Du sang dans la montagne

Fans of Carlo Lizzani will recognize many subtexts in this film. An interesting take on the sub-sub-genre of Spaghetti Western with a Civil War revenge theme, attempting to reincorporate traditional Hollywood elements, it doesn't lose sight of its Italian inspired roots.

The sets are a little slap dash, but the score and direction make up for it. The current rating on here of 5.6 is way too low. It deserves at least a 7-8 on the all time Spaghetti Western scale.

The sets are a little slap dash, but the score and direction make up for it. The current rating on here of 5.6 is way too low. It deserves at least a 7-8 on the all time Spaghetti Western scale.

In The Hills Run Red, two Confederate thieves fleeing on a stagecoach draw cards to see which one will stay on the coach to lead their pursuers away and which one will jump off and hide with their fortune in stolen loot.

Five years later the unlucky loser of that card draw (Thomas Hunter) is released from prison to find his destitute wife deceased and his son sent away by his former partner, breaking the promise the promise to take care of them that the now wealthy rancher made to his friend.

Overall, this is worth viewing despite being saddled with a wooden lead performance by Hunter (cast for his passing resemblance to Clint Eastwood?) and a less than spectacular script.

It's made enjoyable by some gorgeous photography (the canyon bushwhack/stampede scene a standout), an excellent score by an uncredited Ennio Morricone, and good support by Dan Duryea and black-leather clad villain Henry Silva.

I wonder if this was an inspiration for John Woo's A Better Tomorrow.

An Italian production full of action , exaggerated characters, shootouts and lots of violence . For money, for pleasure, for revenge, he doesn't care why he kills or how ¡ ... A soldier named Brewster (Thomas Hunter) is taken prisoner in Fort Wilson . 5 years later he's freed and sees the atrocity over his family and executes a single-handedly revenge, as he slashes, ravages and murders each person involved in the killing . He is relentless in his vendetta , deadly in his violence. The conflict is a simple one between avenger Brewster , now named Houston, and oppressors, nasties bandits commanded by cruel foreman (Henry Silva) and his chief Milton (Gazzolo), owner of the ranch Mayflower where lives his sister Mary Ann(Nicoletta Machiavelli). Houston/Brewster is only helped by a mysterious vet gunslinger named Getz (Dan Duryea) and May Ann . Meanwhile Houston aids an unappreciated although terrorized town called Austin (Texas) in the process and suddenly finds his little son Tim (Loris Loddi). The town is inhabited by important people as Horner. Then Brewster is submitted a tempestuous trap by a saloon-girl and is caught and he faces the vicious bandits.

It's an exciting western with breathtaking showdown between the protagonist Thomas Hunter against the heartless Henry Silva and his hoodlums. Thomas Hunter is fine, he cries, ravages the screen, shoots, hit and run and kills but also receives violent knocks, punches, kicks and wounds . In the film premiere attained bit success , nowadays is best valued and I think it turns out to be a good Spaghetti Western. Henry Silva as a cruelly baddie role is terrific, he bears a hysterical and mocking smile, subsequently the would play similar characters . The film packs violence,gun-play, explosion, high body-count and it's fast moving and quite entertaining. There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing some shootouts or stunts every few minutes. There are many fine technicians and nice assistants as Goffredo Unger, also secondary , habitual master of arms in numerous Spaghetti Western. Good production design creating an excellent scenario with luminous outdoors, dirty and rocky landscapes under a glimmer sun and a fine set on the Austin town . The musician Ennio Morricone, Lee Nichols, composes a nice soundtrack and well conducted by usual Bruno Nicolai; it's full of guttural sounds, sensible songs and a haunting musical leitmotif. Striking cinematography by Toni Secchi in Technicolor, Techniscope with negative well processed and perfect remastering . Interior filmed at Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica, Studios Rome and outdoor sequences filmed at Spanish outdoors located on Colmenar Viejo, and La Pedriza, Manzanares , Madrid.

Carlo Lizzani's direction -under a pseudonym named Beaver- is well crafted, here he's less thought-provoking and broody and more inclined toward violence and too much action, because he's a expert on serious cinema. Lizzani directed good films as ¨Last days of Mussolini¨, ¨Bandits in Milan¨, co-directed ¨Dirty game¨, ¨The Verona trial¨, ¨chronicle of poor lovers¨ and filmed another S.W. titled ¨Requiescant¨ with Lou Castel, Mark Damon and Pier Paolo Pasolini and today he goes on directing movies. Rating : 6,5, acceptable and passable. The picture will appeal to Spaghetti Western fans.

Jerry Brewster (Thomas Hunter) and Ken Seagull (Nando Gazzolo) are two ex-Confederates who've successfully stolen some of the governments' money. Realizing that only one of them can make good his escape, they draw cards, and Ken, having drawn the higher card, is allowed to bail out with the money. Jerry is captured by Union forces and imprisoned for five years. Unfortunately, he learns after being released that his wife died poor because Ken hogged all the money for himself. And now Ken is a bigshot in the small community of Austin. It's a given that Jerry is going to be ripe for revenge...

"The Hills Run Red", as directed by former critic Carlo Lizzani, is no great shakes, but offers a decent amount of entertainment. Its pace is acceptable, its photography nicely done, and its action reasonably rousing. Using the pseudonym of "Leo Nichols", Ennio Morricone composes the score; it's definitely one of his lesser efforts, but even so, lesser Morricone is still pretty good. The songs are certainly sung with passion. The script by Piero Regnoli is mostly straightforward, but it's got one interesting detail up its sleeve: the character of Colonel Winny Getz, played engagingly by genre veteran Dan Duryea. You're never quite sure what this guy's deal is until the end.

The acting is variable. Some members of the cast come off fairly well, such as the beautiful ladies Nicoletta Machiavelli and Gianna Serra, Gazzolo as the understated villain, and Geoffrey Copleston as saloon owner Brian Horner. Hunter delivers a performance that is amusingly over the top at certain points. But the most entertaining acting to watch is courtesy of a hilariously hammy Henry Silva, playing Seagulls' minion Garcia Mendez. There's nothing subtle about this guy; even his wardrobe is all black.

"The Hills Run Red" kills time easily enough for those who are devotees of the Spaghetti Western genre.

Six out of 10.

Imagine you have all these ingredients to make a dish. You can do it one way or another but at the end you have to end up with a good meal.

Viewing this movie, for me, was like following a recipe where the instructions we're all mix-up in some weird order.

You have all this elements for a Western. A clear protagonist with motivation and a villian who took advantage of him, the little town in trouble, the cheeky partner, the goon with radical methods and, of course, action (Fist fights, gun fights, showdowns,you name it.). But all this are executed in a weird, poorly and mishandle way. Not all is bad, some plot points and action scenes we're well executed with some shots that can be appreciated.

Thomas Hunter did a decent job as the protagonist but he had two moods, angry or calm. He could've make a better job, like Dan Duryea who's role i believe was misuse. Henry Silva, in another hand, steals the movie. Charismatic, hammy and funny, i ending up rooting for him for all the movie.

Personally, it was a decent view. Nothing great but entertaining nonetheless. Do you like westerns and want to see this? Go for it, I hope you end up appreciating this movie more than me. First western? Look for another title, the're better westerns out there.