Pas de pitié pour les salopards

"Beyond the Law" 1968 PG 1h 30m Original title: Al di là della legge.

It's a typical spaghetti western; filmed in Italy; in Italian; and now has English dubbing.

It has decent action, with a cookie cutter plot.

Lee Van Cleef stars as Billy Joe Cudlip, criminal turned sheriff! Van Cleef is awesome, as always.

Lionel Stander as Preacher, stands out (pun intended) and provides great comic relief. Bud Spencer is noticable as the money grubbing owner of the silver mine. And, Ann Smyrner is cute and bouncey, and provides the T&A.

Romano Puppo plays Burton, the leader of the bandits, and he is awesome. He wears this black, flat brimmed hat and a long, black, silk cape and he looks like Bela Lugosi playing Zorro. It's makes me think, A. That this is really good, but weird, costuming for 1968, and, B. He really really looks creepy. I can just imagine that in a theater, when Puppo finally gets winged, and falls to his death, the whole audience cheers! The director does a shot from above, showing Puppo lying face down in the dirt, with his cape artistically spread out. Great scene.

Overall, the picture and the sound are pretty bad. Partly because they waited too long to transfer this one from the old film. Still, it's a romp.

And guess what? Noflicks does not carry this one. LOL The Bushwacker 12/24/2021.

Ostensibly harmless thieves Van Cleef and his partners in crime (ex-boxer Hoosman and veteran supporting actor Stander) find themselves unwitting protagonists in the plight of a mining town when no-nonsense bandit Mitchell (in Zorro-esque garb) takes the town's women and children hostage in exchange for the town's rich silver deposits.

Essentially a lighthearted buddy-picture until the darker turn emerges late in the story when Mitchell's thugs emerge as the real villains, and conscience gets the better of Van Cleef's character.

In addition to the aforementioned trio, Sicilian heart-throb Sabato plays a young mining official trying to convince Van Cleef of his innate goodness, the attractive Granata is the town's most-eligible bachelorette and prospective future wife to Van Cleef if he can stay clean, and a bare-faced Bud Spencer also appears as the mining boss, momentarily unrecgonisable sans his trademark beard.

Aside from the sometimes melodramatic pace, I personally wasn't a fan of the rather gloomy conclusion which seemed a mean-spirited way to resolve matters when a more sympathetic ending beckoned. But it wasn't meant to be, and consequently this uneven spaghetti western is hard to like in spite of its initially good intentions.

Aftermaths the smashing success in IL BUONO, IL BRUTO, IL CATTIVO the leading power trio Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef, it open the gates of Italian profitable market to Van Cleef for good, it was the fourth movie sequentially often as leading star in a pulpy salary instead at America whereby was a mere adjunct on those countless western TV series, he reaches at stardom which he owes to Leone exposition as the legendary Sentenza.

Al di là Della Legge (Beyond the Law) is an above average spaghetti, having the Sicilian actor Antonio Sabato as co-star, the summarized plot is about a trio gang, led by the mastermind chief Culdlip (Van Cleef), El Niegro (Al Hoosnan) and the Preacher (Lionel Stander), they used to make small scams, although this turn they got a higher 12 thousand dollar took by stagecoach's foreigner engineer passenger Novak (Antonio Sabato) who was travelling with silver mining company's payroll money.

Aside be a successful heist something going wrong forcing an upcoming meeting of all them in city mining area where will have a large shipping of silver estimated nothing to sneeze at 100 thousand dollar in matter a month, it triggers the interest of the trio, also a menacing Burton's huge gang lurking nearby portrayed by the legendary Gordon Mitchell from those peplum and sandals Italian pictures.

Oddly enough in the casting has the forthcoming star Bud Spencer on a supporting role, the offering has many gorgeous girls around as the eye-candy Graziella Granata which Culdlip has a romantic interest, nonetheless who steal the show is the funniest Preacher Lionel Stander with tons of bible's notable lines in prophetic meaning whereby lifts an ordinary spaghetti in high path, easily perceived by a keen viewer.

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 1994 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 7.

this spaghetti western is not too bad.i though the story was interesting,and there are some good performances.Lee Van Cleef is the main star,and is quite good here.but he is overshadowed by a few others.Antonio Sabato(father of pseudo-actor Atonio Sabato Jr.)for one puts in a terrific performance,as does Lionel Stander(80'S TV show Hart to Hart.i also liked Bud Spencer(who acted in numerous spaghetti Westerns)though i wish his role had been bigger.but the real standout,in my mind,is Gordon Mitchell,for his "ice water in his veins' portrayal of Burton.the big negative for me though is the length of the film.i feel it is at least 30 minutes too long,and it moves fairly slow at times.but the performances overcome that weakness.for me,Beyond The Law (1968)is a 6/10

This especial Italian western blends violence, western action, plot twists, shoot'em up with high body-count , it is fast movement and that's why it results to be entertaining . This is the story of the ex-bandit who'd worn it -till he'd faced one gun too many...the young , novice engineer he had to teach to wear it- or watch to die and the young who lived only to wear one of his own ! .. and for some dollars a month -that's what they gave you for protecting people who ran like rabbits when the going got roguish ! ¨ . The picture deals with a beginner young engineer (Antonio Sabato , of course , father of known TV actor Antonio Sabato Jr.) who persuades veteran rogue (Lee Van Cleef) and his hoodlums (the veteran Lionel Stander) to help him to rid a little town of bandits who have robbed 12.000 dollars belonging to payroll of the miners . Then , the thief turns into sheriff of the little town called Silver City where is guarded the silver treasure from the mine and the baddies led by Burton (a particular performance by a Peplum-hero as Gordon Mitchell dressed in black with cloak and hat ) want to rob . Meanhile, the old gunslinger , nowadays an upright sheriff falls in love with a beautiful girl (Graziella Granata) . Outlaw Sheriff - Within the Law, Without the Law, Beyond the Law. A saddle tramp... a black hustler... and a preacher - all operating beyond the law .

It's an acceptable Spaghetti film with dazzling shootouts between the protagonists and the contenders . This meaty Western contains interesting plot , violence , crossfire and being quite entertaining , though drags, at times , in ups and downs . This average Western balances noisy action , suspense and drama with tragic final in which happens a sad , dramatic showdown . It's a classic recounting about teaching and learning between an unexperienced young finely played by Antonio Sabato who is in charge of a silver mine and a veteran roguish become marshal . Agreeable performance by Lee Van Cleef changing his usual characters , here as a honorable sheriff who defends the villagers and even confronts his friends at an amazing ending . Decent secondary cast formed by ordinary Spaghetti/Peplum players such as Carlo Gaddi, Romano Puppo, Herbert Fux, Enzo Fiermonte and including Bud Spencer in a serious role as a foreman . Enjoyable score by Riz Ortalani who composed lots of Spaghetti Western scores , it contains a sensitive musical leitmotif . There are many fine technicians and nice assistants as the cameraman Enzo Serafin who makes a nice photography with barren outdoors , dirty landscapes under a glimmer sun shot , of course , on location in Almeria , Spain , though is mostly filmed at Italy . However , being necessary a perfect remastering because of the original copy is washed-out . The motion picture was professionally directed by Giorgo Stegani , though with no originality . He's is an expert writer of Giallo and Western as ¨Blood of a silver dollar¨ and ¨ Beyond the law ¨ and occasionally Western director as ¨Gentleman killer¨and ¨Adios Gringo¨ . Rating : 5,5 , acceptable but mediocre Spaghetti that will appeal to Lee Van Cleef fans .