Black Jack (1968)

Director:

Gianfranco Baldanello

Writers:

Luigi Ambrosini (writer)
Giuseppe Andreoli (writer)

Release Date:

24 October 1968 (Italy)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Following the robbery of a bank in the Wild West a gang gathers around Jack Murphy, their leader. Things go awry when Skinner...

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Spaghetti Western | Bank Robbery

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Robert Woods	...	Jack Murphy / 'Black Jack'
Lucienne Bridou	...	Susan
Rik Battaglia	...	Skinner
Larry Dolgin	...	Reb
Federico Chentrens	...	Gordon
Nino Fuscagni	...	Peter
Mimmo Palmara	...	Indian Joe
Goffredo Unger	...	Billy (as Fredy Unger)
Sascia Krusciarska	...	Estelle
Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia	...	Rodrigo (as Ivan Scratuglia)
Giovanni Bonadonna
Romano Magnino
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Silvio Bagolini
Dali Bresciani	...	Julie Skinner

Also Known As:

Black Joe (Italy) (alternative title)
Un uomo per cinque vendette (Italy) (alternative title)

Runtime:

99 min | USA:89 min | Germany:92 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 (cut) | West Germany:18 | Italy:VM14

Company:

Cinematografica Mercedes

Trivia:

Italian censorship visa #52341 dated 24 October 1968.

Excellent Western

Of all the Spaghetti Westerns I've seen, this is among the top 5 in my estimation. The acting, photography, and story are all exceptional. Robert Woods has never been better than he is in this film, IMHO.

I love surprise endings, and the darker the better. This film really has no good guys, per se, so it helps the film to standout, among so many other standard spaghetti westerns.

For what it's worth, my other top 5 films are: Deguello, White Apache, The Hills Run Red, and Hate Thy Neighbor, with Adios Hombre as a close runner-up.

If you've never seen this classic, do so, if you can. It's well-worth the effort. Too bad these classics have yet to appear on DVD, in widescreen color.