The Deadly Trackers (1973)

A Sheriff, who negotiates with bank robbers, ends up getting his family killed during their escape. The Sheriff chases the gang into Mexico on his own. While attempting to exact his vengeance, he is at odds with a Mexican lawman.

Directors:

Barry Shear, Samuel Fuller (uncredited)

Writers:

Samuel Fuller (story "Riata"), Lukas Heller

Stars:

Richard Harris, Rod Taylor, Al Lettieri

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Harris	...	Sheriff Sean Kilpatrick
Rod Taylor	...	Frank Brand
Al Lettieri	...	Gutierrez, Mexican Policeman
Neville Brand	...	Choo Choo
William Smith	...	Schoolboy
Paul Benjamin	...	Jacob
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.	...	Herrero
Isela Vega	...	Maria
Kelly Jean Peters	...	Katharine Kilpatrick
William Bryant	...	Deputy Bill (as Bill Bryant)
Sean Marshall	...	Kevin Kilpatrick
Read Morgan	...	Deputy Bob
Joan Swift	...	Teacher
Ray Moyer	...	Priest
Armando Acosta	...	Mole

Storyline

Sheriff Sean Kilpatrick believes guns result in gun solutions to problems. Frank Brand is the leader of a band of bank robbers who have no problem with killing anyone in their way. When their paths cross Kilpatrick's attempt to negotiate results in the death of his family during the escape. Kilpatrick goes against everything he has stood for when he crosses into Mexico to chase Brand and his gang. He demonstrates some violent tendencies towards the criminals and anyone else he comes across in his hunt to kill the gang. His behavior is not very heroic. He is challenged by a Mexican Sheriff interested only in carrying out the law - not vengeance.

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Plot Keywords:

spaghetti western | sheriff | pacifist | opening action scene | shootout in a church | 

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Taglines:

The sheriff fought for peace. Now he would kill for vengeance.

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Genres:

Western | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Riata

Filming Locations:

Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cine Films Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The score, credited to Fred Steiner, is actually re-used segments from Jerry Fielding's score to The Wild Bunch (1969). This was because the studio had already lost a lot of money on the project so to invest in a new score was a cost saving.

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Goofs

With the final member of the gang, the killing is done with a shotgun. At no time in the movies did the sheriff have any gun other than a pistol or Winchester.

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Alternate Versions

The original UK cinema version was heavily cut by the BBFC to edit blows and punches from fight scenes, closeups of bloodied faces and a gunshot to a man's groin. The 1988 Warner video release featured the same cut print.

User Reviews

Descending to the Same Level as Whom You Hunt

The big surprise in The Deadly Trackers is Rod Taylor's emergence as one mean and nasty villain here. Although he had played a bad guy early in his career in Hell on Frisco Bay as a contract killer, the public was used to Rod as the civilized fellow bringing a sense of order to a future world in The Time Machine. He's anything, but civilized in The Deadly Trackers.

Richard Harris is a sheriff with some rather strange notions about capture instead of killing in a lawless land. Rod Taylor and his gang rob the bank in Harris's town and kill the bank manager on a whim. Then when Harris tries to capture and use reason with Taylor, Harris's wife and son become dead also.

That gives our sheriff a whole new outlook and he hunts the gang into Mexico where he teams up with a federale played by Al Lettieri who has all the ideas Harris used to have.

This was the farewell performance of Al Lettieri and interesting that he went out as a good guy here. He created a great group of villains in The Godfather, McQ, Mr. Majestyk, and The Getaway. He was a great talent.

Some attention was paid to the fact that Harris is an Irish sheriff and for that matter Rod Taylor is Australian. But America is in fact a nation of immigrants and this should be no stranger than Errol Flynn's emergence as a western star in the heyday of the studio.