Face to Face
An ailing history professor’s encounter with an outlaw gang turns intellectual curiosity into a ruthless experiment in frontier power.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- brooding
- paranoid
- oppressive
- classic western night
- spaghetti western marathon
What critics said
Critics have recognized the film’s strong performers and distinctive moral premise, while finding its screenplay predictable and its pacing weakened by apparent cuts.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Professor Brad Fletcher applies learned ideas and administrative efficiency to the leadership of an outlaw gang.
Fletcher replaces the gang’s chaotic outlawry with deliberate, efficient ruthlessness.
The professor’s encounter with Solomon Bennet drives the clash between educated respectability and outlaw culture.
The film uses the visual language associated with Italian westerns to stage outlaw conflict across the American West.
Films like Face to Face, and why
The Great Silence
shared spaghetti western tradition, morally corrosive power shift, and politically charged violence
Django
shared spaghetti western style, outlaw mythology, and transformation of a seemingly civilized protagonist
A Bullet for the General
shared revisionist western atmosphere, charismatic criminal figures, and critique of violence and authority
The Big Gundown
shared buddy dynamic, western gunplay, and shifting loyalties within an outlaw milieu
Movie Details
- Director
- Sergio Sollima
- Release Date
- 1967-11-24
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (114)
Cast
- Gian Maria Volonté
- Tomas Milian
- William Berger
- Jolanda Modio
- Gianni Rizzo
- Carole André
- Ángel del Pozo
- Aldo Sambrell
- Nello Pazzafini
- José Torres
Common questions
- What is Face to Face about?
- An ailing history professor’s encounter with an outlaw gang turns intellectual curiosity into a ruthless experiment in frontier power.
- What is Face to Face like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Face to Face as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Face to Face violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Face to Face as brutal.
- What did critics think of Face to Face?
- Critics have recognized the film’s strong performers and distinctive moral premise, while finding its screenplay predictable and its pacing weakened by apparent cuts.
- Which films are like Face to Face?
- Films with a similar feel include The Great Silence, Django, A Bullet for the General, and The Big Gundown.
- How long is Face to Face?
- Face to Face runs 112 minutes.
