A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die

The plot of Tonino Valerii's men-on-a-mission spagwest bears heavy resemblance to THE DIRTY DOZEN while certain sequences are undoubtedly inspired by the climax of Peckinpah's WILD BUNCH. Despite the familiarity of this subject matter, the film turns out to be an engaging little western that tells its story in a spare, lean narrative. It has a gritty, downbeat flavour, is very well shot and makes fine use of some grand sets and isolated locations. Valerii displays a real affinity with the subject matter and brings Ernesto Gastaldi's script to life in a memorable way.

Most of the characters are sidelined in favour of the big hitters, but small wonder when this film features James Coburn and Telly Savalas as protagonist and antagonist respectively. Coburn is stoic, sardonic and a fitting hero, while Savalas plays it subdued throughout. There's also a major role for spagwest stalwart Bud Spencer. Throw in some wonderfully filmed explosions (that put anything Michael Bay's done since to shame) and an epic-feel climax and you have a film that's never less than entertaining.