Death Rides a Horse (1967)

An Italian-made (Spaghetti) Western in which four bandits brutally assault and murder an innocent family in their own home, leaving a young boy orphaned and shaken; it's a night of blood and fire that the youth never forgets. Fifteen years later he sets out to put an end to the horror.
There are clear influences from Leone, which is no surprise, but Dir. Giulio Petroni adds some impressive ideas of his own into the mix.
Lee Van Cleef is naturally excellent. If John Phillip Law had managed to recreate even half the charisma of Clint and not just display a similar taste in clothes, then Death Rides a Horse could've been a genuine classic of the genre. It narrowly misses out on being so, but it's still a damn fine addition and even has master composer Ennio Morricone on score duties.

3½ bad investments out of 5