A Stranger in Town (1967)

A lone gunfighter attempts to make a deal with a Mexican bandit to split a shipment of stolen gold, resulting in a brutal game of double-cross between the two parties.

Director:

Luigi Vanzi (as Vance Lewis)

Writers:

Warren Garfield (screenplay), Giuseppe Mangione (screenplay) (as Jone Mang, John Mangione)

Stars:

Tony Anthony, Jolanda Modio, Raf Baldassarre

Cast

Cast overview:
Tony Anthony	...	The Stranger
Jolanda Modio	...	Chica (as Yolanda Modio) (as Jolanda Modìo)
Raf Baldassarre	...	Corgo
Aldo Berti	...	Marinero
Lars Bloch	...	Captain George Stafford
Enrico Capoleoni
Arturo Corso
Antonio Marsina	...	Aguilar Henchman
Salvatore Puntillo	...	Priest
Fortunato Arena	...	Captain Cordoba
Rossella Bergamonti	...	Village Woman (as Rosella Bergamonti)
Ugo Carboni	...	(as Ugo Carbone)
Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia	...	Aguilar Henchman (as Ivan Scratt)
Gia Sandri	...	Maruka
Frank Wolff	...	Aguilar (as Frank Wolf)

Storyline

Unknown to anybody else but himself The Stranger arrives in an abandoned town where he witnesses the slaughter of Mexican soldiers by a gang led by Aguila. The Stranger threatens Aguila to denounce him if he does not accept to let him take part in the theft of a shipment of gold. The plan is a success but when The Stranger claims his due, he gets a good beating instead. However The Stranger manages to escape with the gold. The bandits, who want his skin, pursue him. But The Stranger is not the kind to get caught so easily...

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Plot Keywords:

italo western | the stranger | gold | soldier | gang | 

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Taglines:

The Stranger didn't mind to put-on. For this perverted town, he had his own kind of twist...

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Goofs

Chica is clearly wearing a modern bra under her shirt when Aguilar forcefully throws her onto a bed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Paco: Psst. Hey - c'mere.
[the Stranger walks over to him]
Paco: Get out, and don't stop 'till you're out of town ten miles.
The Stranger: Why?
Paco: Ten miles!
The Stranger: Look, I'm tired and I wanna sleep.
[Paco pulls a switchblade on him]
The Stranger: Ten miles. Trouble is, my horse out there is even more tired than I am. I don't think I can get the poor fella to take another step. And I don't want any trouble. 'Kay, boss?
[smashes a liquor bottle against Paco's head, killing him]

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Connections

Referenced in Red Dead Revolver (2004)

User Reviews

fantastic and way under-rated

This movie rocks! Tony Anthony is the other "man with no name." He is great in this movie. His performance is every bit as good as Eastwood in "A fistful of Dollars," but he'll never get as much recognition because he's not a square-jawed pretty-boy like Clint. Frank Wolff is also in top form in this film, as usual.

This is sort of a minimalist spaghetti western. The story is simple but great. It never gets boring. There is very little dialog, and that works well in this film, giving it an ultra-cool vibe without being too slick. Yes, there are a few small similarities to "A Fistful of Dollars," but it is by no means a copy of that great film, as some other reviewers might have you believe. This movie has a personality all its own, and the situations here are very different.

The music score is incredible. It manages to be great, and very stylish in a spaghetti western sort of way without owing anything to Ennio Morricone. It is really quite memorable and original, and one of the few non-Morricone scores that would be worth owning the soundtrack to.

There's lots of great lines and cool action in this movie. Tony Anthony really "takes a licking and keeps on ticking." One of my favorite parts involves the lovely Gia Sandri as "Maruca," a butch looking (for the 1800's) S&M babe. Anthony kills her by using her fetish to his advantage. I also love how Frank Wolff's great line "I'm a fair man" comes back to haunt him later. It's classic stuff all the way.

If you like spaghetti westerns, you've got to see this one!

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

24 April 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Stranger in Town

Box Office

Budget:

$190,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Primex Italiana, Taka Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (Metrocolor: US prints)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1