Entre Dios, el diablo y un arma

Ha! I'm so dumb I didn't get the Treasure Island thing!

Richard Harrison (with moustache on loan to Burt Reynolds) is an ex-priest or possible still priest who ends up with a treasure map to some gold somewhere that was previously owned by some arsey old guy but is now sought after by bandits and a guy with an iron hand whom the film spends a massive amount of time pondering the question of whether or not the guy is evil or not. That sentence made complete sense I'm sure.

This guy is called Quisido or something and he says he's protecting Harrison and this young kid but then he's making deals with the bandits and Enzo Castellari's brother (who here seems to have dyed his hair and lathered on loads of fake tan, if that was him)...

Plot aside (it's the usual stuff), I can tell even through the crappy copy I've got that this is probably a really good looking film. Made by Enzo's dad but nowhere near as entertaining as Zombie Holocaust. Also, I have made fun in the past of Richard Harrison's inability to act (he can sure glare though), I still enjoy seeing him in a film and he's good as an action star, especially here where's he's sworn's he's never's to fire's a gun's.

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After much wrangling over a treasure map, mystery man (and pacifist!) Richard Harrison leads a group of men and a young boy in search of an ex-Confederate's stolen gold, battling bandits and eventually one another to be the last one standing.

Between God, The Devil And A Winchester is a great spaghetti western with lots of action and a satisfying adventure loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.

Gilbert Roland is excellent as a wily wagon master with an iron gauntlet on his hand, who plays all sides and may or may not be a villain. His performance in this is an absolute pleasure to watch and makes up for any of the film's shortcomings.

This ¨Anche Nel West Céra Una Volta Dio ¨ (1968) by Marino Girolami¨ is based on Treasure island , classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson , it deals with a stranger (Folco Lulli , similar role Treasure island's Billy Bones) arrives in an inn and hides a treasure map the bandits wish . Being chased by outlaws suffers an accident , then a boy (Jack Hawkins-alike) witnesses where it was hidden and he gains access to a treasure map . The kid retrieves it and passes it on to the local preacher . Later on , he persuades a guide called Juan Chasquisdo (Gilbert Roland , lookalike Long John Silver) and a priest (Richard Harrison) , an innkeeper (Roberto Camardiel) to accompany him in his search to recover it. All of them are pursued by cutthroats (Raf Baldassarre). The priest recognizes that much of the treasure was likely that from a local mission. They set out to get it before the bandits encounter it.

This Paella/Spaghetti Western is filled with action , thrills , horse riding , intrigue , betrayal and crossfire . This Ravioli/Paella Western packs violence , shootouts , high body-count and it's fast moving and some moments genuinely entertaining if you can avoid thinking too much . It contains bits of campy and refreshing events with turns and twists . Nice acting by Gilbert Roland as a rogue thief sporting an iron hand instead of a wooden leg ; he starred some Spaghetti such as Sonora, Goldseekers , Johnny Hamlet and Any Gun Can Play . Richard Harrison's performance in the movie is a bit wooden for the role of such an interesting character , but the fantastic performance by the always great Folco Lulli and sympathetic Roberto Camardiel save the show . Furthermore , a motley group of usual Spanish/Italian secondaries such as Luis Barboo , Xan das Bolas , Jose Sacristan , Ennio Girolami , Raf Baldassarre , among others . Atmospheric cinematography by Pablo Ripoll, though being necessary a correct remastering , and features a sensitive musical score by Carlo Savina , including emotive songs . This is a passable Spaghetti Western with some amusing moments and nice outdoors shot in La Pedriza , Manzanares Del Real , Colmenar Viejo (Madrid) , and interior filmed in Elios studios (Rome) .

Strong and robust Richard Harrison was a magnificent muscle-man . He was one along with Ed Fury, Brad Harris, Kirk Morris, Reg Park, Mark Forest, among others, whom to seek fortune acting absurdly muscle mythological figures, but anybody topped Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott in popularity. Harrison played in Hollywood some minor roles as ¨Kronos ¨ and ¨South Pacific¨ , while shooting another inferior character in ¨Master of world (1961)¨ produced by American International , he met producer James H. Nicholson's daughter and married her within six months. Frustrated at not being able to secure meatier roles in America , Harrison jumped at the chance when offered the first character in 1961 ,¨The Invincible Gladiator¨ , which was filming in Europe along with his greatest success ¨The seven Spartans¨. He wound up settling in Italy for the next two decades. His lead role, of course, immediately typed him as another Herculean type and, to avoid being penned in too much as a muscle man, he sought characters in routine spaghetti westerns as ¨Texas the red¨ , ¨Gringo¨, ¨Reverendo Colt¨ , ¨Joe Dakota¨ ¨ ,even the main role from ¨For a fistful of dollars¨ was offered to Richard Harrison , but he turned down and explaining : Maybe my greatest contribution to cinema was not doing Fistful of Dollars, and recommending Clint Eastwood for the part . He also starred Wartime genre as ¨Leopards of Churchill¨ and ¨36 hours in hell¨ and spy intrigue as ¨Master stroke¨ and ¨077 challenge to the killer's¨ . Once Italy closed down film production after the muscular craze had died down, he, like others, found himself unemployed. He did manage to scrape up work in Hong Kong, but a large portion of them were bottom-of-the-barrel Ninja movies.

The film was professionally directed by Marino Girolami , under pseudonym Fred Wilson or Dario Silvestri , he is father of Enzo G. Castellari and Ennio Girolami who here appears as a nasty bandit and brother of Romolo Guerrieri . He was a craftsman working in all kind of genres as Western such as "Badmen of the West" ,"Two Ringos from Texas", "God Was in the West, Too, at One Time" and specially , Terror and comedies .

Other Spaghetti Westerns freely based on famous novels and plays are the followings : ¨Apocalypse Joe¨ by Leopoldo Savona with Anthony Steffen that takes elements about ¨Hamlet¨and ¨Macbeth¨ of Shakespeare . Other Spaghetti freely based on famous play by Shakespeare is ¨The Fury of Johnny Kid¨ by Gianni Puccini with Peter Lee Lawrence and Cristina Galbo from ¨Romeo and Giuletta¨ along with "Bullets and the Flesh" by Marino Girolami . Other Spaghetti based on known and classic plays and novels are the followings : ¨Johnny Hamlet¨(1968) with Andrea Giordana directed by Enzo G Castellari ; ¨The return of Ringo¨ by Duccio Tessari inspired on the ¨Odyssey¨, and ¨John Il Bastardo¨(1967) based on books from Zorrilla and Moliere ; ¨Long days of vengeance¨ by Florentano Vancini with Giuliano Gemma and Francisco Rabal , being based on classic novel titled ¨The count of Montecristo¨ written by Alexandre Dumas .

The film starts with a road and a covered wagon that apparently has all kind of household goods. The owner probably provides distant ranches with convenience products. For $10 he has accepted a passenger who will kill him soon. The passenger turns out to be a criminal Confederate colonel who has a map of a hidden treasure. In a conflict with outlaws he gets killed and a little boy and a "stranger" without a gun get hold of it. A typical treasure hunt with only partial knowledge about the location by each of the searchers through a wild mountain landscape is about to start. Gilbert Roland and Richard Harrison together with a mixed bunch including the outlaws are able to entertain the viewer and deliver both a good performance. There are a lot of nice and wild landscape shots and the score has at least average quality. On the downside there is a certain lack of credibility in more than one situation. E.g. before starting a treasure hunt I'd try to get rid of outlaws.

Recommended for Western and Adventure genre enthusiasts.

One of several Spaghetti Westerns featuring Gilbert Roland in the 1960s, and here he is the pivotal figure in the story, rather than being more of a sidekick, along to assist a younger hero. This one is a loose adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" with Gilbert in the "Long John Silver" role.

As usual, having an already "market tested" quality plot to build around is a big plus in a Spaghetti Western, and I have a hunch the longer European version of this (if such a thing ever existed) could well be a minor classic. However I watched the 98 minute American cut, which turns much of the final third into montages, in order move the story along quickly and fit the hour and a half running time preferred by distributors in America back in the 1960s and 70s. This sudden change in approach is quite jarring and serves to dissipate much of the films potential for drama and excitement. I'm imagining that a two hour version could have maintained a more consistent tone and allowed the story and characters to develop better (That's my theory anyway).

The first third is very good, with plenty of colourful rogues and scoundrels, along with the enchanting Dominique Boschero. As others have mentioned it's sad to see her bow out so soon. There is no significant girl in Treasure Island either, but, within a "Western" genre setting, I think she could easily have been accommodated, riding along in one of the wagons, causing manly blood to simmer.

Gilbert Roland arrives and easily dominates the screen with his typical roguish charm. As an Hispanic actor he was never allowed to achieve his full potential in Hollywood, so it is nice to see him getting some decent Spaghetti roles late in the day and enjoying an "Indian Summer" of sorts.

Richard Harrison is pretty underwhelming, possibly because he isn't given a lot to work with. Playing a former soldier turned priest who refuses to use a gun is not the ideal part to have in a non-comedy Spaghetti Western!

The second third is not quite as good as the first, with some poor and or illogical plot development, but still moves along adequately until the characters take refuge in an abandoned Inn (the equivalent of the stockade in Treasure Island). However about the time Richard Harrison heads out to look for supplies the montage scenes begin to kick in and sap the films momentum.

There's nothing fundamentally wrong with what happens in the final third, the expected fights and shootouts and double crosses are all there in the appropriate places, it's just the execution falls flat, it feels rushed, outlined and painted with a broad brush and lacking in emotional content (as Bruce Lee would have put it). Not that it's really bad or anything, just that it felt to me like it could have delivered a bit more than it did.

Still a very nice movie for fans of Gilbert Roland to enjoy

To the reviewer who wrote "My advice to fans killing time watching low-grade Italian genre crap: take some time to watch the hundreds of masterworks from Italy - you might learn something about the human condition from the artists and craftsmen ranging all the way from Antonioni through Zurlini."

In reply I say "I live with the human condition every day and I watch Spaghetti Westerns in order to take my mind off such things."