Peu de secondes pour dire amen

Yep, terror masks. That's what they handed out to US audiences as a gimmick, when this ULTRA violent Espano Western hit their shores in 1970 or there abouts.

This very good movie is about a bunch of sadistic convicts being transported to a penitentiary. They get ambushed and their carriage is destroyed in the event. They then take off on foot, with a rather angry Sargeant and his daughter having to guard this evil chain-gang on the journey.

I won't say much more than this:

Gore hounds and western fans, find this movie! It is supremely violent and makes Peckinpahs "Wild Bunch" seem quite tame in comparison. All others get your Terror Masks ready!!!

Good Gazpacho Western well realized by the best Paella Western director , Joaquin Romero Marchent , under pseudonym Paul Marchenti . Typical S. W. with itinerary's structure in which step by step are dying various cutthroats . Since a gold mine until Fort Green , a wagon load of convicts formed by an assortment of seven sadistic , murderous prisoners (Manuel Tejada , Antonio Iranzo, Ricardo Diaz , Alberto Dalbes , Rafael Hernandez , Jose Manuel Martin and Carlos Romero Marchent , director's brother) condemned to death row on their way to jail is being escorted through the mountains by a cavalry sergeant (Robert Hundar) and troopers . But it results to be a trick to deceive some bandits who attempt to rob the wagon . They then are attacked by a nefarious gang led by Woody (Xan Das Bolas) along with his hoodlums (Dan Van Husen) , and only survive 7 convicts and the sergeant , his beautiful young daughter named Kathy (Emma Cohen) whose wife (Mabel Karr) and mother has been killed by one of them . The survivors are left without horses or a wagon and the chained gang flees throughout snowy and dangerous landscapes . The sergeant must find a way to get his prisoners to their destination while protecting his daughter , watching out for the still chasing outlaws and attempting to determine which one of the cutthroats was the man who raped and killed his spouse.

This exciting picture contains thrills , chills , good dramatic pace , slick direction , graphic violence , action-filled with fierce fights and loads of gore and guts . Director Marchent achieved in "Nine cutthroats" possibly his best work of a modest career , with some memorable scenes , shockingly violent ,and good camera movement , as he creates a strange Western that manages to be both scary , tragic and skilfully made . This in a 1972 Spanish Western whose brutality and gore quotient led it to be marketed as a horror film during its original U. S. release with "terror masks" given out to ticket buyers . It turns out to be a rare spaghetti Western , as you can bone up on the bloodier side of that genre ; including rape , bloody killing , cannibalism , nightmares with zombie-alike and many other things . It relies heavily on a complex narrative , modern narration full of flashbacks , stop-frames and an uneven screenplay written by both , Santiago Moncada and the same director Joaqin Romero Marchent . The creepy images of wide range from the genuinely horrifying to the bizarre along with eerie and amazing frames . It packs a high body-count , it is sometimes slow moving and claustrophobic , in spite of setting on outdoors . It's a thrilling western with spectacular scenarios and breathtaking confrontation among protagonists . This interesting but depressing film contains nasty characters , ambition , human drama , passion , tragical events , complemented with a colorful cinematography and moving musical score . These elements provide the setting for this piece of dramatic deeds , giving it its own special quality and ambient ; making a strong description about a drama of survival and greedy . The musician Carmelo Bernaola composes a nice soundtrack , well conducted , this turns out to be one of the most memorable parts of the movie; as it's full of thrilling sounds and haunting musical background . Nice cinematography , though being necessary a right remastering , photography in Panoramic and Eastmancolor filmed by excellent cameraman Luis Cuadrado on locations in Spanish Pyrenees from Huesca , including gorgeous snowy outdoors ; good sets by Cubero and Jose Luis Galicia who carried out most production design on Western shot in Spain.

The motion picture was compellingly directed and in personal style by Joaquin Luis Romero Marchent at his best . He began directing two films for producer Ignacio F. Iquino such as ¨Juzgado Permanente¨ and ¨Sor Anqelica¨ . Marchent replaced Mexican director Fernando Soler filming ¨El Coyote¨ and the sequel titled ¨Revenge of Coyote¨ , both of them shot in Mexico . These successes along with ¨The shadow of Zorro¨ and ¨Revenge of Zorro¨ became a notorious writer and director of good Western . He went go directing Paella Western as ¨ Riding to death ¨ , ¨Adventures in the West¨ , ¨Three good men¨, ¨Sabor Venganza ¨ , ¨Fedra West¨ and of course ¨Condenados a Vivir¨ . Plus , he wrote for his brother Rafael Romero Marchent the followings Western : ¨Manos Torpes¨, ¨Ocaso Un Pistolero¨ and ¨Garringo¨ . Although he also made Neo-realist comedy such as ¨Fulano Y Mengano¨ , Hombre Viajaba Despacito , and ¨Hombre De Paraguas Blanco¨. ¨9 Cutthroats¨ rating : Better than average , this is his most popular and violent Western . Worthwhile watching .

It's interesting how sometimes a director will make many movies throughout their career but only one will get noticed. Having looked at Joaquin Marchent's filmography it seems like most of his movies haven't been watched by many people on IMDb. I haven't seen any of his other movies either and probably never will but I enjoyed Cut Throats Nine a lot. The reputation that it has garnered is most likely due to it being probably the most violent and gruesome euro-western made at a time when a lot of them were getting made. But I would argue that the gore wasn't what makes the movie great and that it was a bit excessive. I'm not bothered by such things and it looks rather fake anyway but the insistence of adding gore by the producers cheapens the movie a bit. Then again maybe without it the movie wouldn't have developed a cult following and I would've never seen it.

What makes this movie special is just how dark it is. It's a snowy western just like The Great Silence but it's even more nihilistic than that movie was. Every character in Cut-Throats Nine apart from the lieutenant and his daughter is deplorable. You don't want any of them to survive yet they are the characters we as viewers follow for the whole movie. I find such movies fascinating but I can understand why some can't connect with them. On top of that, the soundtrack is very ominous and the atmosphere is top-notch. Everything adds up into making the film feel absolutely bleak and with no hope in sight. It's a great example of a euro-western that takes the genre and adds a few things on top to make it more interesting. In this case it's making it a survival movie with despicable characters. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes euro-westerns or hopeless cinema watches it even if they don't like gore as it's a very interesting and incredibly atmospheric western.

By 1972, the spaghetti western was already past its hay day and was looking for different ways, styles and themes to push the envelope. Cut-Throats Nine belongs to that small variety that brought horror sensibilities to the genre (like Sartana, Django the Bastard and others) but it also took it one step further. Whereas other westerns were content to be dark and brooding in an atmospheric kind of way, Cut-Throats is as violent and graphic as any Italian horror movie from the 70's.

The plot is minimal but quite good. For better or for worse, the director doesn't go for the psychological angle between captor and captives like Anthony Mann's The Naked Spur did, but instead focuses on the violence and nihilism that is the logical conclusion when nine ugly, dangerous criminals chained to each other are transported through the barren, desolate terrain to a nearby fort.

On the western front, Cut-Throats is as bleak and unforgiving as the gritty works of Sergio Corbucci minus the finesse and style of that great cinematician. The feeling is there though. The snowy, rocky landscape, the nihilistic, unredeemable characters, the grit and the violence. There are no heroes and cowboys with white hats here. If John Wayne were to set foot in the western universe Cut-Throats portrays, he would sooner pack his things and find a new hobby like sewing. Much like Hitchcock's Psycho, the person closer to what we could identify as the "hero" is burnt to a crisp 30 minutes in. That's where the movie ultimately succeeds. By being deprived of all certainty, you're left hanging there in the snow with a bunch of ugly cut-throats. Speaking of cutting throats, there's more: people get stabbed, intestines pour out, others are burnt alive, beaten mercilessly, nailed to hooks, get their brains blown out, corpses are burnt, legs are cut off. And with all the same graphic detail one would expect from a gruesome Italian horror from the likes of Fulci or Lenzi. Coupled with the general take-no-prisoners, mean-spirited air that permeates every minute, Cut-Throats is more likely to appeal to exploitation fans than the traditional western crowd.

Dunno what the last reviewer was on, but this bleak movie was rather good, although very grim and quite gory in places. A neat ending which suited the tone of the rest of the film. Emma Cohen was good in the sole female role, and convincing enough to be scared and unsure of the all male cast. The snowy settings were a good addition, although I agree that the music was too repetitive, and the dubbing unconvincing. But as a macho western, this flick sure kicks arse!....quite disturbing in places. A sort of 'And Then There Were None' for grown ups! The type of movie that would not get made today, and a great addition to any exploitation collectors collection.