Take a Hard Ride (1975)

It's surely no coincidence that Lee Van Cleef is clad in dark colours in a lot of Westerns - it suits his persona to a tee. In Take a Hard Ride he's a determined bounty hunter on the trail of Fred Williamson and Jim Brown, two men who've formed an uneasy alliance in order to transport a $86,000 payroll through dangerous territory, back to its current legal Ranch owner.
Dir. Antonio Margheriti's cheap and quick approach to film-making makes everything feel a little schizophrenic at times, as does Goldsmith's score, but the part Spaghetti and part Hollywood blend is different enough from works with similar themes to make it all worthwhile. The great cast is another plus; Jim Kelly features, too, he says very little but leaves an impression.

3 snakes in a bag out of 5

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

The 20,000 Fathoms part of the title isn’t very relevant, but the Beast part certainly is. Stirred from slumber by scientists testing atomics somewhere in the Arctic, the creature causes havoc as it makes its way purposefully south. I don’t appreciate being rudely woken up, either, so I can kind of relate.
The script, 'suggested' by a short in Ray Bradbury's The Golden Apples of the Sun (1953) collection, toys with the psychology of witnessing the impossible, while exploring a more elaborate scientific reasoning with regards what's actually seen. But the best part of this particular creature-feature is the effects work by Ray Harryhausen. That's two Rays for the price of one.

3 differences of opinion out of 5

The Octagon (1980)

An unsuccessful date's end for most guys means returning home to sleep alone. Be thankful, because a failed date with Seduction-Chuck ends with ninjas and there isn't a tissue big enough to solve that problem.
In addition to cock-blocking stuntmen there's a terrorist group threat and a sly lady throwing spanners in the works. It's a lot for the action star to contend with, but Chuck doesn't have the emotional range to make his character anything other than functional, not that the script gives him much opportunity to even try. At best, it's like a live action Street Fighter II ending scenario.
His inner-voice has a bizarre echo effect, like his head is empty. And what's the deal with the angora vest? Oh, my bad, it's Chuck's manly chest hair.

2 red-tinted flashbacks out of 5

The Grand Duel (1972)

aka Storm Rider / The Big Showdown

Dir. Giancarlo Santi was Sergio Leone's A.D. on two of the greatest westerns ever made, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) and Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), so it's understandable that parts of Santi's first solo feature are heavily inspired by his working relationship with the Italian master.
It has an intriguing opening and an astonishingly good finale, but struggles to keep the momentum going in the middle section. The relationship between Lee Van Cleef and Alberto Dentice, a sheriff and a convicted criminal, respectively, is what keeps it afloat during that time. The music, too, is good.
Overall, I wouldn't include it on a list of genre greats, but I'd perhaps make it a wildcard selection for Western fans who might want to try something that's familiar but a little different at the same time.

2½ hiding spots out of 5

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

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

An ageing US senator has an 'old west' story to tell, one that he's been holding onto for decades, from before railroads connected the civilised parts of the country with the lawless parts. The majority of the film details it in flashback.
Stewart is an outsider lawyer who advocates non-violence. Wayne is a weathered cowboy who advocates gunfire if the situation calls for it. One is a talker, the other a doer. They nevertheless develop a strong respect for each other over time, but their differences remain.
The physical threat isn't as mean as he could've been, perhaps by way of avoiding overshadowing the emphasis placed on the relationships? I don't know. I do know that the comedy moments weakened the established tone a little too often for my liking. But the wrap up is excellent, and it's Wayne and Stewart in the same film! That makes it more than worth anyone's time.

3½ cactus roses out of 5

High Noon (1952)

Marshal Kane (Gary Cooper) is fixing to leave town, but when three gunmen ride in and quietly await the arrival of a fourth, a man that Kane sent to jail five years previously, things begin to get complicated for the lawman.
Shot in B+W but far from the same in character or tone, High Noon went hard against the grain, opting for a less romanticised setting than 1950s Westerns typically took. The nuts and bolts of its construction are plain to see in the early stages, but as the dreaded hour approaches the crisis of conscience that attacks the marshal takes on even more importance, achieving a perfect balance against a threat that makes its presence felt even when it isn't onscreen. Kane's ruminations and desperate actions, and the music that adds a dire urgency to both, become so utterly engaging that we feel every second ticking away the same as he does, in almost real time.

4 clock faces out of 5

The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972)

For reasons that are difficult to define, viewers are conditioned to accept a trilogy. But once a series goes to part four they begin to recognise that they’re being exploited. They refuse to watch it on principle. Experience tells them it’ll be shit, so it’s best not to even bother. It's primarily for that reason that I believe the fourth and final Magnificent Seven film gets ignored.
Lee Van Cleef plays the lead, a semi-retired marshal who talks himself into one last desperate stand against a monstrous enemy. It’s fair to say that the rest of the cast aren't as strong as they could've been, but the story more than makes up for it. It doesn't skip on motivation for Cleef and the moral ambiguity gets more attention than before, raising questions about whether killing or dying in the name of good can redeem a wicked soul or taint a kind one.

3½ long odds in pits out of 5

Escape from New York (1981)

Snake Plisskin is one of the best roles Kurt Russell ever had. He’s a kind of inner-city version of Clint Eastwood’s no-nonsense cowboy persona but with impaired depth perception. He’s military trained but cares little for authority, so when he’s offered the opportunity to gain a little more freedom from society’s grip (and keep his ass out of prison) Snake has little choice but to say yes. What follows is an action movie in the inimitable John Carpenter style filled with great characters, shifting shadows and a pulse courtesy of a score from the Carpenter/Howarth pairing.

4 nervous passengers out of 5

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

The third and final film in Leone's trilogy perfects the Italian 'Spaghetti' Western trademarks that he'd toyed with in the previous two films: the laughing bandit, the extreme close-up on the eyes, the time dilation, the three man stand-off and, of course, the unforgettable Ennio Morricone score. It clocks in at just under three hours, so it’s a long haul with a lot of story to assimilate, but it’s worth every bum-numbing minute.

4½ there are two types of men in this world... out of 5

For a Few Dollars More (1965)

Two bounty hunters go after the same target in the second film in Leone's Dollars Trilogy. Clint is the first of them, doing what he did before with an equal amount of unhurried, casual style. Lee Van Cleef is the other, dressed almost entirely in black attire and having a particular fondness for rifles.
Without a Kurosawa script to plunder the film plods along like a lame mule while it splits time across three different approaches to a single event. Leone enjoyed long-drawn narratives but it's fair to say the plotting was in need of refinement. Nevertheless, the well-drawn characters and cinematography are strong enough to keep viewer-interest until the threads come together. Plus, Morricone’s amazing score helps keep everything on track when Leone can't.

3½ long shots out of 5