Bandidos

This got better during while watching with the plot taking interesting twists and characters revealing intriguing motivations. MD was Leone’s cinematographer on AFoD and and FaFDM. So the influences of Leone are evident, but he also clearly tries to do his own thing to get out of the master shadows in his debut. Even for a spaghetti western this is very nihilistic, best exemplified when the camera takes a slow long tracking shot of all the death victims after the opening heist of a train.

Revenge is a dish best served through the barrel of a gun, via bullets.

This got better on a re-watch. It's one of the few "old pro and young apprentice" films in the Spaghetti Western cycle. It's beautifully shot and directed by Massimo Dallamano. It also has one of the best scripts in the genre which provides a couple of surprises that make sense and change our perception of the story. The story arc of Enrico Maria Salerno's character is tragic and surprisingly emotional; and he plays it very well. With a rousing Morricone score, this would be hailed as a classic.