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Guns for San Sebastian

Guns for San Sebastian

Western · 1967

Leon Alastray is an outlaw who has been given sanctuary by Father John, whom he then escorts to the village of San Sebastian. The village is deserted, with its cowardly residents hiding in the hills from Indians, who regularly attack the village and steal all their supplies. When Father John is murdered, the villagers mistakenly think the outlaw is the priest. Alastray at first tells them he is not a priest, but they don't believe it, and an apparent miracle seems to prove they are correct. Eventually, he assists them in regaining their confidence and defending themselves.

Movie details

Guns for San Sebastian

“The epic of a town that became an army”

1967 Western 1h 51m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

Leon Alastray is an outlaw who has been given sanctuary by Father John, whom he then escorts to the village of San Sebastian. The village is deserted, with its cowardly residents hiding in the hills from Indians, who regularly attack the village and steal all their supplies. When Father John is murdered, the villagers mistakenly think the outlaw is the priest. Alastray at first tells them he is not a priest, but they don't believe it, and an apparent miracle seems to prove they are correct. Eventually, he assists them in regaining their confidence and defending themselves.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Guns for San Sebastian?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Henri Verneuil

Written by

James R. Webb · Miguel Morayta · Ennio De Concini · Serge Gance

Anthony Quinn

Anthony Quinn

Leon Alastray

Charles Bronson

Charles Bronson

Teclo

Jaime Fernández

Jaime Fernández

Golden Lance

Leon Askin

Leon Askin

Vicar General

Anjanette Comer

Anjanette Comer

Kinita

Sam Jaffe

Sam Jaffe

Père Joseph

Silvia Pinal

Silvia Pinal

Félicia

Court is in session

Put Guns for San Sebastian on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.