Death Rides a Horse (1966)

In the Old West a little boy witnesses the murder of his family by gunmen and grows up with plans to track them all down, and kill them.

Director:

Giulio Petroni

Writer:

Luciano Vincenzoni (script)

Stars:

Lee Van Cleef, John Phillip Law, Mario Brega

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lee Van Cleef	...	Ryan
John Phillip Law	...	Bill Meceita
Mario Brega	...	Walcott's Henchman in Waistcoat
Luigi Pistilli	...	Walcott
Anthony Dawson	...	Burt Cavanaugh
José Torres	...	Pedro (as Jose Torres)
Franco Balducci	...	Sceriffo
Bruno Corazzari	...	Walcott's Bartender
Felicita Fanny	...	Martita
Ignazio Leone	...	Ex-pastore
Carlo Pisacane	...	Capostazione
Angelo Susani	...	Paco
Guglielmo Spoletini	...	Manuel
Vivienne Bocca	...	Sorella di Bill
Walter Giulangeli	...	Sr. Meceita

Storyline

As a child, Bill witnesses the murder of his family by four robbers. Fifteen years later, he embarks on his revenge. During his quest, he crosses paths with Ryan, an ex-con who wants the money the robbers owe him.

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Plot Keywords:

spaghetti western | murder | boy | revenge | alcoholic wife | 

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Taglines:

When You've Waited Fifteen Years To Find A Man... It's A Shame You Can Only Kill Him Once!

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Genres:

Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some western violence

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

8 March 1968 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

As Man to Man

Filming Locations:

La Calahorra, Granada, Andalucía, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

PEC

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original title of the film was "Duel in the Wind." Lee Van Cleef came up with the Italian title while discussing the movie with John Phillip Law, who saw the film as a "man to man" story. Van Cleef remarked, "Why don't they call it 'From Man to Man'?" The Italian producers liked how it sounded in Italian ("Da Uomo a Uomo") so much they used it. Then the film was subsequently retitled "Death Rides a Horse" in English-speaking markets, which Law said he never liked.

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Goofs

At about 38 minutes the barman is thrown out of window and when he re-enters the saloon he is shot, after which he falls into the street. He is then seen being thrown out of the bar a second time almost immediately afterwards.

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Quotes

Bill: I can pay for the information, with his five hundred.
Ryan: He's worth more than that to me. Fifteen thousand. So I suggest you keep your distance. 'Cause if you don't, I might get MAD.

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Connections

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

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Soundtracks

Death Rides A Horse (Vocal version)
Composed by Maurizio Graf (as Attansio) and Ennio Morricone
Performed by Raul Lovecchio (as Raoul)

User Reviews

Far from ordinary.

When Bill (John Phillip Law) was a young child he witnesses a gang kill his father, and rape and kill his mother and sister, while he was spared. Now Bill is a young man who is now intent on exacting revenge on those who were responsible for killing his family. He also meets a gunslinger/ex-con Ryan (Lee Van Cleef) who has just been released from jail and who's out to even the score with those exact outlaws, which betrayed him. So, now the two, tussle with each other to see who'll get to them first, but with the time they spend with each other, Bill also learns some valuable tips from Ryan.

As a kid growing up I loved my Westerns, but they had to be Cowboys and Indians, if there were no Indians, I just didn't give a damn. But how have times changed. I have just started to get back into the genre (and no, I don't care if there ain't no Indians), and lately the spaghetti western sub-genre. I'm a big fan of Sergio Leone' s Dollar films, which people say are the catalyst for spaghetti westerns. I didn't know anything of this film and probably wouldn't have paid much attention to it, but since I read some positive comments about it on a thread (in the horror board, of all places), I thought it would definitely be worth a look. But, I didn't have to go out of my way to find it, as it pop up on TV a week or two later. Anyhow, I've babbled enough about my personal experience, back to the film.

What gripping stuff! It surly was better, than I expected. A lively spaghetti western that had plenty of surprises along the way and it just wasn't a shoot-'em-up story with plenty of violence, but the cleverly laid out plot, builds on the revenge tale with some mystery and panache and kept the violence within the story's limits. Everything comes together rather perfectly with such a dark and macabre opening to its fitting finale. The story did kind of reminded me off Leone's "For A Few Dollars More", which Luciano Vincenzoni who penned this film, was also co-writer in the last two Dollar films. As for the script, there is lot spite, wit, but also it was rather standard and stiff dialogue. There probably could've been a bit more flair, especially from American actor John Phillip Law who was basically dead as wood in delivery and probably the film's weakest point. But the same can't be said of legendary actor Lee Van Cleef's performance. He brought a hard-boiled character that also added some dry humour and sizzling skills that ideally fitted in the overall tone. Combination between Cleef and Law goes down quite well and adds another dimension into the film (father and son figure). The rest (especially, the villains) gave your usual mean performances. Though, throughout the film, those Mexican outlaws seem to find the funny side of things, out of really nothing. I just find it rather amusing, especially because of the irony of it all. Ennio Morricone (also from the Dollar films) came up with a standout music score, which mixed some soothing Mexican music with an uplifting and rousing western score. The camera-work isn't that potent, but it still gets some flashy treatment. With its sharp and encroaching shots. It also captured the vastly desolated landscape that sprawls on the screen. Direction by Giulio Petroni keeps the film grounded and keeps a rather brisk pace. He creates some well-designed shootouts and sequences. One being the eerie opening and another an explosive showdown amongst an empty town during a dust storm. By the way, it's a great title isn't it?

A must-see for any Western or Lee Van Cleef fan.