The Mercenary is one of my favorite movies to watch. As is the case with the Leone westerns, I just can't get enough of this film. This is Sergio Corbucci's most meaningful and well-crafted cinematic work. It comes very close to being as good as any of the movies in the Dollars trilogy, and is definitely a strong contender for the title of "best non-Leone spaghetti western."<br /><br />Franco Nero gives what is perhaps his best performance out of all of the films I have seen him in. It definitely helps that his voice is not dubbed by someone else in this movie. His acting in the role of Sergei "the polack" Kowalski is at least as good if not better than any of Clint Eastwood's performances. There's plenty of Franco Nero style machine gunning action in this movie too. Tony Musante is fantastic as Paco Roman. He's kind of like a less cartoonish version of Tomas Milian, which is perfect for the character of Paco. Giovanna Ralli is wonderful in the role of Columba. Her role in this movie as the strong, cunning female revolutionary is much more significant than women were usually given in westerns. She plays it perfectly, and she really deserves equal billing with Nero and Musante. Jack Palance is entertaining and gloriously over-the top, as always. Eduardo Fajardo puts in a fine performance too, as usual.<br /><br />The music is one of Ennio Morricone's most memorable scores. The title theme is a rousing, festive Mexican sounding instrumental. During the film, there's some great use of organ music, and best of all there's that haunting whistling pattern that will forever stick in your mind, followed by the solemn trumpet melody and building crescendo. It works so well with the action on screen, especially during the showdown in the bullfighting arena, which is one of the greatest scenes in film history. Corbucci and Morricone could definitely create art on screen. It's no coincidence that the greatest spaghetti westerns are the ones with the greatest music scores.<br /><br />This is a very well developed story with intelligence, emotion, a roller coaster ride of action, and even a little bit of comedy. It is also very tight. There are no plot holes here. It's just a damn good flick. I could watch it a million times. Do not miss this one!!