In Western fashion. If you discard the scene of the action, developing in the mountains of Greek Macedonia, then “Bullets do not return” will appear before the audience a classic western. With cowboys (that is, shepherds), sheriff (chief of police), bank robbery, a long chase, a civilian bounty hunter, bandits, strong male friendship and duels on colts (nagans). Similar films in the 60s - 70s of the last century were shot in a variety of countries, and no matter how they were called their genre, the ears of the good old western stick out of it in the most brazen way. However, this did not prevent the audience from bursting into sessions and with a sinking heart to follow the adventures of noble heroes and cruel robbers. And later, many of these paintings continued to live in new generations: it is enough to recall the example of the “White Sun of the Desert”.
However, with the shortage of genre films in the Soviet Union, Vladimir Motyl’s film was much easier to gain cult status than the debut picture of Nikos Foskolas in Greece. After all, the Greeks were not detached from the world of film distribution, and they had something to compare with. But even against the backdrop of the most famous westerns of the time, "Bullets Don't Return" leaves a vivid impression. First of all, thanks to the charismatic and brutal Costas Kazakos, who played the role of the tracker Tsakos, following the trail of the shepherd Stafis, who fled from the execution, falsely accused of robbing a bank. Playing the latter, Angelos Antonopoulos with his hero clearly loses, gradually fading into the background, behind the back of a charismatic partner.
At first, the story develops quite predictably. After a clash with law enforcement, the bandits who robbed the bank run in different directions. Their seriously wounded leader stumbles upon a peacefully traveling peasant Stafis, and immediately he is overtaken by a chase. Trying to escape, the robber drowns in the river, and the pursuers take his random companion for the leader of the gang with all the ensuing in the form of a trial of speed and wrong. But Stafis flees, and in his wake is sent a volunteer from the locals with a detachment of soldiers. However, the peasant turns out to be not a timid ten, and soon only Tsakos remains from the whole chase, who decided at all costs to catch up with the impudent.
Of course, it will catch up, but it will be just the beginning of the plot, in which there will be everything that is supposed to be a good Western: an unequal fight with notorious scoundrels, and the love that Tsakos will find in a lonely mountain hut, and a new friendship, and loyalty, and, of course, many, many shootouts, fights in the format of “one on one” and “one against all”, and a new captivity, and a new escape. The action is not going to slow down for a second, winding one of the misadventures of the heroes on others, which they overcome with equanimity and perseverance of real cowboys. Naturally, two noble mountaineers will first meet in a deadly battle, and then together will turn against the real villains. And so that the viewer until the very last moment will be desperately "sick" for our, hoping for a happy ending, but not being sure of it.
Nothing new under the sun "Bullets don't come back" does not open. This is just a good adventure film with intense action, well-staged stunt scenes, good acting work and a decent budget by the standards of Greece of the 60s. The snow-covered Macedonian mountains serve as a perfect backdrop for numerous shootings, chases and fights. No worse than the deserts of Texas or the canyons of Colorado. And the heroes in sheep sleeveless look even more courageous and harsher than cowboys in stetsons and leather pants. Small absurdities like incessant bullets in nagans and carabins to pay attention somehow even inconvenient. In such films, they end with the heroes only at the most decisive moment, and before that, ten, twenty, and thirty bullets can be released from one drum - the screen will tolerate everything. However, this is probably the only claim to the film by Nikos Foskolas, which can without any doubt and stretches be brought to the board of honor in a series of Westerns, Easterns and other tapes about the harsh male games against the background of wildlife.