Killer Kid

KILLER KID is a well shot but rather dull spaghetti western, with a muddled storyline that doesn't really go anywhere and action scenes which, while passing the time, don't really amount to much. The story as a whole feels more than a little repetitive and disjointed.

Genre regular Anthony Steffen plays an outlaw who's being hunted by cruel and vindictive American soldiers eager to thwart a group of Mexican revolutionaries. Steffen is suspected of colluding with the enemy, but his actual persona is more complex and he becomes involved in a murky narrative involving the gung-ho rebels, beautiful women, and the completely ruthless soldiers hunting for the enemy.

Steffen is an acceptable lead but I thought that Fernando Sancho really overacted in this movie, spoiling his character somewhat. Despite a plentitude of action scenes, KILLER KID never really grips or involves the viewer and I was personally left waiting for it to end so I could do something more interesting.

The ruthless and brutal Captain Ramírez (Ken Wood) hunts down and kills revolutionaries in his search for The Saint (Howard Nelson Rubien), the latter is a pacific revolutionary who advocates lookalike Gandhi non violence against the dictator Porfirio Diaz , he is the righteous leader of the Mexican insurrection against the Federales . The Saint is accompanied by his gorgeous niece Mercedes Hernandez (Luisa Baratto) along with a reluctant rebel and other Guerilleros commanded by the boastful Vilar (Fernando Sancho) , a slant-eyed mercenary who has other ambitious plans . Meanwhile , Captain Morrison/Killer Kid (Anthony Steffen) in order to save himself escapes from an US prison and goes to Mexico and he decides to join the Mexican revolution permanently . In the meantime , Captain Morrison/Killer Kid ensures that weapons destined for the Mexican government don't get there to avoid a diplomatic conflict and he clears a ravaged Mexican border town of murdering soldiers . When the villagers are attacked by the cruel Ramirez (Giovanni Cianfriglia as Ken Wood) , all of them flee to the mountains pursued by his troops . Killer Kid resolving a weapons smuggling issue and he attempts to bring peace and order the revolutionaries who are intent on killing the soldiers responsible for Mexican slaughters . The film is dedicated to the Mexican people .

Offbeat Spaghetti Western that follows the Sergio Leone/Sergio Corbucci wake , but it is also proceeded in American models . It is an exciting western with breathtaking showdown between the tough protagonists Steffen and Fernando Sancho and the enemies as the heartless Ken Wood and his hoodlums . As well as enjoyable appearance of the beauty Luisa Baratto as Santos' niece . The highlights of the film are the bloody slaughter at the Mexican village and the violent finale confronting at the mountains . The film blends noisy action , shootouts , violence , blood , and it's fast moving and quite entertaining . Stars Anthony Steffen as an American officer who is actually an agent pretending to help Mexicans , Anthony is well remembered by Spaghetti Western aficionados , but in his day , from the mid-'60s to the early '70s , Steffen was one of the most popular actors of the genre — at the time cheap B movies, now revered cult classics . The handsome , Italian-born — actually at the Brazilian embassy in Rome — Antonio Luiz De Teffè Von Hoonholtz began working in films as a studio messenger for Vittorio De Sica . From there , Steffen began acting in sword-and-sandal epics, later moving onto the Western genre, where he found his niche . Unlike fellow Spaghetti star Clint Eastwood , however , Steffen never became a top international box-office attraction . He played as a Man-With-no-Name a lot of Spaghettis as ¨Gentleman Killer¨, Garringo¨, ¨Apocalypse Joe¨, ¨Stranger in Paso Bravo¨ , ¨The last Tomahawk¨. Furthermore, here appears Italian Western's usual secondaries as Fernando Sancho , Giovanni Cianfriglia as Ken Wood , Fortunato Arena , Tom Felleghy and the Greek actor Yorgo Voyagis . This film belongs to the numerous group of flicks that are set during the Mexican revolution , called ¨Zapata Western¨ , like are the Italians: ¨ Duck you sucker¨, ¨The mercenary¨ ,¨Tetepa¨, ¨Los Compañeros¨, ¨What am I doing in middle of the revolution¨ and the American ones : ¨The wild bunch¨ and ¨The professionals¨.

There are many fine technicians and nice assistants as the professional cameraman Sandro Mancori who makes an excellent photography with barren outdoors , dirty landscapes under a glimmer sun shot on location in outskirts of Rome and El Lacio as well as in Cinecitta studios and Elios studios . The musician Berto Pisano creates a catching soundtrack and well conducted and in Ennio Morricone style . This Western Alla'Italiana was well directed by Leopoldo Savona . Leopoldo Savona's direction is good , he made several Spaghettis under pseudonym as Leo Coleman: ¨Posate Le Pistole Reverendo¨ , ¨Killer Kid¨ , ¨Apocalypse Joe¨ , ¨Dio Perdoni La Mia Pistola¨, ¨Texas Il Rouge¨ ; adventure/war/drama movies : ¨L'Aigle Rouge¨ , ¨L'Ultima Carica¨ , ¨Fra Diavolo¨ , ¨Le DueOrfanelle¨ , ¨Weapons of War¨ , ¨Thunder from the West¨ , ¨Mongols¨ and Giallo/Terror : ¨Death Falls Lightly¨ , ¨Bytleth¨ , among others .

The ruthless and cruel Captain Ramirez hunts down and kills revolutionaries in his search for The Saint, the righteous leader of the Mexican insurrection against the Federales. Adding complications to Ramirez's pursuit, a group of American gunmen secretly steal weapons from US encampments to be sold to the freedom fighters. Killer Kid, the most dangerous gunfighter in the west, manages to escape from a military prison and soon ingratiates himself in the company of the elusive Saint ultimately joining them in their fight against Ramirez. However, one of the Saints men, Vilar, doesn't trust the American ace gunfighter whose motives and actions are shrouded in mystery.

Killer Kid stars Anthony Steffen as a US agent impersonating a famous gunfighter known as Killer Kid who has a lot of conflicts with Fernando Sancho, a revolutionary soldier with bandit tendencies, making you think they'll have a showdown at the end, but they eventually find out they're on the same side - the actual enemy is Captain of Mexican Federales (Giovanni Cianfriglia) who orders reprisal executions of innocent peasants in order to make anyone in the peasant village reveal where the revolutionary leader El Santo is hiding.

It's a decent Zapata western with plenty of gunplay and less political overtones, thankfully. There's a little poignancy in the drama and some good acting, especially by Fernando Sancho. Steffen's change to a person helping the cause of the revolutionaries could've been done better but hey the beautiful daughter of the Saint played by Luisa Baratto is a good incentive enough.