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Tuesday, February 15, 2022

I CRUDELI / THE HELLBENDERS (1967)

Hoping to restart the South's recently lost Civil War with a coffin’s-worth of expired U.S. cash, Joseph Cotten and his three mismatched sons are on a killing spree, along with a heavily veiled tart posing as the coffin’s ‘widow.’  After massacring a squad of soldiers in an ambush to grab the loot, they ride thru Indian territory and small towns, even stopping at a military fort on their way home.  This bargain-basement war set-up a bit of a stretch in another B-list Spaghetti Western from director Sergio Corbucci, as usual running hot and cold on ideas & execution.  Here, impressive large-scale action sequences and better than expected acting.  Especially once the first ‘widow’ is offed, replaced by card-sharp Norma Bengell.  Even a satisfying finish on this danger-at-every-turn journey.  Too bad it comes at the end of the second act.   After that clever twist, the third act all forced nihilism in spite of a couple of decent surprises.  Corbucci not helping his case with lax staging and misjudged camera angles on smaller-scaled fights, close gun play & in-your-face punches that miss by a mile in spite of the usual comically loud dubbed sound effects.

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK:  Corbucci on a corpse-less coffin kick at the time, with DJANGO/’66 using one loaded not with corrupt cash, but a gatling gun.    https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2015/01/django-1966.html

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