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 capitalise on this new, uniquely Italian take on the western, which was characterised by their deeply cynical outlook, morally compromised antiheroes and unflinching depictions of savage violence. This specially curated selection gathers together four outstanding examples of the genre from the height of its popularity, all centred 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 terrorising travelers Ray (Lou Castel, Orgasmo) and Bridget (Ana Maria 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.
- Region Code:
- Region B
- Duration:
- 370 minutes
- Original Language:
- Italian
- Extras:
- Language(s): Italian, English, Hard of Hearing Subtitles: English, Subtitles: English, Interactive Menu, Screen ratio 1:2.35, Screen ratio 2:1.85, Mono, Bonus Footage, Commentary: '$10,000 Blood Money': Lee Broughton (author/film historian); 'Vengeance Is Mine': Adrian J. Smith and David Flint (critics); 'Find a Place to Die': Howard Hughes (author/critic); 'Matalo! (Kill Him)': Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson (critics), Documentaries: 'Tears of Django'; 'Cain and Abel'; 'Traditional Figure'; 'Untold Icon', Image Gallery, Interviews: Mino Loy (producer), Ernesto Gastaldi (screenwriter); Nora Orlandi (composer), Giuliano Carnimeo (director), Davide Pulici (film-maker), Reversible sleeves featuring original artwork and a slipcover featuring newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx; Original Italian and English front and end titles; Introductions to each film by Fabio Melelli (journalist/critic), Trailers
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