Sacramento

Jack Thompson aka Sacramento (Ty Hardin) could live happily on his farm with his son (Christian Hay) and daughter (Jenny Atkins - in real life Hardin's 5th wife) if it wasn't for his enemy Murdock (Giacomo Rossi Stuart). Murdock tries to kill Sacramento several times, each time he fails, and thus somehow the running time passes. I wouldn't really call this a 'story', it's too fragmentary.

One idea of the script is remarkable, though: Sacramento usually beats up his enemies in the same saloon. The saloon owner afterwards has a serious argument with him about the damage - and he can't pay her. I have watched so many westerns where tables and mirrors are broken in a saloon brawl, but how often they discussed the invoice afterwards? And even if the hero is asked to pay for the damage, he usually drops a banknote casually and leaves, but I've never seen him stand there and say: oops, sorry... There are a few funny moments along the way, but all in all it is a poor flick shot towards the end of the Italian western wave. Ty Hardin, who shot 4 of these Italian westerns in a row 1971/72, was only 42 when he made this movie, the grey hair is a bit misleading.

I checked out this film because of its star, Ty Hardin, and its intriguing title, and whatever you can say about it, it isn't boring! The first half of the film is the comedic, episodic story of "Sacramento" Thompson, who seems to be constantly getting into problems from which his grown children must save him, and who is a jack-of-all-trades including prizefighter and preacher! The first half of the film is leisurely paced and even features a gospel song. Hardin, who has always had a roguish charm, is perfect for this role and he's decked out in a gray-tinted beard, flashing his winning smile. Then, about halfway through the film, an event I won't mention triggers a kidnapping/revenge plot that continues through the rest of the movie. Without a star of Ty Hardin's talent and charm, I don't know if I would have finished watching this film, but he manages to make it all worthwhile. Hardin made a number of interesting films in Europe in the late 60s and early 70s. This one certainly does not resemble any other spaghetti western I've seen, so for that reason...AND to see Hardin's entertaining performance...fans of the genre might want to seek out this film.