La vendetta è un piatto che si serve freddo (1971)

User Rating:

4.1/10   

Director:

Pasquale Squitieri

Writers:

Pasquale Squitieri (writer)
Monica Venturini (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 August 1971 (Italy)

Genre:

Western

Plot Keywords:

Native American | Spaghetti Western

Cast

Leonard Mann	...	Jim Bridger
Ivan Rassimov	...	Perkins
Klaus Kinski	...	Prescott
Elizabeth Eversfield	...	Tune
Steffen Zacharias	...	Doc
Salvatore Billa	...	Ted
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Teodoro Corrà	...	Boon
Giorgio Dolfin
Enzo Fiermonte	...	George Bridger - Jim's father
Isabella Guidotti
Stefano Oppedisano
Gianfranco Tamborra
Pietro Torrisi	...	Roy
Yotanka

Also Known As:

Death's Dealer (USA)
Three Amens for Satan (USA)
Vengeance Is a Dish Eaten Cold (USA)
Vengeance Is a Dish Served Cold (USA)
Vengeance Trail (USA)

Runtime:

Germany:97 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Filmes Cinematografica

Enjoyable, In Spite Of Many Weaknesses

"La Vendetta È Un Piatto Che Si Serve Freddo" aka "Three Amens For Satan" is a rather tough Spaghetti Western, that certainly has its qualities, but lacks in many departments. On the one hand the movie could maybe have been a lot better with a higher budget, on the other hand there are a lot of excellent low-budget Spaghetti Westerns, way better than this.

After witnessing the brutal murder of his entire family by Native Americans as a child, Jeremiah Bridger becomes a merciless Indian-killer and scalp hunter. After saving the life of a beautiful Native American girl named Tune, however, the lone and silent gunman slowly reconsiders his hatred. He starts to doubt his former persuasion, that it was really Indians, who killed his family, and soon has to find out that a greedy and unscrupulous landowner usually blames Native Americans for his own crimes.

"Three Amens For Satan" is not really a bad movie, but it's not really good either. As a big fan of Spaghetti Westerns I personally kinda liked it, although it's definitely one of the worse movies of the genre. The acting differs throughout the movie, Kinski, who plays a villainous and racist journalist, is great as always, though his part is quite small. I also found Leonard Mann to be quite good as the silent and lonely avenger. Some of the characters in this film, however, are a little annoying. The movie is not at all one of the humorous Spaghetti Westerns (no dark humor either), the character of Doc, Jeremiah's savior and buddy, who was only added to make the movie a little 'funnier', is very exaggerated, and therefore a bit annoying. Furthermore, Tune, the Indian girl, keeps talking in very stereotypical Indian wisdoms, not to mention she talks about herself in the third person throughout the whole movie.

"Three Amens For Satan" is certainly not a very good movie, but, apart from its several weaknesses, and the doubtable part of the plot, in which a racist Indian-killer suddenly changes entirely, and becomes kind of a hero and Indian-savior, the movie is certainly enjoyable.