Three female entertainers and their manager overhear talk of the plot and ride to the next town of Esperanza to warn people.

He asks the townspeople of Esperanza to pay him to protect them from Duncan, demanding, "I want a dollar a head from every man in this town for every bandit I kill."

A showdown occurs in an Indian cemetery, where Joe reclaims the pendant that Duncan had stolen from his wife when he murdered her.

With Duncan dead, Joe sends his horse back to town, carrying the bank's money.

Producer Dino De Laurentiis approached director Sergio Corbucci with a script titled Un dollaro a testa (lit.

[11][7] Reynolds added, "... of course when you play a half-breed you have to be stoic – and you can't get funky – and you have to have a deep voice.

"[7] Commenting on his role in the film, Reynolds felt that the physical aspects did not worry him, but that his costumes did.

"[4] Variety noted that Regnoli and Di Leo's screenplay allowed for "... fast movement which Corbucci handles well enough", ultimately declaring the film to be "Lowercase western ...

"[5] When Reynolds won an Emmy in 1991 for Evening Shade, he said during his acceptance speech, "All those pictures – Navajo Joe – they paid off, you know.