joe¨, and "Django the Last Killer" . His nemesis results to be Robert Hundar who steals the show by doing the best acting out of the entire cast , as a villainous killer who relentlessly kills men and women , as well as torturing contenders by means of brutal tortures and even drowning cruelly a girl . At the beginning his career , Robert Hundar acted as an extra but Italian westerns soon followed in minor roles . He once reportedly missed out on a role in a Franco Nero western because his height made Franco Nero look too short , he soon moved into other film genres playing good guys , bad guys , and good-bad guys . As he performed several Ravioli Westerns , such as : ¨Cut-throats nine¨, ¨Antes Llega La Muerte¨ , ¨Con Lui Cavalca La Morte¨ , ¨Un Hombre , Un colt¨ , ¨Dakota Joe¨, ¨Ramon El Mexicano¨ , ¨Brandy¨ , among others.

Atmospheric cinematography by Amerigo Gengarelli in Technicolor , Techniscope , though a perfect remastering being necessary , and shot in Lazio (Rome) , no Almeria . Emotive as well as sad musical score by Roberto Pregadio , this soundtrack is one of the best parts of the film , plenty of catching and attractive sounds , mostly playing by guitar . The orchestra , trumpets, and guitar music set the proper tone for a western . The yarn was middlingly directed by Giuseppe Vari , nicknamed under pseudonym Joseph Warren . Vari was a good professional , a nice craftsman who directed various films of all kinds of genres , such as : Sci-Fi : Urban Warriors ; Warlike : Revenge of the bloody beach ; Nunexploitation : Sor Emmanuel ; Peplum : Revenge of the Barbarians , Rome versus Rome , Conquest of the Normans , and specially Spaghetti such as : 1971 Il Tredicesimo è Sempre Giuda , 1969 Un Posto all'inferno , 1968 Un Buco in Fronte , 1967 Con Lui Cavalca la Morte , 1967 Un poker Di Pistole and 1966 Deguello . Rating : 5.5/10 . Acceptable and passable .

Hole in the forehead!? More like Hole in the Wall. It's small, somewhat modest, but in the end, very bland.

[ironhorse_iv · 6/10 · 5 September 2017]

Adriano Bolzoni's screenplay is mostly generic & clichés, rather than imaginative, original or natural. That's why you shouldn't dig too much into this Spaghetti Western. It's only surface level deep. It's pretty much, a paint-by-number Italian film directed by Joseph Warren AKA Giuseppe Vari, that mirrors both mechanical and formulaic other films such as 1968's 'Three Silver Dollars'; which was in production, at the same time. It's pretty much, the same hidden treasure plot of that movie, but instead finding coins, the mysterious stranger, protagonist, Billy Blood (Anthony Ghidra AKA Dragomir Bojanic-Gidra) has to find four playing cards, in order to disclose the location of a treasure that three soldiers from Santa Anna's army has hidden; while fighting off, the advances of a sadistic, somewhat goofy & over the top flamboyant Mexican bandit, General Munguya (Robert Hundar AKA Claudio Undari) & mysterious deadly dark Gunslighter, Garrincha (Luigi Marturano AKA Gino Marturano). If the second part of the story, sounds familiar. You're correct. "Hole in the Forehead' also steals story essentials from director Sergio Leone's 'A Fistful of Dollar' trilogy movies (1964-1966) and Sergio Corbucci's 'Django' series. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong, from lifting some elements from the best of the Spaghetti Western. I just wish, the movie could had use the idea of having a three horse race in the end, a little better, and make it, their own. It seem a little force, as one of the character is barely in the movie, and quickly written out, after a small amount of gun. They could had use that character, a lot better and build a little more tension. Another thing, the visuals during that scene, could not live up, to the dark themes, "Hole in the Forehead' was copying from. The sight of the monastery, wasn't as haunting as it could had been. If anything, the backgrounds looks ugly, cheap and cheesy. Even the villain costumes look ridiculousness. There is hardly anything, sinister & intense. It also doesn't help, that the villains, act like morons, letting the hero survive for little to no reason, several times after being caught. To make it worst, the movie doesn't built, much suspense. A good example would be, the scene where two men have to arm wrestling over spikes. That would be, interesting if it was the main characters going through that, rather than two unnamed extras. Sadly, this movie doesn't raise the stalks, because of that. So, it really does feel like they cheated the audience, big time. All of the action scenes were, like that. It's not that interesting. Lots of unrealistic one shots kills with unlimited bullets from a six shooter. From the hip, no less. While, Gidra has the gruff, dirty cowboy look to a tee with his Robert De Niro look-a-like appearance. I still, didn't buy him, as a realistic Gunslighter. He had some pretty awkward scenes, running around in his underwear. As for the Hundar's performance as Monguja. It's cartoony, but it's the best thing about this movie; seeing how Gildra is a bit boring with his quiet stoicism performance. I kinda like Monguja's larger than life mania. It made the movie kinda fun to watch. Either way, the third character, Garrincha is forgettable. I really forgot that he was in this movie. Don't get me wrong, Marturano is fine and his look is pretty cool. It's just that the movie, doesn't give him, much to do. Like other supporting characters, his acting was just mediocre. Besides that, the film, I had, also suffers from, really bad English dubbing. None of the words seem like, they were coming out of their mouths. It was really bad. Even the audio track for the music, seem to jump from high to low volume ranges. It's pretty sad, because I found composer, Roberto Pregadio's melancholic score with luxuriant classical guitar playing supplied by guitarist, Mario Gangi to be, one of the best things in the movie. It's alone, is worth the price of admission. Sadly, much of the DVDs version out there, has the same problems with audio; which kinda ruins Pregadio's music. Somebody need to restore this film in the near future, for sure. Overall: "Hole in the Forehead' is a pretty much plain movie to sit down and watch. While, I still highly recommended any fan of 'Spaghetti Western' to check it out. For the general audience, this movie might be a little boring to see. It's no hole in one.

Uninteresting spaghetti western goes through the motions all the while

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 12 February 2017]

I watched this spaghetti western under the title HOLE IN THE FOREHEAD. It's a very typical effort for the genre, themed around a bunch of characters hunting for gold, a plot that would turn up in the genre again and again after the success of Leone's THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. However, to mention HOLE IN THE FOREHEAD in the same breath as that film is to do the Eastwood movie a disservice.

Serbian-born actor Anthony Ghidra (a surname perhaps inspired by the Toho giant monster King Ghidorah) plays the erstwhile hero of the piece with a minimum of effort, thus it's very difficult to get behind his easy-to-miss character. The naturally imposing Robert Hundar swapped between hero and villain roles in the genre and is cast as the latter here, but he doesn't really have much to do other than look imposing which is an easy feat given his hulking stature. Elswhere, there's a little sexual threat, a little action, some well shot locations, and a whole heap of boredom.

Below average for the genre

[Wizard-8 · 10 November 2013]

"A Hole Between The Eyes" is a spaghetti western that does get a few things right. Needless to say, the title is great and memorable. But the movie also has a effective and sombre musical score by Roberto Pregadio, well chosen locations that look bleak and add a great deal of atmosphere, and the direction sometimes has a minimalist feeling that's striking. Unfortunately, there's not much else that's positive to point out. Anthony Ghidra is totally missing anything resembling charisma; he comes across as an anonymous hired hand instead of a hero. Robert Hundar, who plays the villain, tries, but in the end his bad guy doesn't stand out from most other spaghetti western bad guys. The main problem of the movie is how boring most of it feels. There isn't that much action, and the movie moves at a very slow pace. In the end, the movie is only for spaghetti western scholars who need to see every spaghetti western made in order to be an expert on the subject.

Useless spaghetti action.

[ptsj-music · 2/10 · 21 February 2020]

Uncreative plot and dialogue, all over bad acting with exceptions, unreal action scenes, bad editing, and the sound in particular, with both the dubbing and the music bsically cut to pieces as well as overloads of compressing. Photography is probably the best part, though the indoor scenes are spoiled by bad lighting. What ever you need to make a useless spaghetti action movie.