Tre croci per non morire

A young man is sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. After all legal attempts failed, his desperate father hires three random criminals to investigate the case and find the real culprit. The carrot thief Paco (Peter White), the killer Reno (Ken Wood) and the shady 'Casanova' Jerry (Craig Hill) try for the first time in their life to do a good deed - but only, because there is a reward of 30,000 dollars.

Yet another low budget western among many of the late 1960s wave of Italian westerns, but with a rather original story (director Sergio Garrone aka Willy S Regan wrote the script himself) that does not feel like we've seen it before, it's OK to watch.

Craig Hill, Giovanni Cianfriglia, and Franco Cobianchi are sitting in jail in a small town. There's also Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia. He's scheduled to be hanged. However, the first three are promised $30,000 if they can bring in evidence to save Scratuglia, and mysteriously released. Off they go in search of evidence. What has Ida Galli got to do with it, and likewise, Jean Louis.

It didn't take long for spaghetti westerns to fall into tropes, both classical western tropes, as well the new ones of the subgenre. Here everyone wears ragged but clean clothes, and all the men are perfectly coifed. Still, there are a couple of shots that make this interesting, like the gunfights towards the end. But it sure takes a long time to get to them.

This Pasta flick titled ¨Three crosses of death¨ results to be a nice Spaghetti Western with three brave heroes , Graig Hill , Ken Wood or Giovanni Cianfriglia , Peter While or Franco Cobianchi, confronting a nasty villain and his hoodlums. "Tre croci per non morire(1968)" is a low-budgeted movie professional and decently made by Sergio Garrone . The saintly roving gunslinger Jerry, the killer Reno and fatty Paco are in a jail , imprisoned by various crimes , where they meet a young Mexican man who claims he has been convicted for a murder he hasn't committed. Mysteriously, the three men are released of prison and are assigned a risked trek . The peculiar trio joining forces to proceed to prove the Mexican man's innocence . All of them arrive to establish law and order against a ruthless owner and a lawyer ; along the way they rescue an attractive Mexican girl : Evelyn Stewart from the group's vile clutches . As they unite to terminate a reign of terror carried out by a brutal band of criminals and attempting to free a wrongly condemned young who has been wrongly framed of murder . And adding a valuable prize, that's why there is a reward of 30,000 dollars.

This acceptable Ravioli Western packs thrills , go riding , noisy action , brawls , crossfire , romance , crosses , double-crosses and drags at times , balancing ups and downs . The plot summary is plain and simple : three outlaws are hired to carry out a dangerous mission in order to prove innocence of a convict and along the way Craig Hill fall for the beautiful lady in distress : Evelyn Stewart . The notorious Spaghetti/Paella actor , Craig Hill is fine in his usual tough role , here playing a relentless , two-fisted gunfighter . His role is well performed , he plays as a wry , and sympathetic veteran who seeks justice , money and vendetta , an ordinary plot in Spaghetti/Paella Western . Craig Hill played a lot of Spaghetti , his first Western was ¨Hands of a Gunfighter" or ¨Ocaso de un Pistolero¨ , he went on playing : "Seven Pistols for a Massacre" , "Rick and John¨ , ¨Conquerors of the West¨ , ¨Bounty hunter¨ , "I Want Him Dead" , "Fifteen Scaffolds for the Killer" , "Three Crosses of Death" , ¨Bury Them Deep¨ , and "I want him dead¨ at his best. The movie has the customary Spaghetti characters , as the violent facing , greedy antiheroes , bloody and spectacular showdowns , quick zooms , extreme baddies but being wretchedly directed in some scenes . It packs an enjoyable and attractive musical score by Mancuso and Vasco in Morricone/spaghetti style . And an atmospheric cinematography in Eastmancolor by Sergio Mancori , though a perfect remastering is really necessary , being shot in Elios studios and El Lazio Rome .

This lowbrow motion picture "ITre croci per non morire (1968)" was professionally filmed by Sergio Garrone with lots of zooms and well paced including intrigue and emotion enough. Sergio's direction is nicely crafted , here he is more inclined toward violence and packs some thrills and action , but especially this exciting Western contains moving shoot'em ups , betrayals , and high body-count . Sergio serves as a classic example of a journeyman Italian exploitation filmmaker and freelance screenwriter . As Garrone penned a great number of screenplays and lack-luster films , working from the 60s in all kind of genres and B movies . He directed this embarrassing western , genre in which he would not only excel but one where he would spent much of the rest of his career . Sergio went on to helm several other spaghetti Westerns , many of them Spanish co-productions, that include Tre Croci Per Non Morire (1968) , Quel Maledetto Giorno Della Resa Dei Conti (1971) , Deguello (1966) also starred by Jack Stuart , Huracan Sobre Mexico (1967) and his greatest notoriety was the peculiar outing : Django il Bastardo (1969) . In 1974 Garrone directed the horror features as Le Amanti del Mostro (1974) and La mano Che Nutre la Morte (1974) , both of which performed Klaus Kinski . He made and wrote for everything from inferior sex comedies as La Clinica Dell'Amore (1976) , El Periscopio (1979) by José Ramón Larraz , to even Giallo , mystery thrillers such as : L'ultimo harem , La Pagella , Blonde Köder Kür den Mörder (1969) or Killer's Gold . Later on , Sergio Garrone directed nasty Naziexploitation or Porno-Nazis as Lager SSadis Kastrat Kommandantur (1976) and SS Lager 5: L'inferno Delle Donne (1977). And after writing the violent/erotic WIPs (women-in-prison) : Hell Behind the Bars (1984) and Detenute Violente (1984).