Django - Ich will ihn tot

There's a typical scene in LO VOGLIO MORTO (I WANT HIM DEAD) where Clayton (Craig Hill) who is stalking the men who raped and killed his sister stands on a hill and watches five horsemen riding in the distance. The shot is low to the ground, all we see are his legs and boots and the riders in the distance as they approach a villa. Cut to the five bandits riding one by one; I was reminded of the samurai running to the village in Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI. Any spaghetti western which evokes this masterpiece is okay with me! Director Paolo Bianchini does a good job throughout; here and there may be a hole in the plot, but the style, music (by the great Nico Fidenco), and gritty performances by the actors carry this fine Eurowestern to another level. Any fan of the genre will be in ecstasy watching this one!

Handsome Craig Hill stars as Clayton, a horse trader who sets out to avenge the rape and murder of his sister by tracking the pair responsible to the lair of Charles Malleck, a wealthy Southern arms dealer who doesn't want the Civil War to end until he can squeeze every last drop of profit from it. With help from one of Malleck's women, Clayton infiltrates the gang and finds that their plans to hijack a Confederate gold shipment pales in comparison to a daring double assassination plot set to occur at a summit meeting between generals from both sides...

Released in Germany as a "Django" movie, this spaghetti/paella (Italo- Spanish) co-production has a fairly ambitious storyline that moves along at a fast clip and contains enough shootouts, fist fights, and other assorted brutality to satisfy most genre fans. The cinematography and sweeping vistas aren't bad, either, and there's an appropriately fitting end. Craig Hill does a credible job trying to channel Clint Eastwood and lissome Lea Massari (L'AVVENTURA) is always a welcome presence, especially here as a feisty gal out to better her lot.

I became aware of this Italian Spaghetti Western only recently; it turned up both on late-night Cable TV (which is how I watched the film, though the English-dubbed German print bore no title or credits whatsoever apart from the concluding "Ende"!) and online. I had been impressed with the same director's subsequent effort in the same vein i.e. GATLING GUN (1968) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064013/usercomments-3 which, likewise, dealt with the American Civil War.

A far-fetched subplot here, in fact, sees unscrupulous weapons manufacturer Andrea Bosic attempt to thwart the Peace Treaty signing between Confederates and Unionists because in that way his otherwise lucrative business would plummet! This is tied in with the central narrative which, typically, has a young man go after the villains who callously raped and murdered his sister – these happen to be members of Bosic's gang who ultimately first turn on their boss and then, out of greed, kill each other off!; along the way, our hero also saves nominal heroine Lea Massari and her younger companion from much the same fate!

As played by Craig Hill (from the recently-watched ASSIGNMENT TERROR [1970]), he evokes John Philip Law in the popular – and obviously superior – DEATH RIDES A HORSE (1967), proving an adept gunman but also getting a beating every so often (since he even has to contend with a corrupt sheriff, whose brash younger brother he had killed in self-defense, and his associates). The result, then, is a minor (and pretty forgettable) genre effort – but one that serves its purpose in the entertainment stakes; as is to be expected, the score (courtesy of Nico Fidenco) emerges as its main asset.

"Who cares about the death of your sister, I want my drink!". This is what the brother of the sheriff tells Clayton in a bar. Clayton doesn't really like to hear this, starts a brawl and when the other draws the gun he shoots and kills. Then he goes to the sheriff to complain about the murder of his sister and the sheriff who doesn't care starts the next brawl. Clayton escapes and hunts the murderers by himself. Not much killing but many fistfights. Everything (and everyone) is simple and somewhat solid but neither the story nor the film ever excel. The three actresses in this sometimes misogynistic story are handsome and particularly Lea Massari does a good job.

The first time i watched this film i was surprised @ how good it was. We spag western fans are always searching for the next "good one" and let me tell you, there are many "bad ones" to wade through in the process. I want him dead has been called gritty in every review i have ever read about it and it is. It is also a kick but revenge western with a kick butt Craig Hill performance. He has also done a few other spags worth mention. The dirty fifteen aka. fifteen scaffolds for the killers and no graves on boot hill by Sergio Garrone being @ the top of my list. I want him dead has great camera work and the score is superb. It fits the film like a glove. Jose Manuel Martin plays the antagonist and many other spag regulars will be spotted by any fan of the genre. I have the Franco Cleef version of the film. To my knowledge it is the best English language version available. Franco Cleef is the man!! Go Franco Go!!!!!! He puts together English language versions of rare spag westerns for English speaking fans that would have no other way to watch these fantastic films. Thanks Franco for everything you do.