Per il gusto di uccidere

I'm glad that there is a DVD company (Wild East) in North America that is releasing a number of spaghetti westerns that never before got the attention in North America, probably due to the fact that they generally don't have the star power as other spaghetti westerns. I just watched one of their releases -"Taste Of Killing", and as a spaghetti western fan I was satisfied by the end for several reasons.

One reason is that the hero of this spaghetti western is not a superhero. Yes, he's smart and quick with a gun, but he doesn't seem to have mystical powers like other spaghetti western heroes. He can't read, for one thing, and in a few instances he relies on teaming up with townspeople so that his plans can succeed. Craig Hill does well playing this hero.

The script has a few other surprises as well. It's a more leisurely-paced movie, with not as much action as some other spaghetti westerns. (Though the action scenes are pretty good, especially the final shootout with the evil gang on the city streets.) But the script keeps up plenty of plot turns so viewers won't get bored. There's also plenty of focus on some of the supporting characters.

And as a bonus, there's a tuneful and lively score by Nico Fidenco. In short, there's a lot to like here. Maybe this isn't a spaghetti western to start with if you are unfamiliar with the genre, but for fans of the genre it will satisfy.

"Taste of Killing" is an almost okay spaghetti western. It looks really good but that's about it. The cast is fine, I guess, but the storytelling is not up to par. The movie drags at times and isn't always clear in what's going on. I don't want to bash "Taste of Killer". It was an almost okay time killer.

This was SW notable Tonino Valerii's first directorial effort in the genre. The year before he had served as 2nd Unit Director on Sergio Leone's For A Few Dollars More, and the influence of that experience are obvious on this film. Much of the film was shot on sets from FAFDM and there are number of scenes - Lanky's shoot out with Sanchez is a perfect example - that match similar scenes in the second Dollars film almost shot for shot. As in that film, we spend a lot of time watching action from a distance through the (anti)hero's telescope. This is interesting because most of Valerii's western follow the model of his 2nd SW, Day of Anger, and are firmly in the Duccio Tessari/Ernersto Gastaldi 'school', which was very different from the Leone westerns. Their visual and narrative style is distinct and is often described as being more "traditional". The characters in these films tend to a little less cynical, more immediately sympathetic, though the films tend to be a bit hokier. A perfect example would be Arizona Colt (1966).

The film is uneven, though it would be largely enjoyable for genre fans. The story involves the usual SW elements - wolves in sheep's clothing, ambushes, bank raids, ritualized gunfights, taciturn gunmen, and loud Mexican bandits. Craig Hill does a credible turn as a Clint Eastwood stand-in, though it is his characterization of Hank 'Lanky' Fellows that is one the most confused elements in the film. He actually ends up being more cynical than the Man With No Name, while the villain, Gus Kennebeck, is by turns more vile than Indio from FAFDM (as he tortures his brother with boiling coffee), then alternately sympathetic (through his relationship with his son and the son's mother). His motivations are more immediate than Fellows's, who repeats several times throughout the film that 'You can never have too much money'.

There was a very good film in here somewhere in the Gothic family western manner that was flourishing in 1966-1968 (Return of Ringo, Texas, Adios, The Forgotten Pistolero) with it nasty infighting and violence between the two Kennebeck brothers - the one who as gone straight and dresses like a gringo, the other has become a brutal bandit leader. The bandit tortures the brother, then kidnaps his daughter as a hostage. Afterwards the gringo brother retaliates by abducting his young nephew. This baroque, dark story is roughly grafted onto a typical bounty hunter plot, which is grafted onto a double cross/fight for gold plot, which is grafted onto a revenge plot. All in all, there is really too much thrown in thus interesting ideas are not followed through while others are muted.

The difference between the brothers, one a mine employee and the other a bandit, is an interesting feature of the film. Both are, if their last names are any indications, Anglo-American, the differences are not ethnic (given the limited amount of information in the film) but behavioral, contrasting mannerisms and dress. This is an interesting variation in the genre. The divide between bandit (usually played by Fernando Sancho or Tomas Milian) and gringo (Eastwood or Van Cleef) is usually indicative of a Northern Italy/Southern Italy opposition (think of Tuco and Blondy in The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly) or of a First World/Third World divide. In this film, the differences appear to have been largely superficial one - essentially through costume - that indicates inner conditions, in a quasi-White Hat v. Black Hat fashion, though a little more complex perhaps. Or perhaps it is the familiar trope of the one brother who has "made good" and the conflict between him and those he had "left behind" and, in essence, repudiated. The gringo brother had changed his name, which may indicate this sort of story line. In some films the Mexicans are the heavies, in others (The Big Gundown or Vengeance Trail for example) the Anglos are. The use of this opposition in the different films is always interesting, varied, and rarely constant.

It is interesting to note that Craig Hill's vengeance seeking bounty hunter seems to foreshadow Bronson as Harmonica in Once Upon A Time In The West.

The score by Nico Fidenco is fairly good. One of the best moments in the film, as is often the case in the SW, is the long credits sequence. A rider appears silhouetted on a dark horizon, the sun just rising at the center of the frame. The rider slowly comes closer, passes in front of the sun, creating a nice "flash effect". As he rides up to camera a goofy theme song accompanies about the dangerous powers of one 'Lanky Fellers'. Good stuff. Then the animated credits start, accompanied by the instrumental version of the theme song.

Another great moment is the final gunfight, which is handled well.

In Bury Them Deep (All'ultimo sangue, 1968 ), another Craig Hill vehicle (and also scored by Fidenco), the footage of the bank raids was reused, though the context was completely changed which, with some minor editing, completely reversed the situation portrayed. The robbers in the one film become the robbed in the next!

Though Valerii would develop his own personal approach to the genre, his last western was made again in connection with Leone who served this time as producer - My Name Is Nobody. This film matches Leone's style so much that there is constant speculation as to how much of the film Valerii is responsible for and how much was the result of the producer's involvement.

Top spaghetti western list http://imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=21849907

Average SWs http://imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=21849889

For fanatics only (bottom of the barrel) http://imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=21849890

Spaghetti with Gazpacho Western full of noisy action , thrills , plot twists and shootouts . The movie contains typical particularities Spaghetti, as is full of fury, sadism , bloodbaths , and portentous close-ups of encrusted faces . The film blends violence , blood , tension , high body-count along with plots twists and it's fast moving and quite entertaining . This Spanish/Italian co-production results to be a very amusing Western about some roguish outlaws and a bounty hunter named Hank Fellows who attempt to rob a fortune from a safe . This fun film deals with a group of bandits (led by Fernando Sancho and Jose Canalejas) who are chasing a gold load , they then attack a military convoy and take 100.000 dollars . This Spaghetti Western concerns about robbing a valuable fortune contained into a bank stage coach and crossing from a desert to Omaha City Bank . But a dubious bounty hunter (Craig Hill) with a telescopic rifle reckoning the bandits . This is a surprisingly low-key Spaghetti Western in which diverse characters joining forces to protect the safe and others trying to rob a lot of money . The ambitious bounty hunter deals with bankers (Franco Ressell , Piero Lulli) who persuade him to accept double the reward money on his last job if he gets to insure the safe . Meanwhile , a gang led by Gus Kennebeck (Jorge Martin) who holds posters captioning ¨ Reward : Dead or alive¨ attempts to rob the Bank . Hank will prevent the threatened robbery taking place at the Omaha City Bank . Fellows seeks vengeance against Gus who long time ago killed his brother , being helped by a likable old man . There then occurs the Kennebeck son's kidnapping and he attempts to rescue him .

Italian-Spanish co-production full of action , exaggerated characters, crossfire and lots of shots . The film packs violence , shootouts , high body-count and it's fast moving and quite entertaining . There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing some shoot'em up or stunts every few minutes . It's an exciting western with breathtaking showdown between the starring Craig Hill and his enemies , Jorge Martin and Fernando Sancho , among others . Furthermore , appears ordinary secondary of Spaghetti/Paella Western as Spanish players : Jose Luis Martin , Jose Canalejas , Frank Braña , Jose Marco , Lorenzo Robledo, as Italian actors : Piero Lulli , Franco Ressel , Rada Rassimov , George Wang playing a tough character as Machete and many others . Special appearance by Spaghetti idol , Fernando Sancho and Sancho Gracia film debut , who many years after would play another famous Spag :¨800 Bullets¨. Good production design creating an excellent scenario with luminous outdoors , dirty and rocky landscapes under a glimmer sun and a fine set on the Omaha town , including the Bank that is the same to ¨For a fistful of dollars more¨. Fine cinematography by Stelvio Massi , he subsequently turned filmmaker ; being filmed on location in Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain and Titanus Appia Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy (studio). Wonderful initial and ending song by Nino Fidenco who composes a marvelous and unforgettable musical score .

This motion picture also titled ¨Taste of killing¨ ot ¨Per Il gusto di Uccidere¨ (original title) is well directed by Tonino Valeri who was Sergio Leone's assistant . Valeri managed to make a fluid , witty and agreeable SW . Tonino Valeri's so-so direction is well crafted, here he's less cynical and humorous and more inclined toward violence , lots of killings and too much action especially on its ending part . Valeri is an expert on Western as proved in ¨The hired gun ¨ , ¨A reason to live , a reason to die¨ with James Coburn and Telly Savalas , ¨The price of power ¨ with Giuliano Gemma and Van Heflin , ¨The day of anger ¨ with Lee van Cleef , Giuliano Gemma and his greatest success results to be ¨My name is nobody¨ , a classic Spaghetti produced by Sergio Leone with Henry Fonda and Terence Hill .

Bounty Killer Craig Hill follows monetary shipments and rescues the money after they're robbed. After a typical job, he gambles his ten-thousand dollar reward on a double-or-nothing proposition involving himself protecting a gold cache. Trying to take the gold is George Martin, the bandit that killed Hill's brother some time before.

A good enough Italian western, this has some decent action and suspense scenes, with Hill's character pulling off some excellent rifle work. Yes, it's derivative, but still pretty solid. The climax is well handled too.

Director Tonino Valerii went on to make My Name Is Nobody, one of the best spaghetti westerns ever.

Here, villainous Martin looks a bit like William Shatner, if he were cast as a Klingon!