Hoy por mí... mañana por tí

A man named Bill Kiowa (Brett Halsey) is falsely convicted for killing his spouse and is condemned to prison for several years . When Bill's released he seeks vendetta against the Comancheros's leader who killed brutally his sweetheart . He's named Bill and as his wife was a Native American , for that reason is named Bill Kiowa . He reunites a misfit band formed by four tough men , a corpulent hunk named O'Bannon (at one of his first Westerns , Bud Spencer), a gambler (William Berger : Sartana, Sabata) , a gunslinger (Wayde Preston) , all of them to go after the Pistolero who framed him . Meanwhile , the bandits led by Elfego (Tatsuya Nakadi, starring in Kagemusa, and Ran) rob a Well Fargo stagecoach . Elfego is a psycho , a sadistic wielding a machete and killing cruelly his victims.

This Spaghetti packs goods moments with gunfire and fist-play and also the visual look is nice . Reminiscent of other films , except all those other movies are much better (Magnificent seven , The Good , the Bad and The Ugly , Fistful of dollars , among them) . Good camera work by Sergio Dóffici , though shot on inappropriate Italian outdoors from the Lacio and Elios Studios . I miss the classic barren landscapes from Almeria (Spain) where were filmed hundreds of Westerns . Cool musical score by Angelo Francisco Lavagnino , Peplum's usual . Weak performance by Brett Halsey as a man released after a jail term for a crime he didn't commit and raises a two-fisted bunch . Brett was a B American actor who starred numerous Spaghetti (Kill Johnny Ringo , Wrath of God , Roy Colt and Winchester Jack , Twenty thousand dollars for seven) and spy genre , working for Ricardo Fedra and Mario Bava and later returning USA as secondary TV actor . Halsey didn't believe in this movie and opted to use a the pseudonym Montgomery Ford so people wouldn't associate him with it ; the movie ended up being his most successful ever and to this day he's credited as Montgomery Ford in Italy . Excellent acting by Tatsuya Nakadai, a prestigious Japanese actor , he puts strange faces , grimace , penetrating eyes and killer laughter . The film was middlingly directed by Tonino Cervi in his first and only Western . He has an eclectic career as writer and director of drama (Portrait of bourgeois in black), comedy (The miser) and terror (Queens of evil) . His most important activity was as a producer , as he produced for Federico Fellini(Bocaccio 70) , Antonioni(Red desert) , Vancini (Long night of 43) and Bertolucci (Grim reaper) .

I'm sure this title has been broadcast on Italian TV many times over the years but, only after renting it on DVD along with many another Spaghetti Western, did I bother to check out whether it was any good – and I was surprised to see it receive a *** rating on the "Cult Filmz" website! As it turned out, I found myself agreeing with that assessment – which makes the film one of the better (if largely unsung) entries in this profuse, eclectic and erratic genre.

An interesting name in the credits is that of co-screenwriter Dario Argento; actually, early in his career the soon-to-be horrormeister worked on several such efforts in this capacity (including the ultimate genre masterpiece, Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST [1968]). Similarly, director/co-screenwriter Cervi started out as a producer on films by such Italian art-house heavyweights as Antonioni, Bertolucci, Bolognini, De Sica, Fellini, Lattuada, Monicelli and Visconti, etc. – though, later, he even dabbled in nunsploitation flicks!

Anyway, as I said, this is a pretty good Spaghetti Western – albeit saddled with a catchpenny (and meaningless) title – involving a typical revenge plot: leading man Brett Halsey (appearing, unnecessarily, under the amusing pseudonym Montgomery Ford!) emerges from prison after five years, having been framed for the murder of his Indian squaw bride (shown in sepia-toned flashback, this is pretty much a genre fixture); he rallies a compact but formidable band of gunmen/mercenaries (shades of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN [1960]) and sets out in pursuit of the real culprit, ex-pal Tatsuya Nakadai (the celebrated Japanese actor is given the Mexican name of Elfego, though he wields a deadly machete in the fashion of a samurai!).

Halsey appeared in a number of low-brow Spaghetti Westerns (one of them being ROY COLT AND WINCHESTER JACK [1970], incidentally an irregular – and disappointing – stint in the genre by Mario Bava, another seminal figure in Italian horror cinema) but this is most probably the best one he did. Accompanying the appropriately dour and black-clad lead, among others, are beefy Bud Spencer (a future icon of brawling comic fare – by the way, I have three more Spaghetti Westerns of his lined up for this week, one of which also credits Argento among its scriptwriters) and genre/Euro-Cult stalwart William Berger (his character is something of a fop and, furthermore, has a gambling addiction).

Nakadai's presence here, then, is a delightful surprise – which definitely works to the film's advantage (his demise, in a confrontation not unlike that in a Budd Boetticher Western, is a particular highlight); with this in mind, prolific composer Angelo Francesco Lavagnino incorporates several weird Oriental sounds into the traditional Spaghetti Western motifs – and the result is effective indeed. Sergio D'Offizi's notable cinematography, however, isn't rendered justice by the English-dubbed print utilized for the VCI DVD – which is considerably scratched and muddy (at one point, Halsey remarks that "It'll be dark soon"…but the sky, as it appears, is already pitch-black!). Needless to say, the film contains the expected set-pieces of violent action – including an admirably sustained forest ambush at the climax.

Co-written by Horror-great Dario Argento, one of the filmmakers I have the highest respect and admiration for, Tonino Cervi's "Oggi A Me... Doani A Te!" aka. "Today It's Me... Tomorrow It's You" of 1968 is an average Italian revenge Western that has its highs and lows, certainly no highlight of the great Spaghetti Western genre, but a film with some definite qualities and some very good moments.

After spending five years in prison, Bill Kiowa (Brett Halsey) seeks nothing but to take revenge on merciless Outlaw James Elfego (Tatsuya Nakadai), who has destroyed his life. In order to fight Elfego's notorious gang, Kiowa hires five men, among them the huge O'Bannion (Bud Spencer) and gambler Francis 'Colt' Moran (William Berger)...

It is beyond doubt that Dario Argento is not only a Horror genius, but also a brilliant writer of Westerns, since he co-wrote the story to Sergio Leone's ingenious "Once Upon A Time In The West". The plot of "Today It's Me... Tomorrow It's You!", however, certainly has some interesting points, but is ultimately nothing more than average. One of this movie's biggest qualities is the cast, as it features the legendary Bud Spencer in one of his early Western roles, the great Spaghetti Western regular William Berger in one of his typical cool-cat roles, and the famous Japanese character actor Tatsuya Nakadai, who is just great as the diabolic villain. Brett Halsey is not too charismatic in the lead, but his performance is not bad either.

The quality of the score differs throughout the movie, I didn't like the main theme, but some parts of the soundtrack are pretty good, especially the drum sections, accompanied by a yell, and Nakadai's character's theme. The movie's biggest flaws are the buildings and locations. They look OK at times, but over-all the movie delivers the visual impression of European woods in the fall much rather than the old West. This could have been a lot better if it had been filmed on better locations (such as the Spanish Almería), but it is an overall decent Spaghetti Western. My fellow Spaghetti Western enthusiasts should have a good time. 6/10

WOW ! This was one good western, and it also has Bud Spencer (one of my fave actors) as one of the main roles! Heres the plot :

A man named Bill Kiaowa was sent to prison for 5 years for killing his wife....a crime which he didn't commit.When he's released from jail, he rounds up his old buddies to help him kill the man who killed his wife....

Yeah, your thinking, oh, just another boring western! It is just one of those simple westerns that were rip offs of " The good, the bad, and the Ugly" but give it a shot! Its worthwile!

Today it's me.... gets 6/10

After five years in jail, Bill Kiowa (Montgomery Ford) is released and he hires four skilled men for his gang: the tough O'Bannion (Bud Spencer); the sheriff Jeff Milton (Wayde Preston); the gunman Bunny Fox (Stanley Gordon); and the gambler Francis 'Colt' Moran (William Berger), using the money his father gave to him. Bill seeks revenge against the sadistic leader of the Comancheros James Elfego (Tatsuya Nakadai), who killed his Indian wife Mirana Kiowa (Diana Madigan) and framed Bill that was sent to prison.

"Oggi a me... domani a te!" is an entertaining western with a story of revenge written by Dario Argento and the director Tonino Cervi. The poor DVD released in Brazil by Diafilme Distributor has many mistakes in the cover: the name of Dario Argento is highlighted as actor in the front cover; the synopsis is totally wrong; and the name of the director is also wrong (Giulio Petroni, instead of Tonino Cervi). Further, the DVD does not have the original audio in Italian, but only dubbed in Portuguese and in English without subtitles. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Mato Hoje, Morro Amanhã" ("Kill Today, Die Tomorrow")