"Winnetou - 3. Teil" or "Winnetou: The Last Shot" is, as the title already gives away, the third chapter from the Winnetou franchise and it had its 50th anniversary last year. As such, it is a German language movie that was produced by West Germany, Italy and Yugoslavia, like some of the other installments. The director is Harald Reinl, not yet an Oscar nominee at this point, but easily among Germany's most successful filmmaker. The ending in this film may be among the most emotional moments from the franchise, but the really sad thing is that the rest of the film, which means everything that happens in the 75 minutes before, does not work in a way that lets the ending appear really heartfelt and authentic. The stories and characters are as generic as in the previous (and later films) and Brice is once again very forgettable as the title character. I wish they could have cast somebody else. The talent is not there in terms of Brice, just the looks, and this description also fits this film (and the franchise in general). It is all about the costumes, landscapes and sets where the action takes place. But the actual plot and story fall very short just like the acting and writing in these films in general. They have not aged well at all by today's standards and compared to some other western films from back in the day, especially American ones. I do not recommend "Winnetou III". Not at all.
Review of Winnetou: The Last Shot
