I've seen more than enough Spaghetti Westerns in my life to consider myself a fan, and I daresay I'm an expert when it comes to Gialli movies (violent and sleazy slashers). They both fabulous Italian sub genres of exploitation cinema from the 60s and 70s, but they are also very different and incomparable from every possible viewpoint.
And that's exactly why "The Last Traitor" is a total unicum! It's the closest thing I ever watched - and probably ever will watch - to a combo between Giallo and Western, and moreover, surprisingly succeeds reasonably well in both domains!
Thirteen gunslingers, mainly former soldiers who fought in the recently finished Civil War, have gathered in a little town near the Mexican border for the upcoming wedding of one of them. The bride is about to arrive in a stagecoach, and she does... only she, as well as the men accompanying her, has been viciously murdered. The newly widower wants revenge, obviously, and it's abundantly clear that one - or several - of his guests know more about the vicious crime. That part is pure Giallo-gold, if you ask me, and since it's also a western, there's also the complementary storyline about a stolen loot of gold hidden in the coal mines that belonged to the murdered girl's father.
"The Last Traitor", also known under the fantastic aka "The Thirteenth is always a Judas" is far from perfect, but the plot is compelling, there's plenty of brutal violence, and a terrific cast full of familiar Italian cult-actors, like Donald O'Brien ("Keoma", "Run Man Run", "Zombie Holocaust"), Maurice Poli ("Rabid Dogs", Baron Blood"), and Giuseppe Castellano ("Milano Calibro 9", "Bird with the Crystal Plumage", Island of the Fishmen"). The relatively unknown director Giuseppe Vari admirably keeps the circumstances of what happened to the unfortunate bride secret for a reasonably long time, and thus there's a lot of suspense and brooding atmosphere throughout the film. During the final act, the clichés of both genres - and especially the western ones - come to the surface, but the film remains entertaining and action-packed until the last moments. I wouldn't immediately recommend this to everyone, but for experienced fans of Italian cult cinema who are looking for something unique, "The Last Traitor" is certainly a title to put on your list.
And that's exactly why "The Last Traitor" is a total unicum! It's the closest thing I ever watched - and probably ever will watch - to a combo between Giallo and Western, and moreover, surprisingly succeeds reasonably well in both domains!
Thirteen gunslingers, mainly former soldiers who fought in the recently finished Civil War, have gathered in a little town near the Mexican border for the upcoming wedding of one of them. The bride is about to arrive in a stagecoach, and she does... only she, as well as the men accompanying her, has been viciously murdered. The newly widower wants revenge, obviously, and it's abundantly clear that one - or several - of his guests know more about the vicious crime. That part is pure Giallo-gold, if you ask me, and since it's also a western, there's also the complementary storyline about a stolen loot of gold hidden in the coal mines that belonged to the murdered girl's father.
"The Last Traitor", also known under the fantastic aka "The Thirteenth is always a Judas" is far from perfect, but the plot is compelling, there's plenty of brutal violence, and a terrific cast full of familiar Italian cult-actors, like Donald O'Brien ("Keoma", "Run Man Run", "Zombie Holocaust"), Maurice Poli ("Rabid Dogs", Baron Blood"), and Giuseppe Castellano ("Milano Calibro 9", "Bird with the Crystal Plumage", Island of the Fishmen"). The relatively unknown director Giuseppe Vari admirably keeps the circumstances of what happened to the unfortunate bride secret for a reasonably long time, and thus there's a lot of suspense and brooding atmosphere throughout the film. During the final act, the clichés of both genres - and especially the western ones - come to the surface, but the film remains entertaining and action-packed until the last moments. I wouldn't immediately recommend this to everyone, but for experienced fans of Italian cult cinema who are looking for something unique, "The Last Traitor" is certainly a title to put on your list.