The Stranger Returns

The Stranger Returns, directed by Luigi Vanzi, is a 1967 Italian spaghetti Western film starring Tony Anthony and Daniele Vargas. As a sequel to A Stranger in Town, the film picks up with Anthony reprising his role as "The Stranger", extending the complex and thrilling narrative which captivated audiences in the former film.

The film introduces us to The Stranger, a silent and resentful anti-hero commonly depicted in spaghetti Western films. When not dealing his own form of frontier justice, The Stranger displays an uncanny knack for self-preservation and a porous moral code, characteristics that intriguingly amplify throughout the film. Anthony portrays the character with an admirable mix of steely determination, insouciance, and a certain dry humorous undertone, cementing his status as a truly distinctive icon in the spaghetti Western milieu.

Moving onto the storyline, the viewer navigates a harsh yet beautiful desert landscape, a characteristic set for spaghetti Westerns. The film begins with the Stranger encountering a hapless dog running with a capsule on its back. Underlining the Stranger's peculiar mix of callousness and curiosity, he manages to retrieve the capsule, which he finds is full of money.

The story really takes off when the Stranger meets an old man played remarkably by Daniele Vargas, who tells him about a stagecoach which carries a significant sum of money, supposedly guarded by a heavily armed "ghost" coachman. The narrative is full of tension and weigh with carefully constructed scenes, plot twists, and a fair share of surprising outcomes, sketching a vivid and compelling world of both danger and adventure.

Beneath the data-mundane concept of a search for riches, the film explores and raises questions about human morality, greed, and survival instincts. Tony Anthony manages to create an enigmatic personality in a somber hat and dusty Western wear, never revealing more than necessary, yet capturing audience attention and fascination throughout.

The Stranger Returns also excels in its technical reach. The dramatic camera angles and the way in which the film has been shot can transport the audience to the romanticized, danger-filled world of the Wild West. The cinematography paints a vivid picture of a borderless desert, inhabited by scorpions and snakes, and peppered with sandy dust that covers everything in sight. The film's backdrop seems to resonate with the Stranger's solitude and ambivalence.

Daniele Vargas' performance is commendable. He imbues his character with a mix of wisdom, humor, and treachery, making him a fascinating counterpoint to the Stranger. The film derives its tension, in part, from the complex relationship between these two strong characters, their shifting loyalties and hidden motives keep the audience guessing.

Finally, one of the most notable elements of The Stranger Returns is the unforgettable music. Composed by prolific and acclaimed composer Stelvio Cipriani, the film's score blends typical Western motifs with startling originality, producing a mélange of haunting melodies and exhilarating western tunes that could rival that of legendary composer Ennio Morricone.

In every sense, The Stranger Returns is more than a sequel, it's an elevation of the landscape and motifs introduced by its predecessor. Adding colorful characters, a riveting plot, and a deeper exploration of the Stranger's complex personality, the film manages to stand on its own, ensuring a cinematic experience that satisfies spaghetti Western aficionados and can captivate casual viewers alike.