Tuez-les tous... et revenez seul!

No pun intended - Enzo G ... anyone who cares about Western movies is aware of this name. Really into them that is - because yes anyone knows Sergio Leone (or John Ford and many other people who made their name in the Western business) ... but Enzo? Almost like a litmus test to see if you really are a fan - only slightly kidding here by the way.

The movie is quite fast paced - although it also has a few passages, where you may question why the movie ... well moves slowly. And depending on your moral code ... you may take issue/offense with how the characters are portrayed. Especially our main character ... but it is a movie. So lack of emotion (morally speaking) is probably a good thing ... if you want to survive and not be counted to the all of the title ... a lot of action, a lot of hand to hand combat/fighting too. A bit aged, but surely top noth at the time it was made - and nothing that should deter you or take any of the fun you can have away. Just be sure you know what this is ... and hopefully you're also a fan of Western ... I did mention this already, right?

Glorious "Spaghetti Western" made shortly after "The Good The Bad And The Ugly", which utilized some of the G. B. & U. sets and props. The movie has a grand scope which takes full advantage of the Spanish desert location shooting. There is not a single female in the film, so it gets right down to business, with no romantic distractions. Basically the plot revolves around Chuck Conners assembling a band of particularly skilled baddies, to help him steal Union gold coins for the Confederate high command, represented by Frank Wolfe. Never before have just seven men defeated almost an entire Union Army, until finally the band of cutthroats begin turning against each other. The film is not perfect. It is perhaps a bit too long. There is too much redundant slaughter of soldiers. The acrobatics and stunt work, while impressive, often seems out of place. Nevertheless, this should be considered as one of the best non Leone : Spaghetti Westerns." MERK

In 1864, mercenary Clyde McKay leads a squad of determined daredevils tasked with a dangerous mission by Captain Lynch of the Confederate high command: to infiltrate and raid a Unionist army fortress where a million dollars in gold has been hidden in boxes of dynamite.

A single Colt bullet could send the whole treasure sky high but for these scoundrels - Lynch the killer, Deker the dynamite specialist, Hoagy the hit man, Blade the knife expert, the vicious Kid and Bogard with his brute strength - nothing is impossible. Only madmen could pull off such a job, piercing the enemy lines at the only river crossing and creating a diversion for the garrison where the arsenal is situated.

But before long the betrayals begin as the men attempt to double cross each other in order to take the money for themselves in this bloodthirsty Civil War tale of revenge.

The plot and characters are straightforward and simple to the point of being cartoonish - which it is meant to be. A hard-boiled collection of scoundrels, each with their own lethal skill, plan a daring heist of a hoard of gold from a desert fortress during the Civil War. And as expected, Double crosses crop up, well they captured and learn that the mastermind backing the heist is playing both ends against the middle. There's not much depth in the story nor has it any subtlety or suspense - it's just non-stop action, stunts, gunplay, combat, heroic last stands and betrayal. The stunt work is amazing, the action set pieces are well thought out and the terrain of Almeria in Spain are as cruel as the double crosses. Chuck Connors fits the SW mould really well - pity he didn't do much more. The rest of the cast is good. Having said that, the morally bankrupt and greedy characters can be shallow, nihilistic, and there's no one to root for, unlike in traditional westerns of the 40's and 50's.

This is a Testosterone driven movie, if I ever saw one. Normally in westerns, the hero would have a love interest or at least a few saloon dancers will appear to provide a bit of eye candy. "Ammazzali tutti e torna solo", though, has absolutely no female person in the cast. It is just a bunch of rogues fighting for a few boxes of gold, and that's all there is of a story. Constant action and violence keeps you on the edge of your seat, it's a tremendous roller-coaster ride. Tall Chuck Connors walks through this happy massacre with a broad smile to show white teeth, while Frank Wolff plays his most dangerous opponent and a bunch of familiar genre actors like Ken Wood, Leo Anchoriz and Alberto dell'Acqua take care of guns, dynamite, knives and anything else that makes holes in people. Kind of fun, but on the other hand not all movies need to be like this for my taste.

I always reckoned Chuck Connors just came along ten years too late to be a "Tarzan". He has precious little acting ability but would have been great rolling around in a loin cloth, or swinging through the trees with a knife between his teeth. Well, to be fair to that image - it's sort of what he ends up doing here in this very routine spaghetti western. He is "Clyde" who is charged with pinching an huge gold consignment being held by the Yankee army during the American civil war. Allied with half a dozen pretty disparate cutthroats and an even more duplicitous union captain "Lynch" (Frank Wolff) we now follow their escapades as betrayal begets betrayal and killings become routine as they search for the loot. It's all very cheap, cheerful and predictable - and Connors must have a jaw made of wrought iron. Francesco De Masi is no Ennio Morricone so we haven't even a quirky or original score to rely on to help this as it limps along to a denouement that matters not. The production - especially the editing - is really basic, but it might have worked better had the cast, dialogue and story been a bit more robust. As it is, though, well it just passes the time, that's all.