Vengeance Trails: Four Classic Westerns

Although they were responsible for kick starting the genre when it was in decline, spaghetti westerns themselves can get ridiculously repetitive.  After all, Italian filmmakers were notable for beating a good idea to death in any genre, be it thriller, sex comedy or post-apocalyptic zombie cannibals.  So it’s a huge relief that Arrow’s new box set, Vengeance Trails, features four lesser-known titles that go out of their way to think outside of the corral.


Massacre Time (1966) will likely garner the most attention since it’s helmed by Lucio Fulci and features spaghetti stars Franco Nero and George Hilton as estranged brothers who come together to win back their family estate.  Fulci lays on the sadism here pretty thick for a guy who’d only directed comedies up to this point in his career.  Massacre Time is an action-packed precursor to his gory horror titles with a memorable “whip duel” and plenty of bullet holes.

 

My Name is Pecos (1966) is the most straightforward film in the collection but still takes the rather unusual route of putting a Mexican hero front and center (well, it’s actually Robert Woods in face paint and ridiculous eye tape…but the effort is still there).  Returning to his hometown to wipe out the gang who murdered his family, the film wastes no time getting to the good stuff.

 

Bandidos (1967) is the directorial debut of Massimo Dallamano who served as director of photography on Leone’s first two Dollars films.  And, man, does he put on a show!  Full of attention-getting dolly shots and clever camera set-ups, the film is a visual feast that stands up quite well against Leone’s work.  And the plot, involving a crippled marksmen who trains a young protégé to carry out his revenge, is interesting and complex in all the right places.

 

Finally, And God Said to Cain (1970) showcases Klaus Kinski in a rare good guy role as an ex-con who rolls into town intent on wreaking biblical vengeance against the man who sent him to prison and stole his woman.  Directed with gothic menace by Antonio Margheriti, this is a horror film in everything but name, staged in one long, stormy night as Kinski knocks off his enemies like a serial killer.

 

I can’t remember the last time I had more fun watching four consecutive films.  This is a seriously must-own set that supplements the extraordinary features – remastered in 2K from the original negatives - with tons of extras including commentaries, essential visual essays, interviews, trailers, alternate credits and more.

 

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