Blood Money: Four Western Classics Vol. — Blood Money( Blu Ray boxset)

From the fine folks at Arrow Video- both in the UK and stateside- here’s Blood Money: Four Western Classics Vol. 2.  It's a recent Blu-ray boxset bringing together four euro westerns/ Spaghetti westerns from between the late 1960s and the early ’70s. Each film gets a classy & crisp HD scan, as well as a new commentary track, and a good selection of extras. Plus an inlay booklet with new writing, a double-sided poster, and reversible sleeves for each film.

First out of the gate is $10,000 Blood Money (aka 10,000 Dollari Per Un Massacro). It’s from the year 1967 and features the infamous spaghetti western antihero Django- in one of the character's unofficial sequels.  With the plot regarding the bounty hunter being hired to rescue a landowner's daughter from a Mexican bandit- but he keeps switching loyalties.

The film was directed by Rome-born Romolo Guerrieri. Between the early 60’s and early 80’s, he has sixteen feature-length credits to his name- these go from romantic comedy Beauty On The Beach (1961). Onto atmospheric giallo The Sweet Body of Deborah (1968), through to offbeat poliziottesco-come-satire City Under Siege (1974), onto after the bomb-drops Sci-fi/ action film  L'ultimo Guerriero (1984).

The film opens in a fairly surprising place for a western- on the beach, with the sun playing on the sea. The camera moves into shore where we see Django - played by Gianni Garko- who went to play another spaghetti western character/ figure Sartana- a gunfighter & gambler who as well as his shooting skills, out-smarts those he faces.  Django is lying on the beach, and as we pan back further, we see he’s lying next to a dead man- who he soon slings over a horse, and rides back to a nearby town to get the price on the dead man's head.

Fairly soon we meet our other main character baby faced-yet-ragged black stubbled Manuel Vasquez (Claudio Camaso)- who is basically causing as much trouble as possible- stealing, killing, kidnapping and generally causing chaos. With him getting prouder the more money on his head. When we first meet him, he is massacred most of a small Mexican town- making his way to the grand house of bearded-yet-greyly balding Mendoza (Franco Bettella). The rich man seemingly got Manuel put in jail- and now he says he can have anything he wants, except touch his quiet dark-haired daughter Dolores (Adriana Ambesi). So, of course, the bandit takes her.

Mendoza goes looking for Django to take out Manuel- finding him in the backroom of the shop of twitchy & bespeckled photographer/ wanted poster maker Fidelius (Fidel Gonzáles). The rich man begs Django to help- adding more money to the price on Manuel- but he refuses due to greed and wanting more money.

One thing leads to another Manuel's henchmen take potshots at the bounty hunter, and Mendoza offers more money- so he focuses on tracking down Manuel and getting Dolores back- but as you’d imagine things don’t quite go to plan- with changing loyalties, heartbreak, and double crossings.

Acting-wise Garko is great as the antihero liberally switching sides at the toss of a coin- and he has a great brooding/ ragged look about him too.  Equally, Camaso is most effective as the seemingly completely moral-less bandit- who will kill or leave his henchmen at the throw of a knife.

We get as you’d expect a fair bit of gunplay- which is well presented, though not overtly bloody. With some nicely memorable rain-bound nighttime shootouts, as well as a few nasty gun downs. The Django character is far from bulletproof- and he gets in a few bloody near-death situations. Along the films one hour and thirty-seven-minute runtime one is very much held- as you just don’t know what the morally unpredictable characters will do next-  we also get moments of heartbreaking loss, and a rather memorable buried-in-the-sand scene.

$10,000 Blood Money is not really anything mould-breaking/ overtly distinctive- but it’s an entertaining gritty, sweaty, and morally unpredictable spaghetti western with some (fairly) surprising plot twists along its run.

Extra wise for this film we get the following.  A commentary with author and film historian Lee Broughton- who is somewhat of a euro-western expert, and his track is certainly very well researched/ knowledgeable- though at points his delivery is a little flat/ drab.  He begins by discussing Anglo pseudo-names a lot of genre actors took on, and the reason for this. He talks about Gianni Garko, and his other notable westerns. He gives a potted history of how the spaghetti western first came about & ended up running through until the late 70’s. He discusses notable scenes in detail- like our first visit to the photo/ wanted poster shop. He talks about repetition & differences in the genre, and sub-genre traits. Later on, he touches on the Mexican bandit stealing a would-be wife trait, and where it started.  He touches on what the film does differently from other films in the genre, and how it also ties into sub-genre traits. It was an interesting enough track with certainly worth- I just wish it had been a tad more animated.
Otherwise, we: A Shaman In The West (10.05) which finds Italian genre critic Fabio Melelli discussing the film. Tears of Django (21.58) a newly edited featurette with archival interviews with director Romolo Guerrieri and lead actor Gianni Gark. The Producer Who Didn’t Like Western Movies (14.18) on-camera interview with producer Mino Loy. How the West Was Won (19.21) on camera with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi. Original Italian trailer. 

 

Film number two in the set is 1967’s Vengeance Is Mine ( Per 100.000 Dollari T'ammazzo).  And it regards a bounty hunter tracking down his half-brother- who has very much gone off the rails. It was shot around Almería, Andalucía, Spain- with sets filmed back in Elios Studios, Rome. And boy it’s visually a very sweaty & dusty affair.

The film was helmed by Rome-born Giovanni Fago. Between the late 1960’s and early 2000’s he had just eight feature films to his name, and this was his directorial debut. His other output went from the thought-provoking Western drama Viva Cangaceiro (1969), onto tame poliziotesschi Kidnap (1974), through to the historic drama Pontormo (2004). As debuts go Vengeance Is Mine is a competently shot, composed, and evenly enough paced film. Though as a spaghetti Western, it’s somewhat middling, if entertaining enough.

The film's lead is Johnny Forest (Gianni Garko) a cunning, if somewhat flat & monotone bounty hunter. When we first meet him, he’s hiding out in lead- lined coffin in an abandoned church- while waiting for his next set of wanted men. The scene is a real highlight- as the men look around the church with moody, at points almost horror-feed organ music playing- with a nice feeling of both tautness & moodiness.

 As we move on, we meet a sleepy, boozed up, and elderly marshal paying him for his kills, and when in his office he sees a wanted poster for his half-brother Clint(!?) played by Claudio Camaso- who had a rather more devilish Willam Shatner vibe about him. Clint is a Confederate deserter, turned crook- with his last robbery being a huge amount of gold & money from a stagecoach.

Also added into the mix we have Anne (Claudie Lange) who has another man's child- but is very much besotted with Johnny. And a good selection of other rough ‘n’ ready cowboys- chasing down Clint. The whole thing unfolds well enough- though the sunny seaside flashbacks are a little twee, and fake hazy.

On the plus side, we get some neat enough gunplay. Whiskey bottles are used as throwable bombs. Some quite tense & nasty torture-bound moments, and a predictable-if-moody enough resolve. The key issue here is Garko who doesn’t really have much charisma and is largely flat/ bland throughout. He starts to warm up a little towards the end- but not enough to make up for the rest of the film. Camaso is a good enough, often devilish grinning bad guy, and double-crossing. With the rest of the cast been ok.

I’d say Vengeance Is Mine is a passable enough spaghetti western- which is entertaining enough, though I can’t really see it having much re-watchability As it is more than a tad clichéd, and Garko is a rather dull lead.

On the extra side here, we have a commentary track with critics Adrian J. Smith and David Flint- I’ve heard a few tracks with these two now, and once again this is a most entertaining/well-researched affair. They start off by touching on the film's score, and its mix of normal Western cues & more doomy horror tropes. They talk about the visual genre tropes in the film, and how villains always seemed to have very sweaty & dirty looks. They point out notable faces in the supporting cast who have appeared in other Italian cult films. We get a bio of the lead actor- finding out he appeared in thirteen other westerns, as well as the pair point out other notable films, he was in. They talk about the use of flashback in the film, and how it tells its story. We get bios of the supporting cast/ other notable film roles. Later on, they do a deep dive into the other directors’ work, talk about the film's elements of grand tragedy, and more. Definitely worth a play track.

Otherwise, we have: Crime & Punishment (13.05) another intro/ overview of the film from Fabio Melelli. Cain and Abel (25.03) newly edited featurette with archival interviews with lead actor Gianni Garko and screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi. In Conversation with Nora Orlandi (15.34) re-edited interview with the film’s soundtrack composer. Movie After Movie- interview with producer Mino Loy.

 

The third film in the set is 1968’s Find A Place To Die (aka Joe... cercati un posto per morire!). And it’s a relatively tame boy's own adventure take on the spaghetti western format- which at points is almost quite mellow, though there are tinges of sadness here ‘n’ there. Its plot regards a renegade Confederate soldier, who helps a woman rescue her husband who is stuck outside their mine- which sits right in the middle of the bandits' territory.

It was helmed by Bari, Puglia, Italy-born Giuliano Carnimeo- between the late 1950’s and late 1980’s he has thirty-two feature-length credits to his name. These go from spoof Western Two Sons For Ringo (1966), onto four Sartana films- I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death (1969), Sartana’s Here... Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin (1970), A Present for You, Amigo... A Coffin from Sartana (1970), and Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming (1970). He helmed poliziani/ drama Anna: The Pleasure, the Torment (1973) which featured Edwige Fenech. As well as Sci-fi Action The Exterminators of the Year 3000 (1983), and bad taste small person brutal horror Rat Man (1988).

The film opens with husband-and-wife gold prospectors Lisa (Pascale Petit) and Paul (Piero Lulli) Martin being shot at in front of their mine. They manage to gun down the intruders- but Paul becomes stuck under collapsed wood supports- he tells Lisa to go and get help- handing her a bag of gold- with the nearest place being a two-hour ride away.

In a short time, Lisa rides into the ruins of a large stone church- here she finds a small settlement- where a young woman named Juanita (Daniela Giordano) is playing an acoustic guitar, and singing a sad song. Seemingly drinking himself to oblivion in the place's makeshift bar is Joe Collins (Jeffery Hunter)- he’s a renegade Confederate soldier- whose surviving from selling off from stash of guns he has.  She asks for Joe’s help, offers him the gold- but he’s not interested happy to drink, and hides out from the price on his head.  Listening to the pair's conversation is a group of shifty characters- who after Lisa finishes attack her. Joe jumps into help- slighty rust to begin with, but he manages to beat them all up. At this point, he decides he’ll help Lisa- bringing together a rag-tag band of men to get back through the bandits' territory to save Lisa’s husband Paul. These bring together a man giant who apparently is the guitar player's pimp, the Mexican who buying guns of Joe, a shady gloved priest, and a Mexican gunslinger.

The films’ settings/ locations are often very green and overgrown, and this helps add quite a lush feel to the proceedings. Its plot unfolds pretty much as you’d expect for this type of thing- with Joe often saving Lisa from the clutches of the bandits, and even his own men.

Acting-wise Hunter has a fairly laid back-if-slight melancholic vibe as Joe, though when needed he’s a sharpshooter with both a riffle & handgun. He gave me a feeling of a more ragged & less wired Wings Hauser. Otherwise, Petit is okay as the damsel in distress- though there is little depth to her character. The rag-tag band of men are entertaining- getting some good lines. We get some effective-if-bloodless gunplay, a few explosions, and a good enough pace/ flow to the story. All in all, I found Find A Place To Die a rewarding more laid-back & bloodless take on the spaghetti western, and I must say it stands as one of my favourite films in this set.

On the extras side, we get the following things. A commentary track with author and critic Howard Hughes. He begins by talking about the score by Gianni Ferrio, and its influences, as well as touching on a few of the composer's other scores. He gives bios of bit part actors as they appear and mentions other notable roles. We find out that the film is actually a remake of a 1954 Hollywood western entitled Garden of Evil. He talks about the Italian locations, and how possibly the film producers may have filmed a few scenes.  He chats about how he thinks the film is missing a decent villain. Later on, he discusses the rustic look of set dressing, the use of great 160 outdoor shots, and lots more. When Hughes started the track, I felt he was a little monotone, but as he went on, I noticed this less- and all in all, this was a most informative/ entertaining track. Otherwise, we get Venus & The Cowboys (11.45) which finds Fabio Melelli discussing the film/ giving it an introduction. Sons Of Leon (18.10) a newly edited archival interview with director Giuliano Carnimeo. Traditional Figure (31.17) which finds soundtrack collector/ expert Lovely Jon discussing the work of composer Gianni Ferrio- pointing out other notable soundtracks, and talking about the score to hand. As usual with Jon this is an excellent/in-depth extra. 

 

The fourth and final film in the set is 1970 Matalo! (Kill Him), And it’s fair to say it’s the wild card of the set. As it takes the spaghetti western form to its most experimental, odd, and at times unsettling depths.  I’m not sure if the film is a total success- but it was one hell of an experience.

The film was directed by Milan-born Cesare Canevari. Between the mid-1960s,  and 1983 he had only nine feature-length credits to his name. These go from glum arthouse drama A Man for Emmanuelle (1970), onto Nazi exploitation  The Gestapo's Last Orgy (1977), and sleazy giallo Killing of the Flesh (1983).

After the credits the film opens in fine unbalancing form- as we get a blend of odd-angle shots, swirling pans, and deliberately out-focused shots- all detailing a prison being led out of the sheriff’s offices to the gallows. The man has a green & white striped scarf/ tie on his short bob-like hair, and he’s dressed in rather grunge hippy-like attire. He doesn’t say anything- but instead makes a strange beeping sound. Shots fly just as the noose is put over his head- with the man being untied by two other similarly dressed horsemen. As things unfold the gang robs a carriage- gunning down all but one person- a young boy who they let go off on a horse.  They then head for a seemingly real ghost town to hide out- and here they come across a selection of characters who are belittled, taunted, and tortured by the three.

Plot-wise it’s a fairly simple affair- but visually and tonally it shifts from the disorientating, though to the demented, tripped out, and even a little creepy. The film's off-kilter flavour is enhanced by its soundtrack- which moves from droning electro-acoustic tones, onto free-form avant-jam rockouts, and creepy moans/ ambience.  The small main cast is largely ok to good. With moments of cruelty/ taunting mixed with gunplay, dreamy to jarring cutting, and most distinctive boomerang vs. gun fight.

I’ll certainly rank Matalo! (Kill Him) alongside the likes of El Topo as one-off weird westerns- though there is at times a more unpleasant/ cruel edge to proceedings.  But it most certainly is one of the most distinctive films on this boxset by a mile- and it’s a great way to finish the set-off.

On the extras side, we get a commentary track from critics/ track pros Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson- they start off a little slow, but fairly soon get into their groove, and we have another great/ informative track from these two. They talk about the film being an important/ unique Italian/ Spanish western. They discuss the score & its composer Mario Migliardi- who only did a few other scores, most notable for an Italian Sci-fi TV show. They point out the film's lack of dialogue, and its general use of sound. They talk about the state of the euro western in the year 1970- with there being a fair few comedies/parodies. They talk about how there seems no clear protagonist for much of the film and mention other notable strange/ off-beat westerns. Later on, they talk about the Western genre in general in the 60’s/ 70’s and how there were 100’s of films made during this period.  They comment on the English dub of the film and discuss the boomerang element of the film. How good the transfer looks, and the film's cinematographer. And of course, much more.

Otherwise, we get the following The Movie That Lived Twice (16.09) which finds Fabio Melelli discussing the film/ giving it an intro. A Milanese Story (44.42) it's an epic interview with filmmaker Davide Pulici discussing the work of director Cesare Canevari. Untold Icon (39.28) which sees Lovely Jon going deep into the career of composer Mario Migliardi, and of course discusses the score to hand.

 

In finishing Blood Money: Four Western Classics Vol. 2 severs up a good selection of different types of euro westerns. And as usual with an Arrow release- we get wonderful realized new scans, and a great selection of extras. I do hope we get a Vol. 3- as I know there are tons of other Euro western that are crying out to be uncovered & rediscovered.