D: Sergio Bergonzelli („Serge Bergon“);
S: Ambrogio Molteni; C: Amerigo Gengarelli; M: Marcello Gigante; with: Cameron Mitchell, Livio Lorenzon, Carl Möhner, Celina
Celi, Kitty Carver, Harris Cooper
Anarchy rules in Texas shortly after the Civil War. These circumstances
are exploited by the gang of Jeff (Livio Lorenzo), which occupies the little city of Sanderson to await a transport
of gold. The upright sheriff (Harris Cooper) stands completely alone aganst the bandits. Banker Morgan (“Paolo Solvay”
aka Luigi Batzella) tries to benefit from this situation and sells the transport to Jeff for a share of the booty. So things
seem to work out fine for the mobsters. Not quite at all, folx, because Jim Hart (Cameron Mitchell), a former gunman, has
settled down anonymously in Sanderson, tired of killing. He now runs the store and is considered to be a big butted coward.
Jimbo starts to be a man again: As masked gunman he fights the bandits and confounds their plans. The gangsters are really
pissed, but our hero gets some unexpected support.
I 1964
The Gunslinger says:
Quite an early Spaghettiwestern by Bergonzelli,
which is not really „Spaghetti“, if you know, what I mean. Not only by its look it’s close to the Eurowestern-Winnetou-standard.
Furthermore you’ve got the bad ones on one side, the good ones on the other: a clear set-up, which isn’t typical
for a real Spaghettiwestern. Only the role of “Guitar” (Carl Möhner) is spaghetti-like: A man, who seems to have
teamed up with the gangsters, but who follows his own plans. Technically OK, this film is real average, without real tension
or surprising moments. If you`re an old hand in watching films, you can even guess the final gimmick.
Luigi Batzella later on worked as director too.
But trust me, folx, his acting efforts are much more ambitious.
Rating: $$$
Bodycount: 12
Explicit brutalities:
The bandits lynch the banker, whom they falsely suspect
to be a traitor
Liebe:
Janet (Celina Celi) loves Jim, but also admires the masked
gunman, because he seems to be more masculine than her soft boyfriend.
Smashing Dolores (Kitty Carver) falls in love with cool
„Guitar“, but he mostly chews on his cigarillo: not much time for kissing. 2/10
Splatter: 2/10
