User Reviews

This movie is a very good revenge tale told in great spaghetti western fashion. There's plenty of action, violence, over-the-top emotion, and some great music from Ennio Morricone.

The best performance in the movie comes from Henry Silva as uber-creep Mendez. You can almost see the slime oozing out of him. As an added bonus Thomas Hunter has a few funny lines thanks to some strange bad dubbing, and his facial expressions go along with it very well, adding to the unintentional humor. Nicoletta Machiavelli is hauntingly beautiful as Mary Ann.

The ending is a great action packed "against all odds" showdown with lots of suspense, bullets, and dynamite.

Overall, this is a very engaging and entertaining film which I wholeheartedly recommend to all hardcore fans of Italian westerns.

Carlo Lizzani's "The Hills Run Red" is a Spaghetti western courtesy of well-known, international producer Dino de Laurentiis of "Conan" and "King Kong" fame who provided some better-than-average production values for this six-shooting saga. Dino went on to do several other Spaghettis, some with American talent like Burt Reynolds in Sergio Corbucci's "Navajo Joe," James Garner in the brilliant "Man Named Sledge" and Chuck Connors in Burt Kennedy's "The Deserter."

"The Hills Run Red" opens not long after the American Civil War has ended. Two ex-Confederate soldiers now in civilian clothes are driving a covered wagon hell-bent-for-leather across rock-strewn Texas terrain with a band of Union troopers bearing down on them. Ken Seagull (Nando Gazzolo of "Django Shoots First") and Jerry Brewster (Thomas Hunter of "Battle of the Commandos") decide to split up and see if their luck improves. They draw cards to determine who stays and who bails. Unfortunately, Jerry loses the bet. Ken dives off the wagon with his saddle bags stuffed full with $600-thousand dollars in Union money. Ken manages to escape while the Union soldiers ride after Jerry. The wagon hits a rock, and Jerry is thrown off it. The horses break away from the wagon, and the careening wagon plunges over a cliff. The soldiers sift through the debris of the smashed-up covered wagon but they find no money. They rough Jerry up, and he serves five miserable, back-breaking years at hard labor in Fort Wilson. All of this happens in the first half-hour.

Freed from prison, Jerry leaves with his holsters empty because the Federals refuse to return his six-guns. No sooner has Jerry left prison than an informant sends Ken a telegram about Jerry's release. Jerry rides away to his home and finds it abandoned, dust on the furniture everywhere and nobody about the premises. He locates his wife's diary and learns that she struggled to raise his son Tim (Loris Loddi of "The Grand Silence") despite encroaching poverty and not a cent of help from Seagull. About that time, gunmen start shooting up Jerry's property. In the barn, Jerry is surprised to find another gun, Winnie Getz (Dan Duryea of "Winchester 73") tosses him a revolver, with which Jerry dispatches two gunmen. Later, after the gunfight, Jerry demands to know Getz's business. Getz suggests that if he took something back to Ken that would convince him that Jerry is dead that he might get himself a job. Jerry's eyes light up because he has something that would persuade Ken that he has perished. Jerry, it seems, has a tattoo on his left forearm engraved with his wife's name. When Getz takes the circle of skin to Ken, he believes that Jerry is dead and hires on Getz despite the admonitions of his second-in-command Garcia Mendez (Henry Silva of "Johnny Cool") decked on in black leather and chewing the scenery as an insane gunslinger.

When we see Ken next, he is a wealthy horse breeder with a large herd of horses. Meanwhile, Jerry adopts different name, Houston, and rides into Austin where he wins a bundle of money at dice and learns that Ken uses the name Milton and owns two-thirds of the land around Austin. Moreover, Ken wants to take over Austin; for example, his trigger-happy gunmen have killed the only sheriff and everybody is too afraid to stand up to him until Jerry arrives in town. The saloon owner Horner (Geoffrey Copleston of "Superargo Versus Diabolicus") explains that they need a man like Jerry to help them defend themselves from Milton. Jerry takes the idea under consideration while he rides out to meet Ken. On the along he stumbles onto a little boy who can knock rocks out of the air with his slingshot. Jerry is shocked when the child uses his good luck gesture of licking his thumb and drawing a circle in the air. About that time, Garcia intervenes and forces Jerry to fight more of Ken's gunmen. Beaten and battered and on the ground, Jerry looks up after the fight and see Garcia put a gun to his head. When he urges the Mexican cutthroat to kill him, Garcia laughs and takes him to Milton's ranch where he lets him recover in an equipment shed. The irony is that Jerry has come back to square matters with Ken, but Ken doesn't know it. Jerry overhears that Ken is moving two-thirds of his horse herd to Abilene. Jerry sneaks back into town and arranges a reception for Ken's riders. The ensuing shoot'em up in a pass and the flaming balls of brush that Jerry's men rain down on Ken's gunmen is a sight to see. Predictably, Ken attacks the town and drives everybody out. The inevitable gun battle between Ken and Jerry follows.

Lizzani never lets the grass grow under anybody's boots in this fast-moving 90 minute horse opera. He is no Sergio Leone, but he has an imaginative eye for interesting camera angles, particularly in the fight between Jerry and Garcia's gunmen. The coffin on the wagon in the big shoot-out scene in town is well photographed from a variety of angles. This is a big, sprawling revenge western with scores of tough-looking galoots getting gunned down left, right, center, and sideways. Spaghetti westerns fans will find this one is above-average. The scenarists could have done a better job with Dan Duryea's mysterious gunman and his revelation after the finale.

"The Hills Run Red" has one goof and that knocks off at least a star from my rating. During the fast opening wagon chase, the filmmakers show us the Union troops riding in hot pursuit and it the far right side of the 2:35.1 letterboxed shape you can spot a wagon identical to the one being driven hell-bent-for-leather in the distance with no horses. Presumably, the producers had a second wagon modified to handle a camera and forgot to move the real wagon out of the shot.

At the first glance, this seems to be nothing else but a typical revenge story. Brewster (Thomas Hunter) gets locked up a few years in jail while his buddy Seagall (Nando Gazzolo) runs with the money they stole together. When Brewster is finally released, he is looking for vengeance - and his lost son. Seagall sends killers after his former friend. His right hand man Mendez (Henry Silva) is the real villain, a man in black who enjoys to be bad, every minute of it. But a certain Mr Getz (Dan Duryea) helps Brewster without telling him the real reason why...

The surprise of this movie is Thomas Hunter who starred for the first time in a western and creates an interesting character here, not the superior Man With No Name, but an angry young man who isn't always in total control, so he needs Getz to help him out of trouble. "The Hills Run Red" is above average for an Italian western due to good production values (comparatively at least), clever director Lizzani ("Requiescant"), composer Ennio Morricone and a great cast which does not only include the above mentioned Hunter, cult star Silva and Hollywood veteran Duryea, but also the lovely Nicoletta Machiavelli ("Navajo Joe") for which two different endings were shot: one in which she dies, one in which she survives for a happy ending. In most versions, the tragic one was used, though.

Basic plot involves Brewster taking the fall for his robbing partner Seagull and after being released from prison (which includes having to stand upright in a small barb wire cage) finds that his partner (now known as Milton) has taken the loot and prospered as an evil land baron. Not only that, but Brewster's wife has died in poverty and his young son believes him too be dead. It abandons logic and sense in favor of over the top abstract moments, lots of scenery chewing, like the expressionistic yelling on Brewster's behalf, and typical throwaway action. Fair supporting roles for Henry Silva as the Mexican henchman, with the wondrously cliched name Garcia Mendez, and Dan Duryea as the angel of mercy, Getts. Kudos to Milton/Seagull's line `I wanna' see you spit out your soul, Brewster.', and director Carlo Lizzani's pseudonym, Lee W. Beaver. The finale, like the film, is ridiculous, but fun and effective, involving Brewster and Gett's alone against a posse of bad guys, a ghost town, and some conveniently available dynamite.

A River of Dollars was released in the U.S. as The Hills Run Red. It was directed by Carlo Lizzani (Crazy Joe) and shot at the Dino De Laurentiis Studios in Rome and in the newly constructed Western town set at Dinocitta.



After the Civil War, Ken Seagull (Nando Gazzolo, who narrated Black Sunday) and Jerry Brewster (Thomas Hunter*, Death Walks in Laredo) have stolen a wagon full of money before the law closes in. They cards to see who will take the fall and Jerry stays behind and gets sent to the brig for five years.

As he returns home, he learns that Seagull never helped his wife and child, which explains why his home is deserted. Even worse, when his villainous ex-partner sends a gang to kill him off. He's helped by Winnie Getz (Dan Duryea, The Burglar), who tells Seagull that he's killed Brewster, who goes along with this plan and takes the name Jim Houston.

Seagull had a very similar plan, as he's now known as Ken Milton, and has hired a crazed killer named Garcia Mendez (Henry Silva). And oh yeah - Seagull killed our hero's wife and had his son think that he was an orphan. Someone is gonna pay and that somebody is named Seagull. Or Milton.

This is a perfectly serviceable Italian western, livened up by Silva, who is always a great bad guy.

*This role was intended for Burt Reynolds.

Originally titled A River of Dollars and often retitled as Blood In The Hills & Dollar Power, the film remind me of the psychological Hollywood westerns of the 1950s in how bland, it is. Despite, being one of the earliest spaghetti westerns made after the Eastwood/Leone Italian Spaghetti western boom, in 1967. A lot of people have never heard of this movie. It's easy to understand, why. The reason why this film isn't going to stand out, much is because how genetic the plot is. The revenge plot isn't anything new, to the Western genre, as if it was often used in previous films like Marlon Brando's 1961's film, One-Eyed Jacks. Directed by Carlo Lizzani, a former film critic and veteran director of a multitude of spy thrillers and war dramas, the movie tells the story of two ex-rebel soldiers, Jerry Brewster (Thomas Hunter) & Ken Seagull (Nando Gazzolo) fleeing toward the Mexican border in a wagon, having made off with a huge sum of money stolen from the United States government, during the end of the Civil War. Just before reaching the safety of foreign soil, they are intercepted by a U.S. army patrol and Jerry is capture and sent to a military prison. Five years later, Brewster is released and returns home to reunite with his wife and son. He soon finds out that his house is deserted, his wife has pass away, and his son is missing, all, because of Seagull's greed. Maddened by the betrayal, Brewster seek revenge, over his former-friend, in hope, of finding his missing son. Without spoiling the movie too much, you can clearly see, by the appearance of the film's main actor, Thomas Hunter, that he was hired, because how much, he looks like Clint Eastwood. Thomas Hunter isn't a bad actor, but he does overacted a bit. He mostly does a very earnest performance. I can't say, the same with Henry Silva's performance, as the Seagull's psychopathic henchmen, Garcia Mendez. Silva laughs, sings and snarls his way through the film. He was, way over-the top and surreal. He did have some of the most entertaining dialogue in the film. I love his quote about Brewster winning the right to work on his ranch. That was kinda funny. Still, his over-screaming of dialogue was a bit much and was very annoying, but he made it up with his sinister look in the film. It remind me, of a male version of the actress Rosie Perez. You can't stand them, but you like them, enough, to buy into, them, being the villains. Silva's character was modeled after Dirk Bogarde in the 1961's film, The Singer not the Song. Silva's performance was very influential to other actors such as Jack Palance. Jack probably based his character Ricciolo AKA Curly in 1968's film, 'A Professional Gun' on Silva's character. Dan Duryea looks way too old and tired, but turns in a touching performance as the stranger Getz, whose identity and motivation are only revealed in the film's final scene. Nicoletta Machiavelli is hauntingly beautiful as Mary Ann, Seagull's sister. She's a looker. I wish, they had, more for her character, but I'm alright with the amount of screen time, she was given. The movie has some strange bad dubbing, and the facial expressions that go along with it, don't match. It adds to the unintentional humor. The action is pretty good. Director Carlo Lizzani does good work here, mixing solid camera-work throughout most of the film with some neat touches including a Corbucci-esque style close-up fistfight. The best scene had to be the Saloon, toward the middle. Toni Secchi's cinematography is quite inventive with a camera shooting through windows, doors and interstices, giving the viewer the impression that the hero is in the middle of the most of the action. A set piece in which Mendez and his men massacre the patrons of an Austin saloon plays without music, lending the sequence a disturbing brutal realism. Similarly, the final shootout in the streets of Austin unfolds with little underscore. In my opinion, it's pretty forgettable. The tattoo cutting scene might be winced-worthy, but it's pretty tame for today's standards. The tone throughout is generally quite dark although there are a few light hearted moments, that stop it becoming too grim. Pacing is very good. The script was often tampered with, and a lot of things, went deeply wrongs like the feel good ending. I like how weird, it is, with deceased characters suddenly reappeared. I guess, prolific, Oscar-winning producer Dino De Laurentiis didn't like, the downer ending. The feel-good ending is a little too American Western in style, but this is only a minor criticism. Ennio Morricone provides a suitable music score under the pseudonym Leo Nichols. Most of it was alright. The big, brassy theme here wasn't one of his better works, but still adds great atmosphere to the film. It does get overplayed too much, and become a bit annoying as the film drags along. The bittersweet love song, "Home to My Love," is performed by Italian singer Gino Spiachetti is pretty forgettable. The movie has aged well, due to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios & United Artists, coming in, and saving the prints. They did a pretty good, DVD transplant. While, it shows some grain in places. Most of the film footage is very clean and bright. The full screen version (pan and scan of the widescreen original) has contrast problems, making it difficult to see exactly who or what is on screen in some scenes. I really can't understand why MGM have bothered to include this far inferior version of the exact same cut of the movie on the disc at all. In 2008 there was a documentary developed about this spaghetti western entitled, 'A History of Dollars'. It's also worth- checking out. Overall: The Hills Run Red is a welcome addition to anyone's spaghetti western collection. It's an enjoyable movie. Pretty watchable.

First of all,I'd have to say:That this is one of the most under rated Spaghetti Westerns of all times.It is a revenge story with incredible performances from Actors,Screenplay,and Stunt performances.Even the dubbing is superb.Thomas Hunter is great,and of course Henry Silva.It has all the good ingredients a good Western should have,yet it does not have the typical violence,and what we got from Leone and Corbucci,in general.Lizzani shows us a typical revenge story,with wonderful dialog and great music from Morricone.It's a real paradox that the Italians made better Westerns than the Americans did,after The Wild Bunch etc.(just an example).Just take a look at the Horror Master Mario Bava and what he did for the Horror genre! Long live Carlo Lizzani,and for being a fan of a genre that sadly died out during the 70's.Long live Italian Cinema!

"The Hills Run Red" is a spaghetti western to be sure but it is bolstered by having Thomas Hunter play the lead, Henry Silva as the all in black gunman and veteran Dan Duryea as Hunter's ally. Of course, you'll have to put up with the poor dubbing of the Italian actors and the customary loud music that is prevalent in these films.

Jim Houston (Hunter) and Milton (Nando Gazzolo) are two rebels on the run with stolen Union money ($600K) at the end of the American Civil War. Chased by Union soldiers, the two decide to split up with Houston continuing the chase and Milton absconding with the money. Houston is arrested, roughed up and sent to prison for 5 years. Milton meanwhile, has kept all of the money and become "the most powerful rancher in these parts". Houston's wife is left destitute, losing their ranch to the bankers. Milton refused to help her out and she subsequently dies leaving their young son Timmy (Loris Loddi) to fend for himself.

Houston is released from prison, takes on the name of Brewster and returns home to find his wife and child gone. He swears revenge against his former partner who now goes by the name of Seagull. He employs an all in black gunfighter names Mendez (Silva) who leads a group of gunmen who enforce Seagull's wishes.

Brewster is helped fend off Mendez' gunmen by a stranger known only as Winnie Getz (Duryea). Getz, unbeknownst to Brewster is an undercover army officer looking for the stolen funds.

The rest of the movie has Brewster rallying the townsfolk to attack Seagull's herd of horses and Mendez' retaliation in the town. Many bodies pile up on both sides. Finally there is a showdown between Brewster and Mendez, followed by the inevitable confrontation with Seagull/Milton.

Henry Silva is way over the top as the laughing, complete with close ups, villain. Dan Duryea, in one of his last films, takes the acting honors in this one. He was always good. As the romantic interest, we have Nicoletta Machiavelli playing Milton's sister Mary Ann.

Above average but still a clone of the Clint Eastwood trilogy.

Here is a Spaghetti Western that is from early enough in the genre's brief history that is seems colorful, fresh, enthusiastic and straightforward -- much more like a "traditional" Western that its later, more cynical counterparts.

The little-seen American actor Thomas Hunter stars in a lush Dino DeLaurentiis production that is a brisk and intensely violent if simple revenge saga. Hunter and Nando Gazzolo play robbers that are apprehended by soldiers after a big heist. The men quickly determine one can run with the loot if the other takes the rap for the crime. A simple draw of the cards (Hunter picks an 8 against his partner's Jack) means that Hunter is sent away for five years. Upon his release, Hunter finds Gazzolo has become a wealthy miser with no inclination to share his bounty. With help from American Western veteran Dan Duryea as a helpful Samaritan whose intentions seem to good to be true, Hunter sets to battle Gazzolo and his henchmen, led by the outrageously evil Mendez (Henry Silva).

I really liked Thomas Hunter's squinty-eyed ferocity in this flick -- he is like a flipside of Clint Eastwood's brusque-demeanored persona. Hunter narrows his eyes and grits his teeth plenty, but also manages to cut loose with wildly flailing fists in several nice hand-to-hand combat scenes, including an exciting ambush of Hunter in his family's abandoned barn. He also has a few maniacal outbursts in which he literally howls to the sky in frustration, which you definitely do not see in a Western very often. In fact, both hero Hunter and villain Silva are enthusiastically intense in their performances with Silva especially chewing scenery like he hasn't eaten for days. Silva's portrayal of Mendez is halfway between a posh, refined Mexican Caballero and a proud, crazed, black-leather-clad savage. As his men unsuccessfully attempt a capture of Hunter early on, Silva gleefully holsters his pistol so that he may fervently applaud his adversary. One great moment of many for Silva in the flick, he is terrific.

Also noteworthy in the cast are Duryea, as Hunter's ardent and everpresent ally, playing it solid and simple; Gazzolo in his small part as the cowardly, weirdly effeminate turncoat; and lovely redhead Gianna Serra as a two-timing saloon singer, whose sassy bravado and piled-high hair bring to mind a wild west version of B-52's singer Kate Pierson.

The scenery and photography here are lavish for the genre -- filled with beautiful vistas and big-scale, epic sequences suggesting the pic was not done on the cheap. One of the most impressive scenes is the bad-guys' dramatic horse-trail ambush which includes huge, flaming bundles of tinder rolled down a mountain to scatter the horses. The acting business is well-handled, too, with a highlight being the intense scene where Hunter finally reveals himself to his rival, verrry slowly lifting his head til his eyes are visible from under his hat.

The big, brassy theme by Ennio Morricone also aids in the film's cause, as it is a powerful, unsubtle blast of a tune that is reminiscent of the famous MAGNIFICENT SEVEN sound. It is an appropriate scene-setter for the brisk, bold vibe of THE HILLS RUN RED.

The verdict? A forthright, spirited and easy-to-watch Western and one to recommend. 7/10 stars.

Two ex-confederate soldiers, Jerry Brewster and Ken Seagull(pronounced Segal), head home at the end of the Civil war with a stash of stolen government money. However they are caught by union troops and Ken is fortunate enough to escape, although Jerry serves five gruelling years in prison. When he is released Jerry heads home to Texas only to find Ken in a corrupt position of power as a rancher who dominates most of the territory. Jerry becomes increasingly enraged when he learns that his wife was driven to an early grave by Ken who evicted her from her land and took Jerry's baby son. Demoralised and angered by his "friend's" betrayal, it isn't long before Jerry's death is ordered by Ken. Consumed by hatred, Jerry sets out to destroy Ken and his empire.

Carlo Lizzani's oft filmed tale of greed and revenge in the old west is a highly enjoyable affair. The Hills Run Red has all the traits of a 50s B western, still it's just a little too violent to be made by Hollywood but definitely not as grotesque as other spaghetti westerns. Some of the performances were rather over-the-top. Little known American actor Thomas Hunter makes for an inspiring hero in Jerry Brewster, his athleticism means the role is tailor-made for him and his obsessive rage is exploited to great effect. Rising Hollywood star Henry Silva was quite hammy as bandit leader Mendez to the point of being hilarious. He wasn't as menacing as I would have liked and his death is overly melodramatic. Dan Duryea was a favourite in Universal's B westerns throughout the 1950s(Waco Johnny Dean in Anthony Mann's Winchester 73 anybody?)and here he makes his only spaghetti western appearance as Colonel Winny Getz, a gunman who aids Jerry in his quest for retribution. The gorgeous Nicoletta Machiavelli was also excellent as Ken Seagull's sister Mary-Ann. The action scenes were nothing short of enthralling. The movie commences with a rollicking horseback chase and later on we have a riotous shootout in the saloon. There's even some fantastic dynamite-tossing action near the end as Jeff and Colonel Getz take on Mendez' gang in a sequence featuring amazing stuntwork. The fistfights were also really good and I was surprised to learn that the film was scored by Ennio Morricone, as always the maestro does it again with a roaring soundtrack that can only be defined as superb. The song "Home To My Love" was rather beautiful, although again it's like something you would hear in a mid 60s Hollywood western. The happy ending was extremely Hollywood-esque, however it was refreshing to see such positivity in a spaghetti western.

A terrific spaghetti western with a fine soundtrack and rousing action. Highly recommended.8/10

This is certainly not a masterpiece. However, it's a western and a good one. It has betrayal, vengeance, gun fights, fist fights, ambush, dynamite. The best aspects of the film is the cinematography. You can tell this guy thought about his shots, and moved with the action. After watching hundreds of movies in the past few years and reading their reviews the good, the bad and the ugly, I have vicariously experienced the point of view of hundreds of my fellow movie watchers. The acting was good. But the dubbing was mediocre to bad. This isn't the actor's fault. Thomas Hunter was a good lead, sometimes a bit over the top. But it was refreshing to see at least someone try to portray anger. Henry Silva looked the part, but his "crazy" was way over the top. The music was good, but not great. Morricone has done far better. Nicoletta Machiavelli was beautiful, but her role was just a side character. Dan Duryea was good. All other actors were just passable. Tons of action. The opening with the wagon chase and crash. The beat down. Hunter ambush at his home and fight. Hunter at the saloon. Hunter against Silva's men. The ambush with the horses. Silva's men killing the townsfolk in the saloon. Silva's men getting killed in the town. Silva's death was, again, over the top. The big guy getting killed in the end was mediocre. Nicoletta gets shot, but then is pictured in the end. A happy edited ending? Hunter reunites with his son, given a sheriff's job and a fresh start.

The script is good. But not great. It's functional. The beginning betrayal reminded me of One Eyed Jacks with, one bandit going to prison, and the other taking the money and living it up. But that's where it ends. For the record, One Eyed Jacks is a garbage movie. Please find and read my takedown of that trash film. There's a reason why it is the Only film direct by Marlon Brando. It's kind of hard to see how stupid your acting is when you're the one acting and nobody tells you that you have dirt on your face. Jacks is an amateur mess. While I'm at it, I rewatched another film, The Last of the Mohicans, 1992. What a pile of pure trash. I'm working on that review now. First off it's not about the Mohicans. It's about the adopted white son of a Mohicans, and his stupid adventure in trying to save a couple of daughters of a British commander in the French and Indian War. If I was Native American I would be happy that some of my kin were given employment in the film, but would be insulted by the bait and switch.

Back to this film, after seeing so much brain dead films, it's refreshing to see that what we have here is a professional and entertaining film.

7 stars. 10 for balance.