This is another of what I would call a "Gateway Film", one that can lead to a serious addiction to a given genre; In this case, the (sic) Pasghetti western. And while I have only seen it two or three times, DEATH RIDES A HORSE reminded me instantly of why I love this genre -- Recklessness, and a willingness to work within certain constraints even when the outcome doesn't work to well. The film doesn't give a damn & doesn't look back for a second, and is one of the best ways to throw away 114 minutes of your life that I can think of.
The movie's follows the tried & true Pasta Oater revenge formula: A young boy witnesses the brutal robbery, rape & murder of his family, and grows up to be John Phillip Law. He can shoot like the dickens, wears suspenders, and everyone of significance that he comes in contact with during the course of the film is somehow connected to the murder of his family.
One of them will be Lee Van Cleef, who is to Pasghetti Westerns what carbon is to life on Earth. He made them accessible, was their greatest co-dependent enabler, and yet he never rose to the stardom Clint Eastwood knew, but in a way that suggests he wasn't interested in stardom. He was interested in making westerns, and making them in the somewhat amoral way that the post-Leone Italians excelled at.
Just how Van Cleef fits into Law's equation for vengeance I will leave a surprise, though watching the film for the first time it was not a question to me of whether or not Van Cleef may have been involved, but how. As explained in the movie's final act it's somewhat miraculous that Law doesn't figure it out on his own, but then again his character isn't exactly the brightest bulb in the lighthouse, and his near fate of being buried up to his neck in the sand provides a chance for some really fabulous photography & editing, and good enough material to be re-salvaged in dozens of action/buddy films to come afterwards.
I must say, though, that the ending did not live up to the promise of the film's opening movements, especially the beginning, which is one of the gnarliest openings to a western ever put to film. This isn't a film for 12 year olds to wile away a rainy afternoon. Unconventional camera-work and a genuinely unnerving Ennio Morioconne score make the first half of the film a dizzying experience the first time you see it, and at times one has to struggle to keep track of the plot. The visceral effect of watching the film becomes the focus, and the story very correctly plays second fiddle to style, mood, pacing and motif.
But that's why John Phillip Law is so perfect in this role: He seems like he is a capable gunslinger & all, but in way over his head, and if it wasn't for Van Cleef's careful manipulation of events he wouldn't have a chance. He is an underdog, and we root for him in a way that Clint never really seemed to need it. The only problem is that the movie will leave you feeling empty & wanting to see more of the like, and there are SO many more of the like it's hard to choose which way to go.
But for anyone who may be ready to advance beyond Leone Territory into Italian westerns DEATH RIDES A HORSE is as good a place to start as any, and deserves a proper restorative effort immediately: There are 93 minute and 114 minute English language versions kicking around that suggest a truly grand film waiting to be rediscovered -- look for the longer print on a 4 movie DVD box set called THE GUNSLINGERS. It's a pretty bad fullframe version that looks cut to me. But until something else comes wandering down the trail this cold little dish of vengeance will have to do.
***1/2 out of ****
The movie's follows the tried & true Pasta Oater revenge formula: A young boy witnesses the brutal robbery, rape & murder of his family, and grows up to be John Phillip Law. He can shoot like the dickens, wears suspenders, and everyone of significance that he comes in contact with during the course of the film is somehow connected to the murder of his family.
One of them will be Lee Van Cleef, who is to Pasghetti Westerns what carbon is to life on Earth. He made them accessible, was their greatest co-dependent enabler, and yet he never rose to the stardom Clint Eastwood knew, but in a way that suggests he wasn't interested in stardom. He was interested in making westerns, and making them in the somewhat amoral way that the post-Leone Italians excelled at.
Just how Van Cleef fits into Law's equation for vengeance I will leave a surprise, though watching the film for the first time it was not a question to me of whether or not Van Cleef may have been involved, but how. As explained in the movie's final act it's somewhat miraculous that Law doesn't figure it out on his own, but then again his character isn't exactly the brightest bulb in the lighthouse, and his near fate of being buried up to his neck in the sand provides a chance for some really fabulous photography & editing, and good enough material to be re-salvaged in dozens of action/buddy films to come afterwards.
I must say, though, that the ending did not live up to the promise of the film's opening movements, especially the beginning, which is one of the gnarliest openings to a western ever put to film. This isn't a film for 12 year olds to wile away a rainy afternoon. Unconventional camera-work and a genuinely unnerving Ennio Morioconne score make the first half of the film a dizzying experience the first time you see it, and at times one has to struggle to keep track of the plot. The visceral effect of watching the film becomes the focus, and the story very correctly plays second fiddle to style, mood, pacing and motif.
But that's why John Phillip Law is so perfect in this role: He seems like he is a capable gunslinger & all, but in way over his head, and if it wasn't for Van Cleef's careful manipulation of events he wouldn't have a chance. He is an underdog, and we root for him in a way that Clint never really seemed to need it. The only problem is that the movie will leave you feeling empty & wanting to see more of the like, and there are SO many more of the like it's hard to choose which way to go.
But for anyone who may be ready to advance beyond Leone Territory into Italian westerns DEATH RIDES A HORSE is as good a place to start as any, and deserves a proper restorative effort immediately: There are 93 minute and 114 minute English language versions kicking around that suggest a truly grand film waiting to be rediscovered -- look for the longer print on a 4 movie DVD box set called THE GUNSLINGERS. It's a pretty bad fullframe version that looks cut to me. But until something else comes wandering down the trail this cold little dish of vengeance will have to do.
***1/2 out of ****