Un minuto per pregare, un istante per morire

Alex Cord plays Clay McCord(how apt!), an outlaw who has traveled to New Mexico on the promise of amnesty given by its governor(Robert Ryan). Unfortunately, Clay gets challenged by the local sheriff(Arthur Kennedy) who doesn't agree with the governor's plans, and decides to use Clay to lure other outlaws to the state, so that he can deal with them all at once. This leads to a big showdown at the end.

Not bad western is clearly based on the style of the Sergio Leone westerns, and is a decent attempt at doing so, though of course is not as stylish or memorable. Good cast, and an interesting character detail of Clay having epilepsy like his father, which sometimes makes him vulnerable.

I caught this for the first time a few nights ago on television. I expected to only tune in for a few minutes, but found myself intrigued by the movie. I ended up watching it all and found it surprisingly compelling. The acting by the three American leads was quite good, especially that of Alex Cord. He plays a gunslinger with quite a degree of vulnerability. Very different from how most of them are portrayed in westerns. He ended up in several situations where he was at the mercy of the bounty hunters. The final shootout between the three leads and the bad guys was very good, as was the scene where the doctor digs a bullet out of Clay McCord. Somewhat gruesome, but realistic. I must admit that, despite my initial misgivings at watching a "spaghetti western", I ended up enjoying this film quite a bit. I would recommend it to anyone who likes westerns.

A MINUTE TO PRAY, A SECOND TO DIE is a surprisingly gritty spaghetti western that makes good use of Alex Cord's rather unlikeable outlaw whose lack of charm makes him the polar opposite of Eastwood's Man with No Name. The story involves our hero and his sidekick arriving in a locale populated by the usual unpleasant bandits and the like, and the fun is enhanced by the presence of Hollywood stars like Arthur Kennedy and Robert Ryan in support. The film has surprisingly graphic scenes of torture and killing, and builds to an impressive siege climax which really delivers. While it falls just shy of being a classic, in most respects this one works.

Carcasses galore do not a better movie make. Some guy with an unnamed palsey like affliction in his hand goes around blowing people away by the dozen. For an example he rides into a camp, shoots about fifteen people and next is seen riding off on their wagon. He must have needed a wagon.

We get a flashback scene wherein the principal is seen as a boy of around nine kneeling over his father in the street while his dad is having an attack of the obviously genetic palsey. Ten or so men stand around and laugh at the boy's father in derision. The kid gets mad and grabs a gun and shoots them all dead. We are supposed to presume the kid goes on with the business of growing up without answering any repercussions from having committed this mass murder in the middle of town. Uhh...ok. Right. That could happen.

This movie plays like a Sergio Leone copy done by an elementary school drama club. When in doubt, shoot some characters.

The most unrealistic aspect of this film is that there is no way the main character would have been able to travel around on horseback carrying that amount of lead ammunition required to kill as many as he does. Hey, maybe thats why he needed the wagon.

Pleasant and enjoyable Spaghetti Western with lots action , thrills , fights and violence . In Tuscosa, New Mexico, the Governor offers amnesty papers to all outlaws . When outlaw Clay McCord (Alex Cord) learns the Governor of New Mexico has offered a pardon to all who apply for it at the town of Tuscosa , he's intrigued but suspicious about it , but he wants his redemption . Then Clay who suffers from troubled occasional epyleptic and strange spells about his deceased father arrives in a minering village called ¨Escondido¨ with a poster captioning the following : ¨If you ain't wanted Mister , you ain't wanted¨. The village is tyrannically domineed by a ruthless villain , boss Kraut (Mario Brega) , there Clay is healed by the beautiful Laurinda (Nicoletta Machiavelli) .Later on , in Tutcosa , Clay McCord's appearance triggers a violent mayhem , as he clashes with the local sheriff , Roy Colby (Arthur Kennedy) , and other outlaws . The Governor (Robert Ryan) then arrives and attempts to calm the situation , knowing that if McCord asks for amnesty , other outlaws will follow .A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die... That's all McCord gives them! The man with the twisted hand always shoots straight to kill!

This is a good S. W. plenty of action , shootouts , fist-play and with an interesting character : an outlaw who suffers epileptic fits which plagued his father as well . An above average Spaghetti Western with usual ingredients , a violent confrontation among bandits , an amnesty and eventually a complex chain of happenings leading to a shoot-out with McCord, Colby, and the Governor on one side while a band of outlaws comprise the other . Stars Alex Cord who plays efficiently the deranged gunslinger , and , even did all of his own stunts . He sought a Hollywood a hard way to success and he found one via his equestrian skills in the early 1960s starring some TV Westerns . Steady work came to him on such established western TV series as Laramie (1959) and Branded (1965) and that extended itself into acting roles on crime action series as Route 66 (1960) and The Naked City (1958). Gaining a foothold in feature films within a relatively short time, he starred or co-starred in more than 30 feature films, including Synanon (1965), Stagecoach (1966), Stiletto (1969) and Mafia (1968). After his film career declined in the late 1970s he turned to action adventure overseas with this notorious "spaghetti western" : A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die (1967) and the British war drama The Last Grenade (1970) and later commercial interest was drawn from his title role in Grayeagle (1977). In Un minuto per pregare, un istante per morire (1967) movie appears usual support actors who took part of hundreds of Spaghetti or Paella Westerns as Italians : Mario Brega, Gianpiero Albertini , Enzo Fiermonte , Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia , Spartaco Conversi , Fortunato Arena, John Bartha, Alberto Dell'Acqua , Ottaviano Dell'Acqua , as Spaniards : Lorenzo Robledo , Antonio Molino Rojo , Aldo Sambrell , Daniel Martin , José Canalejas , Francisco Sanz and José Manuel Martin .

It contains an original musical score by Carlo Rustichelli , it is sensitive and rousing as well , this is one of the best soundtracks of the genre . Likewise, a colorful and evocative cinematography by Aiace Parolin, shot on location in Desierto de Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain and De Laurentiis Studio, Rome, Italy . The motion picture was professionally directed by Franco Giraldi . This Italian writer/filmmaker (and Sergio Leone 's assistant director) so consistently mixed the good with the mediocre that it became quite impossible to know what to expect from him next . He directed four Westerns with abundant touches of humor (Seven guns for the MacGregor -1966- , 7 women for the MacGregor -1967- ) and one serious and violent (A minute to pray , a second to day -1968- ) . Rating : 7/10 , acceptable and decent movie that will appeal to Spaghetti Western buffs .