5 gachettes d'or

TODAY IT'S ME...TOMORROW YOU!, aka TODAY WE KILL, TOMORROW WE DIE!, is a 1968 spaghetti western directed by Tonino Cervi and starring Brett Halsey as a Django lookalike who goes on the warpath to avenge the death of his wife. The film's origins are clear, with the straightforward revenge story concocted by Dario Argento no less. The first half sees posse members being assembled (a bit like THE DIRTY DOZEN) while the second sees them carrying out their mission of vengeance.

There's little in this movie you won't have seen elsewhere, but I was surprised at how well shot it is. The locations are atmospheric and the cinematography is excellent, with plenty of gritty shoot-outs for action fans. Characterisation is slim but the characters themselves are engaging, from Halsey's taciturn lead to the likes of William Berger, Bud Spencer and Wayde Preston as various members of the posse. The music is stirring and as a whole the production values can't be faulted.

The best actor of the lot is a real surprise: Japanese star Tatsuya Nakadai, star of the late Kurosawa movies RAN and KAGEMUSHA: THE SHADOW WARRIOR, playing the bad guy. Nakadai gives a multi-layered and extremely decent performance straight out of Japanese samurai cinema, and acts everybody else off screen. Simply said, he's brilliant and lifts the movie whenever he appears. The rating gains a star due to his presence alone.

Dario Argento… Italian horror-specialist?! Well one of them anyway. Yep Argento co-penned this highly enjoyable spaghetti western that had a strong ensemble cast of interesting names to boot. Featuring Brett Halsey, Bud Spencer, William Berger and quite a memorable Tatsuya Nakadai… with a machete! Not only fun and absorbing, but one of the better entries of the long-listed and wide-ranged spaghetti sub-genre. The story is your basic revenge formula, but the script is sharp, unsparing and riddled with well-judged humour that never takes away from the gradual build-up to a thrilling, if offbeat standoff in swampy woodland terrain. These final passages are very well delivered by director Tonino Cervi, by pulling out an atmospheric tone together with the bold violence. But before even leading up to all of this, are some reliably creative and gusty set-pieces that aren't out of place. The brisk style is evident, and music composer Angelo Francesco Lavagnino's flamboyant score randomly punctuates some uncanny sounds. While, the formidably cunning camera-work of Sergio D'Offizi adds to the intensity. Japanese actor Nakadai is stupendous, and had me transfixed with his vibrant expressions as the shady, clever weasel-like villain. He stole every shot he was in. Halsey basically just looked good in black, and stared you down with that steely glance in a fitting performance as the revenge seeking heroine. Spencer bombards the screen with his robust personality and stature. The pacing stays tight, and pretty dry with little in the way of lapses.

A man named Bill Kiowa (Brett Halsey) is falsely convicted for killing his spouse and is condemned to prison for several years . When Bill's released he seeks vendetta against the Comancheros's leader who killed brutally his sweetheart . He's named Bill and as his wife was a Native American , for that reason is named Bill Kiowa . He reunites a misfit band formed by four tough men , a corpulent hunk named O'Bannon (at one of his first Westerns , Bud Spencer), a gambler (William Berger : Sartana, Sabata) , a gunslinger (Wayde Preston) , all of them to go after the Pistolero who framed him . Meanwhile , the bandits led by Elfego (Tatsuya Nakadi, starring in Kagemusa, and Ran) rob a Well Fargo stagecoach . Elfego is a psycho , a sadistic wielding a machete and killing cruelly his victims.

This Spaghetti packs goods moments with gunfire and fist-play and also the visual look is nice . Reminiscent of other films , except all those other movies are much better (Magnificent seven , The Good , the Bad and The Ugly , Fistful of dollars , among them) . Good camera work by Sergio Dóffici , though shot on inappropriate Italian outdoors from the Lacio and Elios Studios . I miss the classic barren landscapes from Almeria (Spain) where were filmed hundreds of Westerns . Cool musical score by Angelo Francisco Lavagnino , Peplum's usual . Weak performance by Brett Halsey as a man released after a jail term for a crime he didn't commit and raises a two-fisted bunch . Brett was a B American actor who starred numerous Spaghetti (Kill Johnny Ringo , Wrath of God , Roy Colt and Winchester Jack , Twenty thousand dollars for seven) and spy genre , working for Ricardo Fedra and Mario Bava and later returning USA as secondary TV actor . Halsey didn't believe in this movie and opted to use a the pseudonym Montgomery Ford so people wouldn't associate him with it ; the movie ended up being his most successful ever and to this day he's credited as Montgomery Ford in Italy . Excellent acting by Tatsuya Nakadai, a prestigious Japanese actor , he puts strange faces , grimace , penetrating eyes and killer laughter . The film was middlingly directed by Tonino Cervi in his first and only Western . He has an eclectic career as writer and director of drama (Portrait of bourgeois in black), comedy (The miser) and terror (Queens of evil) . His most important activity was as a producer , as he produced for Federico Fellini(Bocaccio 70) , Antonioni(Red desert) , Vancini (Long night of 43) and Bertolucci (Grim reaper) .

WOW ! This was one good western, and it also has Bud Spencer (one of my fave actors) as one of the main roles! Heres the plot :

A man named Bill Kiaowa was sent to prison for 5 years for killing his wife....a crime which he didn't commit.When he's released from jail, he rounds up his old buddies to help him kill the man who killed his wife....

Yeah, your thinking, oh, just another boring western! It is just one of those simple westerns that were rip offs of " The good, the bad, and the Ugly" but give it a shot! Its worthwile!

Today it's me.... gets 6/10

Yes, it is true, giallo master Dario Argento helped write this speghetti western from the late 60s. I have never been a big fan of western movies, but my love of Italian horror cinema has taken me into this genre. They just don't make

westerns, or any genre for that matter, like this anymore.

This film has all the great makings of what a good western movie should be.

You have the duels, the horse chases, and the classic saloon card game. The

fact that this is a low budget film is what attracts me. The sometimes badly

dubbed in english also humors me. But put those things a side and you have a

pretty good story. The way the final "duel" comes together is classic.

Overall, this is may not be "the one" when it comes to speghetti westerns, I am by no means a connoseur of Italian western film. But I walked away pleased.

Now I have to go and watch a few more Italian cowboy flicks to compare.