La balade de Johnny Ringo

WHO KILLED JOHNNY RINGO? is a Spanish spaghetti western somewhat bizarrely filmed in Germany, hence the presence of popular star Lex Barker who was a huge hit in Germany at the time with his Winnetou series of German westerns. Despite the western setting and the gun-toting action, this doesn't have many of the tropes or indeed the feel of a typical western; at some times it's more of a mystery story with a whodunit aspect to the narrative.

Mistaken and double identities are the main themes here. What's arresting about the film is that it opens with a massive huge action spectacle in which a building is burnt down and a number of characters killed. It then slows down for the rest of the running time, only to pick up at the climax. Barker is an acceptable presence but Marianna Koch is the real scene-stealer. I notice that the film was retitled WHO KILLED JOHNNY R? in some territories, perhaps to avoid confusion with the same year's KILL JOHNNY RINGO, an Italian western. Ringo was a real-life character, as it happens.

A middling Spanish / German coproduction shot in Spain. As a result of a fight between lawmen and the henchmen of the famous gunfighter Johnny Ringo , the wife and children of an upright captain named Jason Conroy (Sieghard Rupp) die at a house firing . Although Ringo is allegedly dead and buried at Tombstone graveyard , Conroy thinks he is alive and he sets out in chase to find him . Conroy hires Sam Dobie (Lex Barker) to track him down . As Sam takes a job under orders a beautiful gunsmith owner, ( Barbara Bold) , with whom he falls in love . Later on , Sam contracts a fast-draw gunman called Clyde (Joachim Fuchsberger) to demostrate his well-made and rapid arms . Both of whom along with a Saloon Singer (Raf Wolter who along with Barker played various Winnetou films) . Clyde is such expert shooter that townsfolk believe he is the legendary Ringo who carried out a getaway from the fire presumed to have killed him. Only Ringo's sweetheart Bea Border (Mariano Koch) knows who is the actual Johnny .

Simple , plain and light Chorizo Western with thrills, action , murder mystery, plot twists and a brief intigue behind . It follows American models rather than Spaghetti Western style. It is plenty of German actors such as Maríanne Koch , Raf Wolter, Sieghard Rupp and Barbara Bold. Stars the American Lex Barker who at the time he had a big success with Winnetou series along with Pierre Brice in titles as Apache Fury and Tresure of the Sílver lake . Barker had a role that brought him fame and fortune , Tarzan, in titles as Tarzan and the magic fountain and Tarzan and the slave girl . He emigrated Europe where played several Westerns , thrillers , terror and adventure movies such as Robin Hood and th pirates , Il figlio del corsaro rosso , Captain Fuoco , Il pirate Della costa, , knight of 1oo faces , The yellow one and many others .Being a low budget German , Spanish coproduction in which director José Luis Madrid shows his limited skills on filmmaking , as he was an average artisan, in fact , this is one of the worst westerns he directed along with Tomb of Desperate , The revenge of Clint Harrison and 7 Jackals starred by Anthony Steffen Gianni Garco . It packs numerous German actors and other nations , including brief interventions from Spanish secondaries as Carlos Otero , Antonio Jimenez Escribano, Cesar Ojinaga, and Gaspar Indio Gonzalez.

Evocative cinematography by Julio Perez Rozas , though a perfect remastering being extremely necessary because of the film copy is worn-out . Shot on Spanish locations from Fraga , Huesca, Calatayud , ESplugues de Llobregrat and Alfonso Balcazar studios . Lively and agreeable musical score in American style by Federico Martínez Tudo. Produced by the powerful producer Arthur Brauner with whom Jose Luis Madrid made a lot of uncredited films . Most of them were Krimis , a subgenre very popular in Germany .The motion picture was middlingly directed by Jose Luis Madrid. He was a craftsman who directed all kinds of genres. As he made Españoladas as : Lucecita or Strip-tease a la Inglesa ; Eurospy movies as : Chineses and minishorts, Ok Yetvtushenko ; Crime movie as The Hyena , and for the famous Spanish Werewolf ,Paul Naschy , directed 2 movies : Jack Ripper of London and Crimes of Petiot and political/historical films as : Memorias del General Escobar and Command Txiquia about the assassination of President Carrero Blanco . Throughout his long career he also showed a sense of opportunism with sensationalistic productions such as : The motorway Vampiresa , about a real killer and Last Tango in Madrid , here badly imitating Bertolucci's last tango in Paris