D: Mario Caiano; S: David Moreno, Guido Malatesta (“James Reed”); C: Julio Ortas; M: Francesco de Masi; with: Antonio de Teffè (“Anthony Steffen”), Eduardo Fajardo, Arturo Domenici (“Arthur Kent”), Armando Calvo

A stranger (Antonio de Teffè) arrives in the little town of Richmond, calling himself “Texas-Joe” and paying his depts with counterfeit money. In the same night the gang of Lupe Rojo (Amando Calvo) robs the bank of Richmond. After he has saved the life of a gangster and passed a “test of courage”, Joe becomes member of the mob. But the gangsters don’t suspect, whom they took in: The new man is seeking for revenge, because the Rojo-gang has killed his wife two years ago during the raid of a stagecoach. Joe can’t build on the help of the law, because the local sheriff is on the payroll of the mob too. As the gangsters plan to forage the farm of his rich friend

Wilson (George Rigaud), Joe alerts him, but his cover blows. However he knows the murderer of his wife at least.

I/E 1965

The Gunslinger says:

Well, folx, Mario Caiano is a director, whose western are nice to watch, without being classics at all. Same with “A Coffin …”, in which Antonio de Teffè plays the leading role, like in most of Caiano’s latter dues to the genre. The film is made very early, so to speak in the Trias of the SW, but it has already left the US-archetypes behind, concerning atmosphere and figure setting. So it offers solid and really rough spaghetti-entertainment. Joe for example actually is a lawman, but in fact he kills his opponents without hesitating: He consciously wounds the main rogue twice, before he kills him finally. Eduardo Fajardo, who often works with Caiano too, gives an early performance as the perverted sadistic close to lunacy, whom he has perfected later on.

Unfortunately Caino failed nearly ever to stage a reasonable show-down: But this one is a positive exeption. His mass scenes, like the raid of the stagecoach or the bankrobbery in here, are mostly boring shootouts, and for my opinion he relies too often on saloon-brawls to stretch a weak story. But nevertheless: This film is IMHO the strongest Caiano-de-Teffè-coop besides “Train to Durango”. Furthermore de Masi has delivered a strong score again: acoustic and half-electric guitars, accompanied with trumpets.   

Rating: $$$+      

Bodycount: ca. 25 gringos, 1 mexican, 2 women

Explicit Brutalities:

- Russell Murder (Fajardo) – whatta name, folx –  returns after the successful bankrobbery only to kill the tied cashier. Murder, rapture and torture are his favourite hobbies

- Joe gets the stick, to tell the mobsters someting about his goals

Luv’:

None, folx. The existing relationships are pure partnerships of convenience: 0/10

Splatter: 2/10