Cain's Cutthroats

Yes. There are some Westerns out there that I find so bad that (hey!) they're actually good.

And then, there are other Westerns out there (just like Cain's Cut-Throats, in fact) that I find so bad that (p.u.!) they stink like a freshly dumped load of pure you-know-what.

This ugly, cheap, grubby Cowboy tale (from 1971), about rape, revenge and religious hypocrisy, certainly scraped the absolute bottom of the barrel when it came to its cheesy story, its z-grade production values, and its pathetic performances by one and all of its cast members.

Cain's Cut-Throats was such lousy Western junk that it had this viewer literally hating all of its characters with an angry passion, regardless of what side of the law that they were supposed to be riding on.

Of course, as a means of spicing up the story and attempting to appeal to all of the hot-blooded males in the audience, Cain's Cut-Throats underhandedly inserted some gratuitous female nudity into a number of key scenes. But this film's story was just too cruel-minded and sadistic in nature for a pair of ripe boobs to make any difference, one way or the other.

In a nutshell - DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS RUBBISH!

Good revenge Western with Scott Brady on the hunt for the 6 men who killed his wife and son, and burned his home, shot him and left him for dead. Thing is that they used to be Confederate soldiers under his command. They are now thieves, killers and they want to be mercenaries, but he refuses to lead them, for good reason, and that turns them against him, plus they're not happy that he has a black wife.

After they take off, he's saved from death by John Carradine as a self-ordained minister who's also a "Dead or Alive" bounty hunter who, rather than bring in a whole body, only brings in the head, to collect the bounty, keeping them pickled in a barrel. Grisly yet humorous.

Brady shows no hesitation in slaughtering the renegades, and why should he? They killed his wife and son with no remorse. Even in situations when he could let some of them them live, he won't. He's so intent that eventually the bounty hunter even questions his motives. Regardless, we root for him to succeed. Plenty of good gunshot violence and shoot-out scenes.

The renegades are certainly a group of morons and imbeciles, and the smart Brady is more than they can handle. This is a public domain title that isn't too hard to find, and well worth it

Cain's Cutthroats is a fast paced and violent western worth seeking out. It is the story of an ex-Confederate army captain named Justiss Cain who is one day visited by his ex-gang of thieves and killers who served with him during the Civil War. The gang has hopes of Cain joining them in order to "give it to those blue belly yankees." When Cain (who has changed for the better since the war) refuses, it leads to a fight which ends with his family being killed and him being left for dead. Once Cain is nursed back to health by a preacher/bounty hunter passing by, the hunt is on for the gang. For Cain it is revenge he seeks. For the preacher, it is the reward money to be gained!

The performances by the cast are fine. The actors playing the gang do a very good job of making the audience root against them. John Carradine is probably the most memorable as the preacher. He is funny, witty and at times very crazy! The action scenes, although well handled, are a bit excessive due to some very bloody exit gunshot wounds. As for the ending, although satisfying and just, I found it too abrupt. Fans of rare westerns will want to seek out this little known oddity and also the Barry Shear film, The Deadly Trackers; which Cain's Cutthroats reminded me of. Happy Hunting!!

Director Ken Osborne brings us a real rough western which probably could not be made today with so many racial pejoratives. If is the murder revenge formula with some terribly graphic scenes that made me uncomfortable which may have been the Directors point. A solid "not too far over the top performance" by John Carradine as the (Preacher) and an excellent job turned in by Bob Dix as the leader of the bad guys.(Amison). Everybody else is OK with Director Osborn at times attempting a little humor and a couple of nude scenes, thank you ladies, to break up the bleakness of the film. That being said I would still recommend it for guys who don't mind graphic violence and a dark hunger for revenge by the leading man (Scott Brady) as Cain. If you decide to watch - it is best viewed before a shower as you will need one after watching.