Massacre at Grand Canyon (1964) User Reviews

Undercooked Pasta With Historical Significance

[Steve_Nyland · 5/10 · 22 January 2006]

The court is still out on this one. The second of Sergio Corbucci's Euro Westerns that I have managed to track down lacks the punch that he would find in DJANGO and represents a genre in search of it's form. It's actually a very unique looking production, using exteriors located in the former Yugoslavia rather than Spain and existing as a sort of brooding, somber range war movie than a slick cartoon about Pistoleros and Gringos battling it out under the hot sun. James Mitchum is adequate as the Yankee imported to sway box office receipts, with genre legends George Ardisson and my hero Giacomo Rossi-Stuart adding a bit more color in supporting roles.

The issue with the film is that it's a bit of a slog compared to the hip, visually revolutionary movies like DJANGO and the Sergio Leone DOLLARS films, and still hadn't quite achieved the sense of fun & invention from contemporaneous Euro Western hits like SEVEN GUNS FOR THE MACGREGORS or FURY OF THE APACHES -- over the top examples of the Western as an exaggeration, where MASSACRE AT GRAND CANYON seems to dwell on understatement. It's a bit more enjoyable than Corbucci's followup MINNESOTA CLAY which I have a strong aversion to that cannot be put into words. I hate MINNESOTA CLAY but I merely dislike MASSACRE AT GRAND CANYON.

Yet it's historically significant, with the presence of Albert Band helping to cement the film as a transitional effort between the Karl May influenced Schnitzel Westerns of Harald Reinl et al & the full blown Spaghetti Western boon precipitated in part by Corbucci's DJANGO. By then he would have found his balance between the brooding, languid sense of pessimism and an arty flair that would become his trademark. Here he was figuring out the tune, and while I may not sing praises for the results they are certainly interesting, and spoke of greater things to come.

5/10

Lethargic

[zeppo-2 · 4/10 · 13 July 2010]

His father's style of acting is often described as laid back and laconic but I'm afraid his son, James Mitchum's is just lethargic. With his dad's looks and sleepy eyes he does just sleepwalk through this film without any of the intense screen presence that Robert Mitchum could bring to a role.

Doesn't help that the film story is pretty dull too, the old warring cattle barons trying to take over the whole land and everything. The film plays much like an American one from an earlier era, such as 'High Noon or Duel in the Desert' and not the spaghetti western that it is. One thing about the spaghetti's that though short on plot most of the time, they did fill it out with lots of action set pieces. This one doesn't, a couple of short one on one barroom fights but mainly the opposing factions shooting at each over from one rock cliff to another.

I was tempted at times to fast forward on the DVD remote, which is always a bad sign...

Very much a standard oater and while not that bad, it just doesn't deserve much attention.

This movie was indeed a bit undercooked Spaghetti-Western.

[ironhorse_iv · 5/10 · 29 July 2014]

It's hard to believe that this movie is indeed a Spaghetti-Western. The movie was produced in Italy in the same year as Sergio Leone's Dollar series is about to start. You can really tell that director was really trying to carbon copy, the old American style westerns. Due to this reasons, the movie is kinda bland, unlike the Sergio Leon's film-making style that was a bit more entertaining. The movie was such a disappointment when it came out; with such an epic name like 'Grand Canyon Massacre'. It's doesn't have a high body count. Yes, there were some shoot outs, but they wasn't any one-sided slaughter, or massacre. Also, the movie didn't even have the cool ass location of the Grand Canyon. Why is this movie, call Grand Canyon Massacre if it doesn't have any of that? Directed by Sergio Corbucci whom went under the pseudonym name of Stanley Corbett. The movie is a returning cowboy Wes Evans (James Mitchum) whom after searching for his father's killer, return home, only to find himself involved in a bloody land dispute between three families, the Dancers, the Whitmores, and the Masons. The movie plot is just a recycle plot that been use in Westerns since the days of 1953's 'Shane'. This movie nearly mirrors that movie to everything that happens on screen. The movie is pretty boring. Even the gun-fight in the middle was stop for more talking. The film builds to a dramatic, but ultimately predictable conclusion. Honestly, the last 20 minutes of the movie was pretty entertaining, but why are they fighting in the same area as in middle of the film. You would have thought the bad guys would had learn, not to fight there, as they were getting gun-down earlier. Anyways, the rest of the film was such a snore. It really took me a while to get through this movie and I love old school westerns. I think the movie was supposedly going to be about the Whitman massacre of 1847, since the movie had a similar family call the Whitmore, but the movie didn't play out like the real life events. Actors and directors names were changed to make them look more American. Actors were also imported from the States to get a marquee name on the billing such was the case of James Mitchum, the son of fame actor, Robert Mitchum. He's a spitting image of his famous father. He did inherit his dad's sexy, sleepy eyes and taciturn good looks. Like his father, Robert Mitchum, he would had been better in anti-hero role, or villain. Not this all out boring plain hero. Robert Mitchum was truly talented man. He was able to still manage to scare the hell out of me in movies like 1955's Night of the Hunter, and 1962's Cape Fear. Now that's acting, sadly James Mitchum couldn't show the same edge; that his father has, with his Boy Scout role. Still, he actually hold the film together for the most part, even with his flat performance. The supporting cast is just forgettable. It is not at all easy to keep track of who is who. Honestly, it was hard to tell the different between the Dancers, Masons, and the Whitmores. Characters that stood out like Nancy (Jill Powers) were just one-dimensional. She was just a damsel in distress with little depth, whom only purpose in the film is to get rescue time after time by Wes. George Ardisson as Tully Dancer was a rare bad-guy role for the actor. He really seems to relish it, but mostly felt-lost in the crowd. The movie did had a solid production, but nothing stood out. The soundtrack from composer Gianni Ferrio is a mix of European and American influences. There are parts throughout the film where there are only some guitar shuffles which fit perfectly and sound beautiful, but the main theme is awful. The opening theme song is way too cheesy. The image and audio quality is very good for such a quite rare movie. It has aged well in most DVD released. The colors are clear and strong, but some notable speckles. In one short scene the print quality is much lower, VHS quality. The movie still have sharpness enough to be watchable, but there are a few brief moments in the second half, where the image quality moderately strong roars down. Overall: I cannot particularly recommended this movie. Corbucci fans looking for films of the quality of his later productions will be probably be disappointed. All of his famous trademarks like the 'look under the rim of a hat' shot and distinctive gunfight angles are missing but he does go in for some good hand-held shooting during a fist-fight sequence. The next year, 1965 was a defining year for westerns. Producers realized the potential for shooting Westerns in Europe, and story lines like the old Classic American Westerns weren't in most audience's interest, anymore. They wanted more complex story lines like those, saw in Sergio Leone's 1964's hit 'Fistful of Dollars'. You can see how much Sergio Leone's film-making style influence director Sergio Corbucci's next big work, 1966's Django. When you watch this movie compare to Django, you can really tell how much two years can change the genre. Sergio Leone's film-making style would indeed reinvented the genre. So if you want to see what a Spaghetti Western was like before that. Check it out. Just note, that's it's not so grand.

Not completely bad, but not worth seeking out

[Wizard-8 · 22 July 2012]

Unlike many westerns made by the Italians during the spaghetti western craze, "Massacre At Grand Canyon" seems to have been a serious attempt to come across more like an American western rather than having done things in the spaghetti western style. The flavorable music sounds more American, the nice-looking Yugoslavian locations look more American, and the screenplay devotes a lot of time to character development over action. Unfortunately, in the attempt to flesh out the characters, the movie unintentionally ends up being surprisingly boring for a great deal of time. There's far too much talk here - I would have gladly given up a lot of the talk for some more action. As for the action, while there are one or two action sequences that are passable, most of the time it comes across as flat and disappointing. Director Sergio Corbucci made some good movies in his career, but this isn't one of them.

The dull Mitchum in a dull movie

[lotekguy-1 · 4/10 · 23 September 2021]

James inherited some facial features and a marquee name from his dad, but that's all of the apple that fell from this particular tree. He lacks the gravitas needed to pull off this laconic western hero lead. The direction is even lamer, with most of the action coming from a multi-party series of shootouts among unidentified henchmen and locals at various elevations in a long mountain pass for the turf war between two rich ranchers. It's virtually impossible to tell who is being killed as each stunt man falls from the rocky heights. No uniforms or scorecard to know if any casualty is a win or loss for the good guys. The most noteworthy performance came from George Ardisson, who channeled a slice of Dan Duryea for a smugly crazed take on this villain gig, complete with a leering smile that projects more menace than mirth.

Very average Spaguetti in American traditional Western style about a range war among ambitious land barons

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 29 July 2020]

Regular Pasta Western , this Massacro al Grande Canyon (1965) stars a fine cast as James Mitchum , George Ardisson, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Jill Powers, Eduardo Ciannelli and Andrea Giordana . This is a story of vengeance and love in which Wes Evans (James Mitchum) returns to his local town and becomes involved into a lot of problem . At the beginning he is already involved in a crossfire among rival factions : the Dancer , the Mason and Whitmore clans , the reason for some disputed lands . After a search for his dad's killers, he supports the local sheriff (Giacomo Rossi Stuart) to keep peace and order . While Wes attempts to make peace among old warring cattle barons trying to take over the whole land but then the son (Andrea Giordana) of a powerful owner (Eduardo Ciannelli) is taken as a hostage and another son (George Ardisson) seeks for revenge .

Italian made spaghetti that contains thrills , action , violence , lots of gratuitous gunplay and bloody conflicts. The picture with no much plot displays usual elements about land confrontation , following more the classical American wake than the recent Sergio Leone style that started in ¨Fistful of dollars¨ . There is action enough in the movie , guaranteeing shootouts and fights but it doesn't have a high body count , as there wasn't any one-sided slaughter, or massacre as the film title announces . This Spaghetti was filmed in 1964 , a notorious year in the development of European western that almost doubled since former year with movies mostly filmed in Spain and Italy . This is a thrilling western with breathtaking crossfire and showdown between the starring and his enemies along the rocky Croatian mountains and at the little town , they are the higlights of the movie and adding the moving ending in which the son -Andrea Giordana- of the wealthy owner is about to be hanged. James Mitchum provides an ordinary interpretation as the young gunslinger who goes back home only to find himself involved in a bloody land dispute. Like father like son : Robert/James Mitchum , as James gives a similar style of acting , as both of whom are often described as laid back , slow-talking and laconic actors . He's a spitting image of his dad , a real doppelganger , bearing remarkable resemblance -as physical as acting- to his famous father. Great to watch notorious secondaries from Spaghetti Western and other Italian genres as Giacomo Rossi Stuart , Andrea Giordana, Ferdinando Poggi , Benito Stefanelli and George Ardisson . And in a smaller part that you'd expected from his billing , the always excellent Eduardo Ciannelli ; in one of his last films . Atmospheric cinematography in EastmanColor by Enzo Barboni in scope, 35mm , shot on location , Grobnicko polje, Croatia and Trieste , Italy , though nor Almeria .

Sergio Corbucci direction - under pseudonym Stanley Corbett- is middling ; after that , he would make several Spaghetti classics : ¨The great silence¨, ¨Compañeros¨ and ¨the Mercenary¨ and other considerable Westerns : ¨Hellbenders¨, ¨Far west story¨ , ¨Johnny Oro¨ and ¨Navajo Joe¨. A veteran filmmaker, co-director Albert Band was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors who started his career in the early 50s. He began financing a number of motion pictures through the seventies and eighties and helped his son, Charles Band, bring together his own production company, 'Empire Pictures', in the early eighties. Upon the collapse of Empire Pictures in the early nineties, Band continued to work with his son and help bring a number of low-budget and medium budget films to the Hollywood screen and direct to video releases. Band directed some Western such as ¨She came to the Valley¨, ¨Massacre at Grand Canyon¨, ¨The Young Guns¨ and this ¨The Tramplers ¨ at his best ; furthermore , he made terror , action and of all kind of genres . Rating : 4.5/10 mediocre.

Good cast, the rest not so much

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 25 May 2021]

MASSACRE AT GRAND CANYON is a spaghetti western made early in the career of Sergio Corbucci, before he became really popular later in the decade, with the help of Albert Band who of course went to Hollywood. This one's notable for featuring an all-star cast of Italian familiars with the added bonus of James Mitchum, a dead ringer for his dad. On the downside there's one cliched plot that doesn't add up to much, but they insert maximum firepower in to make up for that, with shooting scenes that just seem to go on and on and on.

WESTERN CLICHE

[davidalexander-63068 · 5/10 · 7 May 2021]

The Italians should stick to doing what they do best - making spaghetti. Forget the Spaghetti Westerns. Leave the westerns to the Americans.

As for some of the fight scenes, they were like scenes from the ballet. And James Mitchum is no match for his old man.