Kid Vengeance

Seek this one out if you are looking for a different kind of Lee Van Cleef "spaghetti-type western". Definitely on a par with his lesser westerns like "Death Rides a Horse", but inferior to "The Big Gundown", this revenge story has quite a few unusual aspects. The surviving massacred family member is a young boy, who proves quite resourceful in his vendetta against Van Cleef and his gang. Lee is definitely not a sympathetic character, and his evil presence is perhaps only surpassed by "Angel Eyes" in "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". The quality of the DVD is inferior, with the sound badly out of sync. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this unique "pseudo-spaghetti western". - MERK

Leif Garrett did this film a year after God's Gun (aka Diamante Lobo). In the previous film, Garrett was quite good in a challenging (for several reasons) role, but his performance felt a bit tentative (also for several reasons). In this film, just one year later and for the same infamous producers, he was confident, sure-footed and turned in a very fine performance. The film was his to carry, and he did so quite well. Garrett was one of Hollywood's most promising young actors at the time, when too many child actors were, at best, barely adequate. True, it was a low budget, cranked out film, but Leif was a class act. Lee Van Cleef had played similar roles before - many times. He could have phoned this one in, and sometimes it looked as though he did. Jim Brown, following up a legendary professional football career with a number of turns as a film actor, handled his assignment competently. The only other actors with anything significant to do were Glynnis O'Connor, who sometimes overacted and wasn't as good as in some of her later roles; John Marley, good as always in the sort of role he has played many times; and David Menachem, an Israeli child actor who did several other American films but somehow didn't catch on. He should have; he was quite good. The production values were much better than God's Gun. The script was much more coherent, the dialogue more speakable, the direction more fluid. At least part of it was shot in New Mexico (the rest in Israel). Being in the US meant that the production was controlled by a SAG contract, always an advantage. Kid Vengeance (also available at one time or another under several other titles: Vengeance, Vendetta, Take Another Hard Ride) gave Garrett the chance to launch a serious career as an actor. He demonstrated that he was up to the challenge. But then the music producers came along. Too bad.

I have to grit my teeth (grit-grit) when I read the putdown of this movie. Sure, it is another vengeance adventure and, sure, there are goings-on that have gone on before, but the sum total is - it is some picture, and I mean that in a positive way.

The opening scene with the Easter bunny - well, I saw this on Maundy Thursday - was too realistic, as was the rape of the mother, viewed by the audience at a distance, but by her son as a close-up. He also witnessed the killing of his father, a combination that demanded, yes, demanded, retribution.

Said youngster was ex-heartthrob Leif Garrett who was excellent in a role that put him on screen most of the time. Lee Van Cleef was on the screen for a short period of time and was his usual brooding s.o.b. self. He was an expert.

His gang of heartless bad guys, and there was a gang of them, were, as they were supposed to be, totally obnoxious.

The other star, of course, was ex-footballer, Jim Brown (no stranger to westerns) doing a very fine job as the mad, brooding hero of the piece.

"Kid Vengeance" - no kidding - is a western - an Israeli western yet -- oy vay - that will keep your attention from beginning to end. Don't - er - passover (yuk-yuk) this one. And, fie (ancient Roman for foo, or fooey) to those who dismiss this item.

Young Leif Garrett watches helplessly while his parents are murdered and his sister taken by a savage band of grimy cutthroats led by Van Cleef, who looks like a hippie with full facial growth, earring, long hair, and headband (probably holding the hair extensions in place), and Robert Morley. (best remembered for waking up next to a horse head in The Godfather)

Garrett tracks the bandits and begins to slay them one by one before teaming up with gold miner Jim Brown to finish them off.

Not a spaghetti western, this was an Isreali production made in Isreal by Golan-Globus, who did a better job (Van Cleef too) with God's Gun.

Most people agree that Lee Van Cleef's career in westerns ended with a whimper, but I thought it was okay. Too bad that in the following twelve years nobody got him back in the saddle with a six-shooter. It would have been great having seen Lee Van Cleef on a horse in the action packed eighties.

After witnessing the savage massacre of his family , a boy (Leif Garret) sets out a personal vendetta and rescue his sister (Glynnis O'Connor) against an outlaw band ( Lee Van Cleef, John Marley , among others ) . He carries the revenge in his heart after seeing his family butchered . Former rules of the code of west are dated and nowadays is guided for revenge . He embarks on his vengeance and during his quest teams up with a prospector (Jim Brown ) who has been robbed by the nasties . Together form an alliance going after those who murdered his parents and trying to retrieve the money the bandits robbed him . They are a dynamic duo combining untamed youth and toughness . They travel the southwestern territories and cross paths concerning similar foes they hunt .

This average Western/revenge flick is plenty of violence , shootouts and packs loads of action though the director is uninspired and the final is pretty predictable . This mediocre Western vengeance tale is set with Francesco De Massi's good musical score . Features an appearance by stalwart Spaghetti Western Lee Van Cleef as an ugly , brutal, dirty and downright villain with big earring.

James Brown as two fisted hero is fine , he starred four Westerns in similar style , three of them along with Van Cleef ( exception is ¨100 rifles¨ ) , they are : ¨Take a hard ride¨ ( directed by Antonio Margheritti ), ¨The Condor¨ ( by John Guillermin ) and ¨Kid Vengeance¨ . Leif Garret as obstinate and impetuous young is nice , he starred two Westerns both of them with Van Cleef , thus was with ¨ A bullet from God ¨ ( by Frank Kramer or Gianfranco Parolini ) and this one .The motion picture is regularly directed by Joseph Manduke .