Le colt cantarono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro

Lucio Fulci's MASSACRE TIME is quite simply one of the Spaghetti Western's finest hours. Fulci and scriptwriter Fernando Di Leo are of course better known for their Euro Horror outings & Italian police thrillers, but this is a fantastic film in any regards and one of the finest Westerns ever made regardless of country of origin. Even non-fans of the genre will find it an entertaining & worthy experience that will command multiple viewings.

I will let others describe the plot: Spaghetti idol Franco Nero gets top billing as a wrongly condemned man who returns to his home town for revenge, but George Hilton as his drunken, reckless, wise-cracking brother with a deathwish steals the show. Hilton shows off some trick riding and rather acrobatic stunt shooting that isn't being performed by a double. Hilton also gets big laughs with his character's habit of repeatedly proclaiming "EXCUSE ME, GENTLEMEN!" in a friendly salutation before opening fire on his quarry. It's as almost as if he is trying to give them a fighting chance, and his washed up drunk is easily the most deadly presence in the whole film, counterpointed nicely by Franco Nero's "straight man" brother, who scowls disapprovingly but still bands together with his brother to defeat the bad guys. Franco Nero is great as the protagonist but George Hilton is amazing as the sidekick; this is probably the film that cemented his reputation as an action hero.

All of the action is performed in a quick-edit upbeat manner, with judicious use of the widescreen picture format in an almost painterly manner that as with the best of the Spaghetti Westerns is more reminiscent of a big, violent cartoon than something like THE SEARCHERS or MY DARLING CLEMENTINE. Not that there's something wrong with those approaches either, but the novelty aspect of the Spaghetti genre is in full play here with the offbeat locations, bizarre set designs and oddball characterizations that Italian made Westerns are so famous for.

There's even a fantastic, snickering, twisted, psychotic villain in the white-suited lunatic son of the local land baron, who naturally prefers a whip when it comes to teaching his enemies a lesson. Fans of on screen lashings will want to check this movie out for an extended scene where the loon bullwhips Franco Nero within an inch of his life ... it isn't pretty and unlike most of the Brutal Beating Interludes from the Spaghetti Western formula there is a genuine sense of peril for the hero during his punishment.

Which of course makes the final showdown sequences all the more entertaining as not just plot denouement but a catharsis to get back at the dirtbags for all their evil. Watching George Hilton flippantly quip glib one-liners, ride his horse sideways and blow away the bad guys with a sort of ballet of choreographed stage movements is a joy to behold & makes some of the slower sections worth sitting through. 1966 and 1967 really do seem to be the peak years of creative experiment with the Spaghetti genre, this example is fast, funny, brutal, touching, invigorating, life-affirming, and makes you want to see more like it. There probably are, I've found it to be a pretty unique film and like most of the pre- ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST Spaghettis knew that it sort of had to prove itself by showing audiences something different.

Fulci did it in spades. I may not be a big fan of his horror movies but here's proof that he cut his teeth on film as an art form before devolving into the zombie slobber. Get yourself a region free DVD player & treat yourself to one of the nice widescreen Region 2 DVDs of this movie, though for my money the older Region 0 NTSC pressing from Asia sourced from a positive print with the correct colors is the way to go. In any event you won't regret it, I have a tendency to over-praise lower budgeted genre films in favor of high profile A list extravaganzas, but this genuinely is an instance that anyone can enjoy.

9/10: George Hilton really should have gotten some kind of best supporting actor nomination, he is wonderful.

What a truly wonderful discovery and surprise. Lucio Fulci is best know in the genre of horror, I must admit to not being one of his biggest fans, his movies lack consistency, his earlier work outweighs, by far, his later work. But even the films regarded by his fans, The Beyond, Zombie Flesh Eaters etc. are severely overrated. Before I saw his Spaghetti Western Tempo di massacro (Massacre Time) I was impressed more by his earlier work, Don't Torture a Duckling for a perfect example of Giallo cinema. It all changed when I caught this truly outstanding cinematic experience...Tempo di massacro. From the excellent original Morricone' esquire score by Coriolano Gori to fantastic action sequences that obviously inspired John Woo's narrative traits (complete with flying 'slow mo' doves) The consistently great Franco Nero here gives an adequate performance (mirroring Eastwood's on screen presence) pairing perfectly with his on screen brother George Hilton who steals many of the films greatest lines from him. But the highlight of the film, by far, is the absolutely fantastic and mesmerising performance of Nino Castelnuovo playing the sinister whip brandishing Junior. Castelnuovo's performance lights up the screen here in a way rarely has been seen in cinema (for me Castlenuovo is one of the best character actors in Italian cinema with career defining leaps in so many genres ranging from comedy, horror, romance, erotica, western, sci-fi and drama) From the fantastic 'whipping' scene to the organ-playing scene... Nino Castelnuovo steals every moment on screen... and considering Franco Nero is in this that is by no means an easy achievement!

Just check this cinematic classic out...I have no doubt in saying that in a few more years, this will be seen as a true classic of the genre and will finally be given the respect and audience it so rightly deserves. Lucio Fulci's finest work! A MUST SEE!

Much more than just sixties exploitation cinema. I don't use this word lightly... it's a masterpiece of sixties cinema.

I have loved Fulci's Zombie films and his other horror films since long before I became interested in spaghetti westerns, so I was naturally very curious about this movie when I discovered that Fulci directed it. After viewing the film, I am very pleased to say that Fulci has directed an excellent western as well.

The music is a perfect example of a great non-Morricone score. Lallo Gori shows that he can have a style of his own and still create a score that is unmistakeably spaghetti western flavored. The theme song is fantastic, and you hear very different variations of it throughout the movie. This gives a feeling of continuity throughout the film without sounding redundant.

Nero and Hilton are both great, as usual. Hilton plays a funny character- a drunk who can shoot faster and straighter than anyone no matter how much he drinks! He can also fight several men at once even though he can't walk a straight line. The other actors are very good also. Nino Castelnuovo gets to play the most interesting part in the film. His character is truly weird and sadistic, and his preoccupation with playing the organ adds a nice hint of the macabre.

If you are a fan of spaghetti westerns or euro-films in general, do yourself a favor and see this movie.

When you hear the name of Italian movie director Lucio Fulci, you probably don't immediately think of spaghetti westerns, but Fulci did direct a few before he was associated as a horror director. For the most part, Fulci does a good job with what he was given with "Massacre Time". There is genuine atmosphere, an atmosphere of gloom and doom that will put you at unease. In the moments of action, Fulci creates both excitement and the feeling that maybe the protagonists might not succeed. He also gets Nino Castelnuovo to give a GREAT performance as the sadistic Junior, enough that you'll wish that there was more of this character in the movie.

The movie definitely has enough to satisfy fans of spaghetti westerns, though it's not without problems. There are a couple of major script problems, for one thing. It is NEVER explained how the character of Scott managed to take over the town, nor is his connection with the character of Tom explained. The biggest problem is that the first hour of the movie goes by VERY slowly. The movie takes an hour to do what would normally take about a half hour by a more efficient screenplay. So while this is a movie worth seeing, it's best saved for when you are in a patient mood.

...Lucio Fulci's "Massacre Time" is a typical Spaghetti Western with a few things that seperate it from the pack. First, the presence of schlock horror-maestro Lucio Fulci makes it worth a try for devotees of the king of Italian gore. Second, the shootout at the end (while nothing compared to the action scenes of Sergio Corbucci, the best action director of Spaghetti Westerns) is quite interesting especially considering the many John Woo trademarks throughout (flipping while firing, the emptying of guns into a single person at close range, birds flying through the air, etc.). Whether this is coincidence or outright theft is up in the air. Third, the wonderful score. You'll be humming the theme song for the rest of the day.

To sum it up, this flick is interesting, but more or less typical for the genre.