Content: Bandido chief Torrez Gordo Watch (Fernando Sancho) and his gang attack a Mexican clink. The liberated prisoners has to join the gang to compensate the loss by “natural” fluctuation. The obvious successful coup turns out to be weighty mistake for the bandits: Among the prisoners we see bounty hunter Arizona Colt (Giuliano Gemma), who naturally has no desire to serve under Gordo Watch and who has leaded arguments for his point of view. Watch, who books this firstly for good riddance, plans his next project: the hold-up of the rich bank in Blackstone Hill. His scout Clay (Nello Pazzafini) can case the location, but the snazzy Dolores (Rosalba Neri) blows his cover because of his telltale tattoo, so that Clay has to silence her. Clay escapes nevertheless and the bank raid the other day is a big success, but a witness recognizes Clay among the bandidos. Now Arizona Colt is back in the game: Because Dolores’ father (Andrea Bosic) doesn’t have the requested 5K dollars, Arizona lets himself talked around for 500 bucks plus one night with Dolores’ a bit prudish sister Jane (Corinne Marchand) to avenge Dolores. It’s not a big thing for Arizona to allocate Clay, but he is seriously wounded by Watch himself. Thanks to renegade gang-member “Whiskey” (Roberto Camardiel), who has abstracted the whole dough of the bandidos, Arizona survives Watch’s special treatment. But the inhabitants of Blackstone Hill deny him the fleshly part of his award. Really upset he refuses his help, as the angry bandidos search the whole town for the stolen dollars, leaving a bloody trail of destruction. But it’s quite easy to cure Arizona’s anger with the chance of earning some hard dollars.
| The Gunslinger says: After several peplums and a Western comedy with Franco and Ciccio this flick is Michele Lupo’s genre debut. Lupo, whose oeuvre in the SW is really small, stages this film in a rough way with its many cruelties, especially by Fernando Sancho ;-), and an utterly impressive bodycount.
Despite all brutalities Lupo doesn’t abdicate comical elements. In one scene for example Gemma, only wearing undies, forces Nello Pazzafini to take off clothes, because these aren’t “bullet perforated” as onliest. Under his gear the rogue wears rosy underwear. Furthermore there are many sidekicks, reflecting, that Lupo has soft spot for the funny aspects in the tremendousness, like the priest (Pietro Tordi), reminding of Don Camillo, the mad undertaker (Renato Chiantoni) or naturalemente “Whiskey", living up to his name...
Gemma himself, who often acts with a certain self-mockery, presents a body emphatic performance again and offers a less cynical version of his “Ringo”. Fernando Sancho is brilliant at his starring role as baroque and sadistic rogue, who enjoys making tasteless hoaxes at the expense of others. Nice e.g. as he kills a hostage, only because the man is much taller than the others.
The extremely felicitous show-down in the casket making is a blend of thimblerig and “Gilda”, if you know, whatti mean ;-). The only thing, I have to complain on, is the length of the film, not supplied by the quality of the story, which leads to some loss of tempo.
The gunplay is good, and Guglielmo Mancori’s camera-work, which gladden us by some nice close-ups and nice impressions of the dusty setiing, is ambitious. The nice score by De Masi serves bluesharp and strings, strengthened by occasional whistling- and choir-interludes.
| Rating: $$$$
| Bodycount: ca 110 Gringos and Mexicanos, 1 Woman
| Explicit Brutalities: - The „Explicit Brutalities“ this time are mainly the job of Torrez Gordo Watch
- He shoots an old man, who doesn’t want to join the gang, firstly in his hands, then in the head
- He kills a bank client, because this is too tall
- Despite his converse promise he kills some drovers
- First he shoots Arizona his extremities and leaves him to die
- While searching “Whisky” and the dollars the bandidos comb through Blackstone Hill
| Luv': Jane is in love with charming Arizona, who discovers his heart very late: 2/10
| Gore: 2/10
| Specials: - Whisky uses canteens, converted to hand-grenades
- To kill a fleeing man, Watch uses a special long-barrelled colt
- Arizona only drinks milk … or beer, if milk is out. He’s an ably card-player, some would say perhaps card sharper
- Instead of vulptures a Marabo circles over the corpses, without considering, that Marabos are only resident in Africa ;-)
| Trailer: by ItaloWestern
|
| OT:
Arizona Colt
AT:
Il Pistolero di Arizona
Yeahr: I/F 1966
D, S: Michele Lupo
S: Ernesto Gastaldi, Luciano Martino
C: Guglielmo Mancori
M: Francesco De Masi
with: Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho, Roberto Camardiel, Corinne Marchand
 | Giuliano Gemma, proving the lead-content of his Stetson
|  | As time goes by: Fernando Sancho with his golden turnip watch
|  | Signing up the contracts for the Watch gang
|  | Got a private health insurance, compadre?
|  | Nice undies: Nello Pazzafini, Giuliano Gemma
|  | Cheerz, mate: Andrea Bosic serves a double to Roberto Camardiel
|  | Fernando Sancho blows through another pipe
|  | Whatta a trustworthy clientele
|  | Giuliano Gemma estimates Corinne Marchand
|  | | Renato Chiantoni lets sound the death knell |
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