Today would have been Lee Van Cleef’s 99th birthday.

Last year, I reviewed one of Van Cleef’s final projects, a television series called The Master.  On the show, Van Cleef played John Peter McAllister, an American ninja.  However, Van Cleef was best known for appearing in several Italian spaghetti westerns, where his icy stare and ruthless intelligence were put to good use.

Today’s scene that I love features Van Cleef as the title character in 1969’s Sabata.  In this scene, he faces off in a duel with William Berger’s Banjo.  Even when he’s playing the good guy, like in this film, Lee Van Cleef leaves no doubt that he’s not someone you want to mess with.