"The Stranger Returns", is much better than the first "Stranger" movie, just as "For a Few Dollars More" eclipsed "A Fistful of Dollars". The score here is an absolute "killer" , and very Morricone like. I would say that Warner Brothers has done a great job with the Archive Collection transfer. Colors are sharp and the musical score is clearly a highlight. The story itself, has Tony Anthony playing the low key sly fox, taking a beating, but eventually outsmarting Dan Vadis and his gang. There are several chuckles that actually work, and the action, although predictable, moves along at a good pace. I consider this film to be one of the better non-Leone spaghetti westerns, and is recommended viewing, especially for "spaghetti" fans. - MERK

I'm usually up for a good spaghetti western, but I found "The Stranger's Return" for the most part to be a below average sampling of the genre. While most other spaghetti westerns were able to take low budgets and squeeze every last penny out of them to make solid production values, this time around the low budget really shows. That would be a minor quibble had the movie been given energy and speed, but the movie feels very, very tired. It moves really slowly, and there is no feeling of passion at any moment. Instead, there is a crude and clumsy feeling, like the filmmakers were making things up as they went along and didn't have the time or resources to think things over carefully before shooting. As for the title character, Tony Anthony has absolutely no charisma. Oddly, his facial expression for most of the movie makes it appear that he's about to burst into tears at any moment. There are a few good touches that manage to come out here and there - the musical score, for one thing, isn't bad at all - but the movie as a whole is a tough slog to sit through.

Tony Anthony returns in his "Stranger" guise, in a film that totally eclipses the qualities of its predecessor, "A Stranger in Town".To the sound of Cipriani's superb score, the Stranger rides horseback (astride the interestingly named "Pussy") through the desert, protecting himself from the sun's rays with a pink parasol, and greeting a passing traveller. The sound of gunfire alerts him to a nearby ranch, where he finds the traveller lying dead. A great gunfight scene ensues, and three dead bodies later he learns of a bandit gang's gold heist plot.The gang, led by En Plein (Dan Vadis) are known as the Treasure of the Border, on account of the size of the bounties that rest on their heads (although quite how some of his goofy comrades manage to generate such a vast reward is beyond me). They successfully ambush a stagecoach, which is soon revealed to be made of solid gold. The Stranger tracks down the gang, in an effort to claim the bounty, assisted by a deranged local preacher with a pocketful of fireworks.The story itself is very simple, but delivered in a great style. Like the other films in the Stranger series (well, those that I have seen), it combines the feel of the Leone films (in its poncho clad protagonist and its morricone-mimic soundtrack) but injects an extra dosage of humour. This humorous side is particularly well crafted (such as the enjoyable scene at the beginning of the movie, when the Stranger is forced at gunpoint to dig a grave both for the dead traveller and himself). "Returns" does not borrow so heavily from the Dollars trilogy as "A Stranger in Town", but still its clear where its influences lie. And why not - it does it very successfully and makes for great viewing.Anthony is never going to exude the same level of cool as Eastwood's Man With No Name, and therefore deliberately plays the role in a more clumsy comical fashion. But there is still no denying his character's appeal - or his fast-draw and accurate gun-play. The supporting characters also really add to the enjoyment, with Vadis particularly well suited to the role of the merciless gang leader.Perhaps the highlight of the film though is Cipriani's score which, as mentioned earlier, owes more than a passing nod to Ennio, but aptly captures the mood and feeling as the action unfurls. It's one of those soundtracks that could make even a bad film worth watching.Anthony's Stranger series eventually collapsed into the medieval farce that is "Get Mean". But this particular episode of the Stranger's adventures is a truly enjoyable and highly watchable western. And one that nearly reaches the highlights of Anthony's finest hour - Blindman. "Returns" is the best of the Stranger films that I have seen, and one that I would definitely recommend.

This second installment of the Stranger series is significantly better than the first film, and is a pretty average/middling entry to the Spaghetti Western genre. Its an amazing testament to the popularity of the Spaghetti Western that the first bland Stranger film was able to spawn any sequels at all. .As the Stranger appears, riding a black horse under a tattered umbrella, my first thoughts were of El Topo, but this isn't an Existentialist Western. This sequel is much more lighthearted a more easygoing tone than the first film, with some bits of humor (like his horse named `Pussy') and a more upbeat score. This time the Stranger is a bit more like Trinity than the Man with No Name, but the film still suffers from overall clumsiness and Anthony's lack of presence (and bad hair). Once again the Stranger tangles with a group of bandits after gold, their leader being a good cold-hearted villain, who is known for never missing a shot. The bandits and the Stranger are after not a wagon carrying a load of gold, but one actually made out of it. In this and the first Stranger film (Stranger in Town), they borrow the Fistful of Dollars/Django device where the Stranger is caught by the bad guys and beaten badly only to escape and exact his revenge, but it doesn't work in the same way. When Eastwood or Nero is captured and beaten, its like they have taken down an unstoppable giant, whereas with Anthony's Stranger he just comes off like a luckless weakling. To his credit, Anthony did co-write The Stranger Returns and it is a pretty good Spaghetti story, but why he allowed the pink shirt I'll never know.The finale is, once again, rather clumsy in its execution, with some badly composed action- for instance, a man follows the Stranger into a room only to quickly give up looking for him and start goofing off in front of a mirror, or the Stranger disguising some water barrels that a villain cant tell are water barrels even though he is only about two inches away, and an awkward face off at a table full of food that is supposed to be humorous. Overall though, it is better in style, story, and characters than the first Stranger film, and gets a 6/10 for the genre. Nothing special but well worth a look for the Spaghetti fan.