Ben says: John Smith, eh? You might as well be the man with no name, or even Yojimbo (which means bodyguard as Japanese students and Stan Sakai fans will know). That's the name of the central character in this cheerless remake of a Fistful of Dollars. Walter Hill can be a very good director, as he showed in 48Hrs., but here he just seems intent on parodying Sergio Leone with his extreme close-ups of the bartender having a laughing fit and the nervous tics of men about to.... DRAW!The film revolves around a small town in Texas which seems to be populated solely by the Sheriff, the Sheriff's friend, a bartender and a mechanic, oh yes, and two gangs of twenty or so heavies from either side of the East river in Chicago, and joined by the mysterious Mr. Smith, as played by Bruce Willis in his usual laconic manner, but without any of the wit that makes him more interesting than, say, Arnie.
The two gangs are, for no discernible reason, there to fight over the illegal booze trade coming out of Mexico, not that there's anyone in the town that is likely to buy bootlegged whisky in large quantities. In walks Brucey and starts playing both sides against the middle shooting his way out of sticky situations (like being faced by ten or more gun-totin' varmints and knocking them all off without them even getting a single bullet off), until there are none of the bad guys left. Not much fun, no-one to sympathise or identify with and a plot that John Smith could shoot umpteen holes in even if it was travelling at the speed of sound.
Ben gives it: 
last updated: 17th October 1996
