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| Italian Poster(x2) | Locandina | Japanese Poster |
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| IT 45 RCA PM 3423 |
| English Title | Death Rides a Horse |
| Director | Giulio Petroni |
| Screenplay | Luciano Vincenzoni |
| Photography | Carlo Carlini |
| Music | Ennio Morricone |
| Cast | Lee Van Cleef ,John Phillip Law ,Anthony
Dawson, Jose Torres,Mario Brega, Luigi Pistilli, William Bogart |
| Guilio Petroni's debut Spaghetti Western
was to be something of a nixed blessing.On
the one hand, Death Rides a Horse is an accomplished
film. Making good use of Lee Van Cleef's
paternal personality, the film boasts an
intriguingly primitive Morricone score and
atmospheric photography by Carlo Carlini.
Unfortunately Death Rides a Horse is also
Petroni's best film. Nothing he made afterwards
could compare to it. Night Of The Serpent
for one was simply buried by the distributors.
An obviously talented filmmaker, Petroni
made that most fatal mistake for an artist.
He started on a high,Still, Death Rides a
Horse is quite a high, Leone's script collaborator
from For A Few dollars More, Luciano Vincenzoni
takes elements of that film's story- Lee
Van Cleef's 'Old Man' persona and the revenge
plot and reshuffles the pack. Here the younger
man, Bill (John Philip Law) is the man seeking
revenge. In the opening scene his family
are wiped out amidst fire and storm. A mysterious
rescuer allows Bill to grow up with one goal
in mind. Kited out with a personal target
gallery, Bill learns to shoot, and shoot
well, waiting for the time when he can pick
up the trail of the killers. Unfortunately the trail's stone cold, and Bill for all his pistolero prowess lacks a 'horse sense'. Both problems are solved when Ryan (Van Cleef) is released from hard labour. He also has a grudge against the same gang who are responsible for his fifteen years incarceration. Ryan is older, wiser and- most importantly- knows the killers' names. A partnership forms with the awkward proviso that Ryan plans on keeping Bill one step behind him. He wants compensation for his years in prison and dead men can't pay. In the accustomed genre fashion the plan misfires hopelessly. Despite Ryan's best efforts Bill beats him to the first man and kills him without any further delay than to remind him of 'the night of the Mesito Ranch'. Worse, the gang are now very big league criminals- a saloon owner (Bill's first target), the boss of a private bandit army and even a corrupt banker (played with oily gusty by the ever dependable Luigi Pistili). The gang are able to protect themselves with increasing confidence until finally Ryan and Bill are besieged in a Mexican village- a sequence borrowed rather obviously from The Magnificent Seven. The morning of the last stand arrives and Bill discovers what we've suspected, Ryan was at the Mesito Ranch too. True he was Bill's saviour that night but he's still on the list. Wearily Ryan assures Bill 'I won't run' and together the two of them wipe out the remaining gang. Now waiting for the inevitable, Ryan walks away from Bill packing an empty pistol. Bill shoots, but to save his life. Ryan is redeemed and Bill's quest is done. It's hard to find fault in Petroni's film. The style is that of a comfortable gothic fable; the opening massacre particularly draws on the techniques of Italian Horror masters such as Mario Bava as much as the Western template of Leone (Garronne's Django the Bastard and Questi's Django Kill are the only other examples that cultivate this cross fertilisation as well). Vincenzoni maintains wit in a story that could easily have become heavily single minded. Above all the two central characters work well together. Petroni and Vincenzoni's particular genius is to make Bill an unsympathetic automaton. He needs Ryan's humanity to complete his personality. In that sense Ryan saves him not once, but twice. Bill is the son he never had and helping him grow out of his past becomes one of Ryan's goals. If he has to risk his life in the final minutes to do it- the showdown between Ryan and Bill represents a test of Bill's exorcism- then that's what a father must do. Bill acknowledges the relationship in as close a way he can, referring to Ryan as Grandpa (Ryan can never replace his father of course). Ryan's (and the film's) final words after Bill's departure are, appropriately 'Good luck son.' |
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Thu, 13 Aug 1998 01:36:09