In the mid-1960s, the runaway success of Sergio Leone's "Dollars" trilogy gave rise to an explosion of similar productions. Filmmakers by the dozen sought to capitalize on this new, uniquely Italian take on the western, which was characterized by their deeply cynical outlook, morally compromised antiheroes and unflinching depictions savage violence. This specially curated selection gathers together four outstanding examples of the genre from the height of its popularity, all centered around the theme of blood money.
In Romolo Guerrieri's $10,000 Blood Money (1967; a.k.a. $10,000 for a Massacre), Gianni Garko — best known for his portrayal of supernatural gunslinger Sartana — takes on the part of another beloved western antihero, Django, who is on the trail of bandit Manuel Vasquez (Claudio Camaso, A Bay of Blood). But what started as a job for hire soon turns personal, with Django swearing vengeance against the unscrupulous outlaw. Then, in the film's spiritual successor, Giovanni Fago's Vengeance is Mine (1967; a.k.a. $100,000 for a Killing), Garko and Camaso once again lead the cast, this time as estranged half-brothers — one a Confederate soldier now riding with renegade outlaws, the other a bounty hunter tasked with bringing him in alive.
Next, in Giuliano Carnimeo's Find a Place to Die (1968), Jeffrey Hunter (The Searchers) plays Joe Collins, a disgraced former soldier who assembles a ragtag band of scoundrels. They are lured into helping a woman (Pascale Petit, A Queen for Caesar) to rescue her prospector husband, who is trapped at their gold mine cave-in — though in reality, they have designs on the gold strike themselves. Finally, in Cesare Canevari's psychedelic Matalo! (Kill Him) (1970), double- and triple-crosses abound as a band of outlaws, having holed up in an isolated ghost town, set about terrorizing travelers Ray (Lou Castel, Orgasmo) and Bridget (Ana María Mendoza, 7 Women for the MacGregors) — only to get more than they bargained for when Ray fights back, armed only with his weapon of choice: a bag full of boomerangs.
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