This is not a bad Spaghetti Western, marking one of Jeffrey Hunter's last roles: he's a discharged Army officer, slumming it in Mexico trading guns destined to a notorious band of cut-throats, who sees an opportunity to better his prospects when New Orleans belle Pascale Petit turns up with an offer of gold for the man who'll help save her husband (trapped in a mine cave-in, thus making the film something of a GARDEN OF EVIL [1954] rehash).
Hunter assembles a motley group for the job, which is soon at each other's throat over both the promise of gold and the shapely lady herself!; one of them even joins the bandits and usurps their leadership to boot! Also involved is Mexican prostitute Daniela Giordano (who mimics the melancholy title tune the score for the film, by Gianni Ferrio, is another good one): the stunning-looking actress was a former "Miss Italy" contest winner, whose best opportunity came with her starring role in Mario Bava's FOUR TIMES THAT NIGHT (1969) which, incidentally, also featured Petit. Her pimp (the first time I've heard a man being referred as such in a Western!) is one of Hunter's associates, who ultimately turns out to be a good guy. Not so a lecherous and sadistic doctor-cum-priest (Alfredo Lastretti), who's not even trusted by the traitorous and power-hungry group member when he tries to join his ranks!
The gray-haired Hunter is pretty good in what he has to do (his short-term career didn't fulfill its initial promise); the action here supervised by B-movie specialist Hugo Fregonese is certainly competently handled, and the film itself seems to me to be an under-appreciated entry (I, for one, hadn't heard of it before) in this popular genre...
Hunter assembles a motley group for the job, which is soon at each other's throat over both the promise of gold and the shapely lady herself!; one of them even joins the bandits and usurps their leadership to boot! Also involved is Mexican prostitute Daniela Giordano (who mimics the melancholy title tune the score for the film, by Gianni Ferrio, is another good one): the stunning-looking actress was a former "Miss Italy" contest winner, whose best opportunity came with her starring role in Mario Bava's FOUR TIMES THAT NIGHT (1969) which, incidentally, also featured Petit. Her pimp (the first time I've heard a man being referred as such in a Western!) is one of Hunter's associates, who ultimately turns out to be a good guy. Not so a lecherous and sadistic doctor-cum-priest (Alfredo Lastretti), who's not even trusted by the traitorous and power-hungry group member when he tries to join his ranks!
The gray-haired Hunter is pretty good in what he has to do (his short-term career didn't fulfill its initial promise); the action here supervised by B-movie specialist Hugo Fregonese is certainly competently handled, and the film itself seems to me to be an under-appreciated entry (I, for one, hadn't heard of it before) in this popular genre...