Jessi's Gun - la banda delle donne maledette

Jessi's Girl is a Western form the 1970s. It would be asinine to expect too much from this obscure movie. I describe it as much because I've never heard of it; not because it was bad. Overall, the story was compelling, with a few plot twist to keep you intrigued. The character development isn't drawn out and acting was solid for a 70s western. They made sure that the audience sympathized with the protagonist. As the story builds, you naturally root for her and plot for revenge. I highly recommend this movie. It's pretty good if you keep your expectations in a realistic place. Great way to spend Sunday morning.

I've been plowing through the Al Adamson blu ray set, and I just finished Jessi's Girls. I'm really picky about westerns, but this one wasn't too bad, if you love cheesy and low budget movies. I'm a sucker for revenge movies, especially women getting revenge on men who attacked them.

The movie is about Jessica Hartwell. She and her husband are a nice religious couple passing through, until they run into a gang of outlaws. Jessi is attacked and raped, and left for dead. Her husband is killed. Jessi runs into an old hermit named Rufe who has a terribly fake and cheap beard and helps teaches her how to shoot.

She goes off in search of the outlaws to get her revenge. Along the way, she meets some lady criminals and they team up and help her dish out her own brand of justice. If you like revenge and western movies, you might like JESSI'S GIRLS!!!

Al Adamson could have pushed the boat out with this and made a really good movie because it has a lot of potential. Sondra Currie is excellent as a woman bent of revenge after being raped by a group of marauding outlaws who also slaughtered her husband. She meets up with Rod Cameron who shows her how to shoot and gives her tips on how to deal with the murderers once she finds them. Rod Cameron is really great in this part, grizzled and authentic despite being saddled with a ridiculous false beard. There is a definite chemistry between these two players and their story should have been developed. As it is, Sondra wonders off to rescue three women convicts from imprisonment and tracks down the outlaws with their help and dispenses her own brand of justice. The final showdown is excellent with some great stunt work but the final twist is just a little unbelievable. A little more work on the script could have made this Adamson's best film but, well considering the rest of his output, this is as good as it gets.

This "Western" is one of the cheapest movies I have ever seen. Highpoint of this otherwise absolutely dreary film is without question the appearance of former western-moviestar Rod Cameron, equiped with an unbelievable, grey St.Nicholas feltbeard. This scene is a true screamer. The rest is pure tedium with a few harmless sex scenes and some violence. The music only heightens the torture, because it seems that the composer came up with only one melody which is used to the point of exhaustion. After this film, you are ready for the sanitarium.

Like another reviewer said, this is one of Al Adamson's lesser known films. It was likely not as financially successful as his horror films. Yet, it's very well done. The script spends more time on character development, and the film has a less frantic pace than most of Adamson's horror films. Sondra Currie is outstanding in the lead role, and Regina Carroll is great in a strong, supporting part. This was likely a passion project for Adamson, as the western genre was said to be his favorite. Check out this film.