Le Grand Duel

The Grand Duel is one of the most under-rated Spaghetti Westerns ever made. Van Cleef returns as the Man in Black and he is at the top of his game. Good action scenes and a great sound track by Luis Enriquez Bacalov under the name Sergio Bardotti. Beware of the cut version under the title Storm Rider.

The post above that states that this film was shot in English is only partially correct. Each of the characters spoke their own language, and the script was available in quite a few. How do I know -- I am the deputy who goes up to the stagecoach and gets used as Lee van Cleef's coat rack. Lee and Jess did speak English, but the people in the stagecoach spoke mostly Italian. The bounty hunters spoke a multitude of languages, one even spoke Serbo Croatian. Do not know about the speaking any of the cast after the stage left Gila Bend, that was the only part I saw. I was a young Army Officer in Italy and had the opportunity (along with one of my NCOs -- Bill on the rack with the Gila Bend sign) to play the role of the deputies in the beginning of the film. It was an opportunity I will always remember. Lee was a true gentleman, Jess was a hoot, and Lee's stuntman/double, X Brand (Pahoo in the Series Yancy Derringer) was an extremely nice person. I will always remember being in this great film

Horst Frank witnesses Horst Frank being shot while hiding in a box. A George Harrison lookalike leaps over an entire building while shooting bounty hunters. A pox ridden gay guy guns down dozens of innocent people. What's going on? Lee Van Cleef knows, but he isn't answering any questions…at all!

Horst is the crooked mayor of Saxon City since his father (also Horst Frank) was probably, but possibly not, gunned down by George Harrison. Horst's brother is the ultra-camp murderer cleaning up loose ends and making sure the family get all the silver that George Harrison's deceased father found in the hills. Lee Van Cleef is the has-been sheriff who is out to clear George Harrison's name, indulge in a bit of banter, be as vague as humanly possible about every question he's asked, and plug him a few bad guys into the bargain.

It's a run of the mill plot that still entertains due to a full on pace, loads of interesting characters, and of course a duel at the end. Good sets in this one too (especially the riverside tavern) which is something I don't say much as usually it's the same set you see over and over and over again. If you're quick you'll spot that ugly bastard that played the Beast in the reprehensible The Beast In Heat.

I guess there's a little influence of the gialli here as the you've got the mystery of who killed Horst Frank's father Horst Frank. I'm just glad they didn't try to turn the "Lee Van Cleef partnering up with a young guy" plot and turn it into a comedy.

The best English version on DVD is the Wild East release. The Italian print has been released on Japanese DVD by Imagica. Contentwise, these versions appear identical. Both run 90 minutes, give or take a few seconds, attributable to print damage and abrupt reel changes. The 'bloody hand print' shot present in the US trailer is missing from both versions. Presumably, the director or producers felt it was too hokey. Given the bloody gunfights, it's unlikely the shot was cut for being too gory. The film was shot in English - albeit without direct sound - making this the preferred audio choice. While Lee Van Cleef and Jess Hahn dubbed themselves, the rest of the cast have the usual 'spaghetti' dubbing, with some English accents thrown in. The Wild East DVD is taken from a faded, battered print, with plenty of dirt and scratches. Curiously, the credits are in Italian, apart from the awkwardly inserted title card. The Imagica DVD has superior picture quality, despite some heavy print damage early on. The image is sharper, the colours stronger. Question: what's the shoe-banging scene all about?

It could be said that The Grand Dual is merely a vehicle for its lead star, and whoever said it wouldn't necessarily be wrong; but while this film doesn't feature a lot of originality, it's also true that Italian cinema was based on repeating itself, and the film definitely succeeds in providing an enjoyable slice of western action. The script was penned by Giallo supremo Ernesto Gastaldi (The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh, The Case of the Bloody Iris), and that's not surprising as there are shades of Giallo throughout, and the film works both as both as a violent action flick and an intriguing mystery film. The plot focuses on Sheriff Clayton as he becomes involved in the murder of a man so-called 'The Patriarch' through his association with the sly Philipp Wermeer. The film follows the pair as they make their way through bandits and bounty hunters and eventually end up in Saxon town, where the sons of the Patriarch live. They've fingered Wermeer as the murderer of their father, and naturally want him hanged; but there's a twist to the identity of the murderer.

Lee Van Cleef made his name with Sergio Leone and the masterpiece westerns 'For a Few Dollars More' and, of course, 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'. This film is nowhere near the quality of those two, but Van Cleef does well in his 'man in black role', which is a variation on the common western 'loner' theme, which was made famous by the likes of Clint Eastwood and Django. Van Cleef's presence is felt throughout, and he continually makes every scene his own. As you might expect, the rest of the cast don't live up to the central star; but even so, The Grand Dual features a good ensemble cast, and Peter O'Brien does especially well in his central role. The film features a lot of shootouts and chases on horseback, which are always good to see; but at times, The Grand Dual puts too much focus on entertainment value and this can mean that the plot suffers. Even so, the story plays out well; and the final twist is a real standout, as even though it's pretty obvious throughout - Gastaldi manages to throw in a twist just before it, which makes the final twist come as a surprise. Overall, this film isn't one of the great Spaghetti westerns - but it's a good one and comes recommended.