6 pallottole per 6 carogne

Veteran Hollywood hand Robert D. Webb concluded his career as director of this remake of 'Yellow Sky' that transposed the action to South Africa.

As in the original the wailing of the wind adds a bleak atmosphere to the action. Local colour is supplied by the sound of kookaburras and African drums on the soundtracks with occasional lapses into crass comical nudges.

Most of the supporting cast appear to be afrikaners dubbed with American voices; but as you would expect the most interesting piece of casting is Vincent Price as gun toting young heroine Diana Iverson's gutsy old prospector grandpa.

In rugged South Africa, scavengers arrive from a US-styled western. The group's laconic leader is tall Robert Gunner (as Roger "Stretch" Hawkins). Mr. Gunner has a great name for westerns. He and his men find local blonde Diana Ivarson (as Wilhemina "Willie" Decker) attractive. She has a natural sway in her hips. Gunner kisses Ms. Ivarson roughly and you know they are falling in love. Her grandfather is prospector Vincent Price (as Oupa Decker). He is amusing. This is an anachronistic and unnecessary re-make of "Yellow Sky" (1948), which was an adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" (1623).

*** The Jackals (11/67) Robert D. Webb ~ Robert Gunner, Diana Ivarson, Vincent Price, Patrick Mynhardt

In what is probably the only entry in the category of 'voortrekker' westerns, Vincent Price plays a gold miner whose haul is the target of five bank robbers. Love interest is provided by the oddly effective Diana Ivarson (who apparently never made another film) as Price's granddaughter. It's all enjoyable if somewhat disconcerting due to the British and Afrikaaner accents of the leading players who are also decked out in typical 'western' garb. A fun diversion.

"Yellow Sky" (1948) was one of the better American westerns of its era. It was also one of Gregory Peck's better starring roles. So, it's a tall order to try to remake the picture, though "The Jackals" does a better job than I expected--especially since it mostly stars folks you probably won't recognize. Aside from Vincent Price (who should not have been listed first in the billing), the rest are actors we probably wouldn't recognize here in the States.

The film begins with seven crooks robbing the bank in the style of the old west--though of course it's South Africa. One is killed in the process and the others beat it across the desert--most likely to die of thirst. However, when they've given up all hope, they happen upon a ghost town that is populated by an old man (Price) and his pretty daughter. These two are not friendly towards the crooks though they do help them find water. Before leaving this little oasis, however, the crooks realize that there MUST be something keeping these two here--and that something is gold. Much of the rest of the film consists of a game of cat and mouse and unless something rather miraculous happens, the granddaughter and grandpa are doomed.

The best thing about "The Jackals" is that instead of setting the film in the same locale as the original, this time it's South Africa. Considering that they, too, had gold fever and there are potentially dangerous natives, it works well. The second best thing is the acting. Very competent and well done all around. Of course, I'd recommend the original first--but this little South African/Australian production has every reason to be proud of this effort--even if the accents were all wrong!

Although "The Jackals" is set in South Africa during the gold rush era, what will really strike viewers is how American most of it feels. The locations resemble American deserts, and the story and characters feel right out of an American cowboy movie. Only the occasional view of wildlife and native people break the illusion this is an American western. Anyway, I though the movie was a disappointment. It's cheap- looking at times, very slow, and directed in a style that severely lacks passion of some kind during key moments (like action sequences). Vincent Price gives a hammy performance, though his scenes all the same give some life to the movie. There is also a bizarre musical score that sounds WAY out of place for this type of movie. I would only recommend the movie for viewers who are really curious about what a western made by South Africans would look like, and even they might be squirming in their seats at times.