The Five Man Army is a Spaghetti Western made toward the end of the cycle financed by MGM and Directed by American Don Taylor.The visuals are strong and pacing is adequate with an interesting blend of Italian and American Actors with one Samurai character thrown in. While this film does not have the style of a Sergio Leone Production it does have two very strong elements of his , the screenplay by Dario Argento and the sixth character in the army Ennio Morricone's brilliant score. These themes have haunted me for thirty years since I first saw this film at a drive-in. It is as strong as The Good The Bad and The Ugly. Perhaps not as diverse as Once upon a Time in the West where every Character has their own theme, but every bit as powerful. It is ultimately the score that carries this film, as the acting is pretty stiff. The Screenplay is typical of Argento light on dialogue with a twist at the end, of course this is early in his career. If you like your Spaghetti al dente only you may not care for this film. But if you are like me, a fan of this lost genre you may savor every bite of this Delicious side dish. Makes a great double bill with "My Name is Nobody".
Review of The 5-Man Army
