Mauricio do Valle reprises his role as Antonio das Mortes, the troubled hitman from Black God, White Devil. A new incarnation of Cangaceiro bandits, led by Coirana (Loirival Pariz), has risen in the sertão. A blind landowner (Joffre Soares) hires Antonio to wipe out his old nemesis. Yet after besting Coirana and accompanying the dying man to his mountain hideout, Antonio is moved by the plight of the Cangaceiro's followers. The troubled hitman turns revolutionary, his gun and machete aimed towards his former masters.
Antonio das Mortes, Glauber Rocha's first film in colour, was awarded Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival of 1969 by a jury headed by Luchino Visconti. Its visual style, radical approach to story-telling and powerful use of music (by composer Marlos Nobre) has had a pervasive influence on film-makers such as Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme.