Written by Old Bluffer 20th Feb 2009

Written by Tom Walsh

Marshal Nathan Van Cleef is the sheriff of Carson City, Nevada who isn't as honourable as the job would imply. The only moral code he seems to live by is that he won't kill anybody that is unarmed.

As the film continues it is revealed that Van Cleef is allied with Chinese traitor Lo Fong in a plot to hold the Chinese Princess Pei-Pei for ransom. Four Imperial Guards are dispatched to give him and Lo Fong the ransom: three nobodies and Chon Wang.

During a train ride Wang gets separated from his brethren and meets up with outlaw Roy O'Bannon. They eventually become partners but because of their opposition to Lo Fong, Van Cleef puts a bounty on their head claiming they killed 25 people. He captures them and almost hangs them but they are saved by Wang's Native American "wife".

Eventually the aforementioned three Imperial Guards deliver the ransom at an abandoned church but Wang and O'Bannon show up. They destroy the Imperial Decree that says that the Princess shall return to China although she wants to stay in America. Just when it seems as though Wang manages to dissuade the Imperial Guards, Van Cleef comes out brandishing O'Bannon's stolen pistols (O'Bannon wielding one he stole from one of Lo Fong's henchmen). Van Cleef then remarks, "Looks like we're going to have ourselves a Mexican Standoff." He then looks around and notices that he's surrounded by 6 Chinese and 1 American and then states, "Without the Mexicans."

He and O'Bannon then hide behind two marble pillars whilst shooting at each other although neither accomplish anything. Whilst the three Imperial Guards are knocked unconscious and Chon Wang and Lo Fong duke it out in the rafters Van Cleef and O'Bannon wage in an intense gun battle. This is where the suspense kicks in because Van Cleef is an experienced killer whilst O'Bannon has never killed anyone in his life. Indeed, he's been shown to be an unremarkable marksman at best.

Ultimately O'Bannon stops shooting and Van Cleef teases him, "What's the matter O'Bannon? Out of bullets?" When O'Bannon confesses he's got just one bullet left Van Cleef decides to end this his way: the underhanded dishonorable way. He yells out, "Okay how about this O'Bannon? I'll empty out all but one of my bullet chambers and then we'll jump out on three and see who wins." O'Bannon agrees thinking Van Cleef is sincere. In reality Van Cleef is in fact reloading both of his guns and drops his extra bullets on the ground to make it seem as though he's keeping his word.

When O'Bannon counts to three they both come out and Van Cleef unleashes a hail of gunfire on O'Bannon. Incredibly though O'Bannon lands a single bullet in Van Cleef's heart and Van Cleef looks down at his dented sheriff's badge which symbolizes how he doesn't deserve it. He then remarks, "Well funny that," before collapsing obviously dead. O'Bannon then notices that there's several bullets holes surrounding him and when he lifts up the billowy monk's robe he's using a disguise he observes that there are bullets holes just fractions of an inch away from his actual skin. In amazement, he proclaims, "It's a miracle. I am invincible!!!"

Ultimately O'Bannon regains the sheriff's badge and becomes an honourable lawman.