The Western is a fascinating film genre to examine. It has a long, storied past spanning almost an entire century. One key figure in its history is Sergio Leone. After his Dollars trilogy took off in the 60s, there came a bunch of copycats and influencers. Vengeance Trailers: Four Classic Westerns is a DVD collection of Westerns reflecting the Euro stylings of Leone.
The four films are all worth checking out. Massacre Time, Bandidos, And God Said To Cain, and My Name is Pecos will all delight any fan of Westerns. There’s also serious star power found throughout: Klaus Kinski, Franco Nero, Terry Jenkins, and George Hilton all appear in these films. The connecting theme throughout these four flicks? Revenge.
Lucio Fulci was a no-brainer to direct a Western. The man loved violence. And there’s violence aplenty in Massacre Time. Franco Nero and George Hilton (who is blackout drunk the entire movie) portray the Corbett brothers. They band together to drive out the Scott family, which has taken over their town. People get shot. People also get slapped. The body count increases. VENGEANCE!
1967’s Bandidos has serious street cred: Its director Massimo Dallamano was cinematographer under Leone for the first two Dollars films. Enrico Maria Salerno and Terry Jenkins play Richard Martin (a crippled gunslinger) and Philip Raymond (an escaped convict framed for murder). The two, sensing an opportunity, team up to get back at the real crook who betrayed Raymond’s mentor. Dallamano doesn’t do anything unique with the genre formula, but the film is entertaining nonetheless.
Maurizio Lucidi’s My Name Is Pecos may be the only dud of the bunch. Robert Woods is the titular character, a Mexican vagrant seeking revenge against Joe Clane, a man who killed Pecos’ whole family. Clane and his gang are hunting a large sum of money, further motivating Pecos’s revenge. While it spawned a sequel, the film drags on and is one of the more forgettable entries in the spaghetti western genre.
Last but not least is the Biblical And God Said to Cain. Klaus Kinski is ex-Confederate soldier Gary Hamilton. Framed for a crime he didn’t commit (an ongoing theme in these 4 flicks), he suddenly is pardoned. This kicks off a fervent, almost demonic quest for Hamilton, as he journeys to seek revenge on the man who wronged him. The film’s director Antonio Margheriti was best known for the 1980’s Cannibal Apocalypse, yet he shows true artistic style here.
All four films hinge on revenge. Some are more entertaining than others. Yet this whole box set is truly worth investigating.