Vengeance Trails (1966-70) Four Classic Westerns (Review)

Westerns have always been one of the more troubling genres for me, not because of any traits or questionable standards, on the contrary, I love martial arts cinema which is far more problematic on that level. My problem with westerns is that I am not a fan, and from the outside in – I have found that it readily leans towards the repetitive. That being said, when a movie does cut through that preconception it makes a big impact – Day of the Outlaw is one such example. A film decades ahead of its time that seems to bounce between sub-genres that haven’t spawned and won’t for a good few decades. With that personal context, I introduce the latest boxset to be released from Arrow Video – Vengeance Trails (Four Classic Westerns). Four movies that were produced in the spaghetti western era were born out of the success of Sergio Leone’s landmark trilogy, featuring directors within closer earshot to Horror with Lucio Fulci, Antonio Margheriti (Cannibal Apocalypse) and Massimo Dallamano (What have you done to Solange?).

Upon learning that Massacre Time was directed by the ‘godfather of gore’ himself, Lucio Fulci, I was shocked. As outside of a prolonged whipping scene it predates his trademark tics, traits that wouldn’t characterise his work until the early 70s. Going further, it is a tad vanilla. Supremely vanilla, in fact.

Genre mainstays Franco Nero and George Hilton are insultingly handsome estranged brothers in a town that has been taken over by the Scott family – Mr Scott (Giuseppe Addobbati) and his sadistic son, “Junior” Scott (Nino Castelnuovo). A family with a remarkable knack for graphic design, especially way back in the Old West. Nero’s relative has land taken from him by the Scott’s forcing him to return home for the first time in years. Upon returning he finds his brother, Hilton, has become an incorrigible drunk. Yet, it’ll take more than that to dissuade him with him taking it upon himself to bring up his issues with the despotic family. A decision that draws the ire of the sadistic whip wielding son, Junior, a man who his own father is scared of. This leads to the aforementioned whipping scene which seems to go on forever. A further Scott retaliation later, sees the two brothers head to the ranch with guns in hand on their very own vengeance trail(s). Of the four, this is the most by the numbers even in spite of the legacy of its director – it’s for that very reason why I keep returning to the whipping scene as outside of that, there is very little that lingers in the memory outside of the questionable third act melodramatics and the iconic swagger of the two leading men.

My Name is Pecos was directed by the name with the least cache in the set, Maurizio Lucidi. I opened this review by discussing the trouble I have with westerns, well this one hits upon two of my preconceptions. One of which has aged the movie horribly. Robert Woods is the titular Pecos, a “Mexicanos” gunslinger who turns up in a ‘Houston’ besieged by a racist gang-boss who treats people from Mexico as if they are a sub-species. Before his arrival the gang are enjoying absolute power, chasing off or killing anyone who questions their stranglehold, not that there are many people left to do that. Once Pecos arrives, he becomes a hero for the Hispanic and declares a one-man war on the man who murdered his entire family over the border.

It is well staged to satisfy the diehard but in invoking Mexico, it invokes the Zapata Western – a standard that it can’t even come close to. Whatsmore, in invoking Mexico, I have to bring up the fact that the leading man has had his skin darkened to look more Hispanic. A questionable creative decision, even then. I have to ask why Arrow chose this Spaghetti Western title of all the options out there when it fails to live up to any of the standards set up by its boxset mates.

In the latter two, we have the movies that make Vengeance Trails a worthy addition to the collection of any western fan, Bandidos especially. I’ll happily make this claim, this is up there with the best Westerns I have seen thanks in no small part to the visual splendour captured in the final shoot out. The scene in the barn shows the sort of artform defining cinematography, by Emilio Foriscot, that would go on to make Italian horror and the Giallo style landmarks to this day.

The plot for Bandidos is another string for why it stands out to such a degree. Many westerns are like kung fu movies where the plot is as simple as “let’s fight, they’re fighting words, lets fight”, not overly enjoying gunplay it is probably why I struggle to get along with Westerns. Here though, plot aplenty. Martin (Enrico Maria Salerno) is a former top marksman who is maimed by his former protégé Billy Kane (Venantino Venantini). Shot through the hands, and the sole survivor in a train heist that sees Kane’s gang brutally murder every single passenger. Years later, Martin teams up with a new apprentice, Ricky Shot (Terry Jenkins) in the hopes of somehow, someday getting his vengeance even if he is unable to pull the trigger. The relationship that this movie has with revenge is part of what makes it so entertaining. It’s not as black and white as the previous inclusions, this isn’t a simple tale of “man wants revenge so he gets it”. No, Massimo Dallamano (credited as Max Dillman) has far more moving parts at play, impressive world-building and that standout cinematography.

And God Said to Cain (Antonio Margheriti) is the last of the set, but far from the least. If you are feeling particularly generous you could make a decent case for this being an action-horror movie, much in the same way that people argue for Clint Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter (1973). Both Eastwood and Klaus Kinski appear as a furious spirit of vengeance; the theory in High Plains Drifter is that Eastwood plays a ghost wandering the lands delivering sweet vengeance and given the elusive nature of Kinski’s Gary Hamilton – he could be too. Especially considering the mirror gag in the scene where he finally gets his man.

The story in And God Said to Cain sees Kinski pardoned from his sentence in a chain gang in the middle of the desert plains. Without a second hesitation, he heads back to his home town and upon arriving he buys a horse, gun and ammunition with the few dollars he has left. When night falls and a tornado hits town, Kinski uses the church and adjoining catacombs to pick off his targets one by one. Kinski’s revenge is a laser focus on Peter Carsten (Acombar), who 10 years earlier framed him, had his loved ones betray him and send him to prison for the rest of his days. As he goes on to say, normal life isn’t for him anymore – he lives only for revenge – hence, the film follows a similar structure. The movie is given over to action set pieces, only these aren’t typical western shoot-outs, no, these see Kinski use the element of surprise in a way that would later be adopted by the slasher antagonist. There’s even a death involving a falling bell that wouldn’t be out of place in any slasher, also, the kill count is huge. This, a western with an immense headcount and the flair and style of horror coursing through its veins.

There we have it, Massacre Time, My name is Pecos, Bandidos and God said to Cain; the latter two are both excellent idiosyncratic entries into a white-hot era of Italian cinema. If you have an affinity for the Western, you will likely be more forgiving with the first two, too. Either way, you slice it, this Arrow Video boxset, Vengeance Trails, is more than worth the price of admission. Elsewhere in the set is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to interviews, new ones, especially. I lost count of the number of times an extra feature said “newly recorded in 2021”, it shows the lengths the people at Arrow went to in putting this release together. Add to that, the fact it has made this terminal non-fan a fan of two films in a genre I am at odds with – that should surely speak volumes of how good a release we have here.

THANKS FOR READING ROB’S REVIEW OF VENGEANCE TRAILS

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