ma-cortes
Passable Western being well starred by ordinary genre stars as Robert Woods , Antonio Casas , Jose Luis Martin , among others . The film packs action , shootouts , drama , treason , high body-count and it's fast moving , being quite entertaining and approaching increasingly American style , but keeping some details that make it special in this particular genre . Colonel Jackson (Antonio Casas) assigns a dangerous mission to Capt. Roy Dexter (Robert Woods)of the U.S. Cavalry : to escort a fortune in Confederate gold coins . But outlaws ambush the little detachment and only Dexter survives the attack . At a martial court Roy was subsequently accused by a false witness (Antonio Molino Rojo) and a prosecutor (Gerard Tichy) ; being defended by a defending military lawyer (Miguel De La Riva) . Then , Roy is wrongly convicted to life prison and hard labor for the dark betrayal of his colleagues . After long time of heavy physical labor in a painful jail , the former soldier breaks out , carrying out a spectacular escaping from the infernal prison. After that , Dexter , helped by a Mexican bandit (Tomas Torres), sets about tracking down and exposing the true culprits . He becomes a two-fisted gunslinger desperately wanting to deliver justice and vengeance . It is an exciting Chorizo or Tortilla/Macarroni western that contains a story full of thrills , violence , good dramatic pace and slick direction . Agreeable Butifarra-Spaghetti Western mostly produced by Spain and Italy ; being proceeded in American style more than Sergio Leone wake , but also including close-ups , zooms , and choreographic duels . All in all, this film is predominantly a Spanish film rather than an Italian one and it results to be a special rendition inspired by The count of Montecristo by Alexandre Dumas . It's a two country co-production but is clearly dominated by the Spanish contingent and the traditional leanings of the Spanish producers of the time have their stamp on the entire proceedings . The Spanish westerns of this era were far more likely to try and emulate their American source material than cultivate a distinctive style of their own the way the Italians were doing but their product , though here is developed in the US wake with brief Spag remarks . It's a thrilling western with spectacular scenes and breathtaking confrontation among protagonist Robert Woods and heartless enemies as well as dubious US officers and nasty gunfighters . It's a middle-budget film with ordinary actors , professional technicians , adequate production values and pleasing results . As lighthearted as can be, "4 Dollars of Revenge" is very reminiscent of the bygone American western feature from the golden era of Saturday matinees with a twist of the "Euro" filmmaking style . If you've seen even one vintage B-Cowboy picture, you've probably figured the whole ending . Charismatic performance for the whole casting . "Four Dollars for Vengeance" is well starred by Robert Woods as cavalry captain sentenced to life in prison on the false belief he masterminded a criminal ambush . Robert starred several Tortilla/Ravioli Western as "Five Thousand Dollars on One Ace" , "Seven Guns for the MacGregors" , ¨Black Jack¨, ¨El Puro¨, "Gatling Gun" , among others .. The notorious Spaghetti actor , Antonio Casas as Colonel Jackson is good in his ordinary role as an important secondary , he is famous from his character along with Lee Van Cleef in ¨The good , the bad and the ugly ¨ by Sergio Leone . In the film appears familiar faces from Tortilla or Spaghetti Western such as Jose Luis Martin , Gerard Tichy , Angelo Infanti , Osvaldo Genazzani , Tomas Torres , Gustavo Re . Being mostly filmed in a Western village located in ¨Splugues De Llobregat¨ (Barcelona) , and in Fraga (Huesca) , both of them resulted to be the locations where were shot lots of Western produced and directed by Catalan people as Alfonso Balcazar , J.J. Balcazar , Jose Antonio De La Loma , Juan Bosch, Ignacio F. Iquino , Jose Maria Zabalza and Julio Buchs , among others , because Almeria was too far and the landscapes bear remarkable resemblance . There are many fine technicians , nice assistant direction and appropriate set design , creating an evocative scenario . It contains and some decent photography throughout . While the print used contains its share of imperfections , mostly minor , the overall presentation of the film is average . Attractive as well as energetic musical score by maestro Angelo Francesco Lavagnino , including catching leitmotif and a few enjoyable musical queues. Atmospheric and evocative cinematography by Victor Monreal . "4 Dollars of Revenge" was professionally directed by Juan Jose Balcazar , although with no originality ; he managed to make a fluid and acceptable SW , though sometimes mediocre . Juan Jose Balcazar alongside his brothers Francisco Balcazar and Alfonso Balcázar produced and directed a lot of Tortilla or Butifarra Western , most of them starred by Jorge Martin or George Martin , Luis Davila , Daniel Martin or Robert Woods ; such as 1972 The return of Clint , 1972 Judas... ¡Toma Monedas! , 1968 Sartana no Perdone or Sonora , 1967 With Death on Your Back, 1966 Dinamita Jim , 1965 Doc , Manos De Plata , 1965 Viva Carrancho , 1965 Five Thousand Dollars on One Ace . Rating : 5'5/10 . Average though some moments entertaining . If you like traditional Spaghetti westerns remains watchable .
Scott LeBrun
This Italian / Spanish Western is set during the final days of the American Civil War. The handsome Robert Woods stars as Roy Dexter, a captain in the U.S. Cavalry. He's about to leave his military days behind in exchange for a political career. First, however, he must transport a fortune in gold coins, and he and his men fall into a trap set by bandits. Unfortunately, Roy is accused of conspiring with the bandits and sentenced to life in prison. He escapes, and masquerades as a Mexican outlaw while solving the mystery of who set him up.There are no major surprises in this lightweight but amiable film. It's no classic, but it's a decent example of its genre. The filmmaking is generally competent, with the kind of impressive widescreen photography and use of locations that we expect from this sort of thing. The period recreation is sound, and the music by Benedetto Ghiglia and Angelo Francesco Lavagnino is very nice. It's not Morricone, but it suits the film just fine. One of the writers is Bruno Corbucci, whose credits include the original "Django" and "The Great Silence", and the story is an entertaining one if not a great one.The performances are solid from much of the cast. Woods is engaging enough as the hero that one does root for him to clear his name. Dana Ghia does little more than stand around and look beautiful as the love of his life. Angelo Infanti is fine as Roy's friend Barry, as are Antonio Casas as Colonel Jackson, Jose Manuel Martin as gang leader Manuel de Losa, and the ubiquitous Gerard Tichy as the villainous governor Hamilton.All in all, this is adequate entertainment for devotees of European Westerns.Seven out of 10.
Wizard-8
Despite the presence of Bruno Corbucci with this production, "Four Dollars Of Revenge" is for the most part your typical spaghetti western. Now, I have to admit that I like spaghetti westerns, so I was fairly entertained by this. But on the other hand, the movie is not really that exceptional in any way that will attract viewers who are not fans of spaghetti westerns. It's not a movie to introduce people to the genre. Still, the movie moves at a fairly breezy pace, never becoming boring at any moment. There are several okay action sequences, including a final action sequence of a kind that you will probably not expect for a western, spaghetti or otherwise. So if you're a spaghetti western fan, you'll probably enjoy this modest effort.
FightingWesterner
In the waning days of the Civil War, politically ambitious Cavalry officer Robert Woods is ambushed by bandits, while transporting captured Confederate gold. Before long, part of the stolen loot mysteriously resurfaces at his home, leading to court-martial, imprisonment, escape and vengeance.There's nothing really new here and no real bankable stars. However, the Count Of Monte Cristo-like story is engaging enough. It's short and unpretentious, with colorful action sequences, a great score, and pretty good photography, all making this worth watching for fans of Italian westerns. A few good plot twists don't hurt either.Co-writer Bruno Corbucci went on to create, with his brother Sergio, some truly great westerns, Italian or otherwise.
