Amateur actor Joe Clifford returns to his hometown to collect his inheritance from his uncle. What he finds, however, is a man living in his family’s gold mine. to make matters worse, he suspects this same man could be responsible for his uncle’s passing. Joe decides to take matters into his own hands and rightfully claim what is his.
The Spaghetti Western genre is excessive, to say the least. This film demonstrates how unbelievable some things can get within the genre. Specifically, this film completely raised the bar when it comes to excess after Hallelujah and Trinity. For better or for worse, spaghetti westerns became sillier after this film. While this film may not cram in as much comedy as When They Call Me Hallelujah, it certainly deserves the classification of a 70’s spaghetti. Crazy and outrageous is an understatement. Nonetheless, it is all in good fun and definitely sets the stage for an action-packed spaghetti western.
The protagonist is one of the more remarkable aspects of the film, for he is quite the character. They make a sort of prima donna teenager who hopes to become a well-known actor. His grief is that he is not a teenager and has the same ambitions. To become a famous Shakespearian actor but with a peculiar gift. One that few actors would ever possess. A strange ability with a gun. Killing members of the audience too.
What I particularly like about this film is the production design and set pieces. Many of which occur during a gunfight. It is not limited to that. This film is virtually a non-stop action fest so it can be bold with scientific reasoning. Massacre Time is similar. One set piece here has Steffen dressed up as an elderly priest with monk’s robes. He tries to save a poor old lady with the word of god, but first, he takes out his sidearm and begins blasting the devil’s minions. The start is likewise a superb set piece. The very first spoken line is at the start of the action or the top of this page italicized. It is not limited to that. Several other short set pieces can be captured during the action scenes.
The action scenes throughout the film are quite elaborate. Well, they better be good because the headline here is a whole lot of shooting. A lot of people I hear say the nonstop action becomes monotonous after a while. Frankly, I do not agree. They are rapid, emotionally tense (well, not really), and a well-orchestrated event. A lot of these shoot-outs have Steffen’s costume for added effect. This may surprise the audience, but it certainly catches the villains off guard. And it makes this fun to watch. And the last part of the movie, as I said, the shooting deficit does some astonishing things. Steffen lets a henchman loose after blasting him from every angle while balancing a cord of wood. While the weak wall breaks from his body, he is obliterated by Steffen and his gun. The movie ends with the longest gunfight in what can only be described as a spaghetti western. I am sure it is around 30 minutes long! And the climactic fight sequence is just too much: Steffen loses the dress, which is quite a sight to behold And why not? I mean, you viewers are for sure going to see some outrageous things after watching this film.
Leopoldo Savona’s anticipatory action-first directorial technique is the central reason for this. As I have not watched his other films, I am only referring to how he deals with and orchestrates his films. He adds many great touches. Wonderful gunfights and gives Steffen an opportunity to play a more animated character. Steffen’s performance is indeed enjoyable when he impersonates an old man. It is quite a sight to behold him dry talking while shuffling around like the elderly. Great directing with great performances which I am about to discuss.
And which I am about to speak now. Luckily Steffen is not so wooden here. Far more animated and silly albeit still somewhat closer to his Eastwood persona. Because of the Spaghetti Western genre, he gives a touch of 70’s character. Eduardo Fajardo is great as the villain. Great villainous performance by the genre’s best villain, I recall him as the snake because that is essentially what his character is.
The music is very nice. There are no surprises and many claim the music is better than the movie. Bruno Nicolai has proved that he knows what the Spaghetti soundtrack is supposed to sound like. He uses a lot of his signature electric guitar and orchestra for back up. He also uses flutes. This score was reused in the video game, Red Dead Revolver. Everyone knows it is set in the Spaghetti Western era from the title.
This is a pure Spaghetti Western with no big surprises but is still impressive, the acting and the shooting are topnotch. Honestly, who here can seriously say that they have not seen Steffen in a dress while saying a few lines of Shakespeare. Noone! Which is the answer. In case the action starts getting boring, at least wait for the dress. Well, that’s about it. I have a date with a chap called Jeffrey. Apocalypse Joe.
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