Content: As stone faced gunslinger Steve McDougall (“Anthony Steffen”) arrives in the county, old Lopez (José Calvo) and his gang are in a blue funk. Those gunrunners fear the repatriate for good reason: Shortly before his arrival they have killed old McDougall (Jack Warner?), who is responsible, that Lopez has to be in a wheelchair. That’s best no to tangle with him, Stevie demonstrates with some best regards of his .45 to his reception committee, which ambushes him on the graveyard, as he visits the grave of his father.
From now on McDougall, who has deserted from the army just for his revenge, shows the Lopez gang which side his bread is buttered on. He decimates the gang and kills Manuel (Hugo Blanco), Lopez’ only son. As he “delivers” the corpse to the shocked father, he gives him two days to vanish in the haze. But instead of following this well meant pledge, Lopez hires some gunmen, led by sympathetic “Gringo” (Aldo Berti). At the same time an army patrol shows up, which wants to arrest the deserter. Steve hides in an abandoned mine to continue his feud with Lopez. But then “Gringo” kidnaps Steve’s sister Judy (Ida Galli) and bumps off their uncle (Luis Induni). Well, folx, that lights Steve’s efforts for vendetta.
| The Gunslinger says: Despite of the fact, that full-time screenwriter Antonio de la Loma is credited as director, it seems, that in fact Eduardo Mulargia has made this flick.
But who ever made the film: The result is a snappy low-budget SW, originated in the dawn of the genre, which converts the missing dough directly into atmosphere. The whole flick breathes a touch of madness and decay: emotionally destroyed, ruffian people in a deserted landscape, which are only jollied along by money or vendetta, carried on fiercely. All appeals by the ladies, Judy McDougall and Pilar Lopez (Gemma Cuervo), to end the spontaneous killing, land on the same fertile soil like the appeal to a dog to portion its feed.
This joint is also remarkable simply for the reason, because it's the genre debut of Antonio de Teffè, who later went on to carry his stoneface in nearly 350 SW through the Spanish boonies – well, folx, it's only guessed ;-). Herein his face fits greatly, because Steve is a gunslinger, frozen to somewhat like a machine, who is liberated not until the end out of his cocoon by his sister. So his first performance to me seems one of his best. His counterpart José Calvo is great anyway as emotionally dead and ruffian clan chief, who puts his house in order with an iron hand.
Camera work is not really exciting, but solid and whereas the chases by horse actually good. The score by di Stefano is nice with its main theme, featuring a deep choir, topped by a melancholic Mexican trumpet. Later on we get mainly guitars, but also strings.
| Rating: $$$$
| Bodycount: ca. 27 Gringos and Mexicanos, 1 woman
| Explicit Brutalities:
- The Lopez gang fixes the old McDougall at a tree. Then every gang member, at least 17, has a shot for free
- Fairplay isn't Steve's matter: He shoots fleeing people in their back without problems or he kills men, which don't anticipate a hostile action at the moment.
- Gringo tries to beat the information about Steve's hideout out of Judy. Occasionally he shoots ladies in the back.
| Luv':
Pilar and Steve are connected by an old love, but, well, a very old one: 1/10
| Gore: 1/10
| Specials: With Steve's arrival Sam (Franco Pesce), undertaker and coffin maker, starts a list with the names of Lopez' whole employees, which he crosses with pleasure and bit by bit after „termination“ by Steve
| Trailer: by SpoonMHD
|
| OT:
Perché uccidi ancora?
AT:
¿Por que seguir matando? (SP)
Blood at Sundown (USA)
Stop the Slayings (USA)
Why kill again? (USA)
Blue Summer (UK)
Year: I/SP 1965
D, S: José Antonio de la Loma, Eduardo Mulargia
S: Vincenzo Musolino (“Glenn Vincent Davis”)
C: Vitaliano Natalucci
M: Felice di Stefano
with: Antonio de Teffè (“Anthony Steffen”), José Calvo, Aldo Berti, Ida Galli (“Evelyn Stewart”)
 | Hard times for Franco Pesce
|  | "Anthony Steffen" has a perishable ware in his hand luggage ...
|  | ... The recipient is not very amused about: José Calvo
|  | The Lopez Wall of Sound
|  | Long live the local handcraft
|  | Ida Galli had obviously booked a special treatment
|  | Those guys are really bad asses: Aldo Berti and José Torres
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