Cry for revenge (I morti non si contano) (1968)

[Banjo]

Review of CRY FOR REVENGE(Rafael Romero Marchent,1968)

This movie begins with a pre-credit sequence in which the wife of a  man called Reed mirror signals a lone gunman to shoot dead her husband as he rides away from her and their son.

Next we're introduced to two opportunistic happy go lucky bounty killers Fred(Anthony Steffen) and Johnny(Mark Damon) who upon seeing a "wanted poster" offering a reward $15,000 for the massacre of a  rancher Clayton and his family attempt to trick the Sheriff(Piero Lulli) of Blackstone out of the bounty by posing as the captor and killer.But the Sheriff is wise to this so throws the two friends into jail to punish them,but Johnnys consficated gun is recognised by the Sheriffs close acquaintance Steve Rogers as the firearm of Reed murdered 20 years ago.Rogers is now married to the widow Reed,neither the gun or her son have been seen in all those years,so the now Mrs  Rogers suspects backmail or revenge.
So Fred and Johnny are released and set about hunting down the real killers of the Claytons and other local ranch families who are systematically being massacred,and they soon begin to suspect the motives of both the Sheriff and Rogers,and the bounty hunters are also very curious about why Rogers is so interested in how Johnny acquired the pistol.

This is a very enjoyable sw from Marchent which includes great humour and chemistry between both Steffen and Damon.The plot is complex but engaging as the partners eventually figure out the protagonists and reasons behind the murders and in between we see plenty of action as Fred and Johnny effortless pick off all the bad guys sent to kill them with ease and much imagination.

The musical score by Marcello Giombini is a total mixture of Morriconesque,jazz and traditional styles.

A recommended 7 out of 10

[titoli]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063853/

http://www.spaghettiwestern.altervista.org/morti_non_si_contano.htm


This makes easily a best 50, maybe even 40 list. It is good from start to end and it never lets you down, in spite of having nothing original as to plot. Two bounty killers (Steffen and Damon) engage a war against  a gang of ruffians (led by Induni and his sidekick, the sheriff Lulli abetted, in the end, by Baldassarre) which terrorizes landowners into signing out their properties which are going to become valuable with the passing railroad (my gosh, I have to write this once a week). But there's a secondary plot involving Induni's wife and his son. The two plot lines merge faultlessly and the narrative rhythms never abate. The narrative has that touch of comedy which suits perfectly Damon and (though it's painful to watch him playing) Steffen. And when you're relaxed in the narrative rhythm, an unexpected event jolts you over the chair, also thanks to Marchent's inventive direction (the episode of Baldassarre terrorizing DAmon's girl family is wonderful). The cast is (as SW go) stellar.  Only the Ortolani's score  is barely sufficient. 8\10.

[titoli]

Banjo. the score was by Giombini? I'm watching too many movies these days...

[The Firecracker]

Banjo. the score was by Giombini? I'm watching too many movies these days...

You're both right.
Some prints state Giombini composed the score and other versions say Riz did it.
Tom Betts told me RIZ was the true composer but conflicting accounts have lead me to determine that this mystery is unsolvable at the moment.

[TheManFromWilderness]

  in my opinion the music carries typical  Marcello Giombini tunes, I have never heard this kind of melody from Ortolani.
PS: I have 2 different copy and both of them credited Marcello Giombini

[The Firecracker]

  in my opinion the music carries typical  Marcello Giombini tunes, I have never heard this kind of melody from Ortolani.
PS: I have 2 different copy and both of them credited Marcello Giombini

The Spanish print credits RIZ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6BhBxgkWko
 (check out the credit at 2:00)

[TheManFromWilderness]

thanks, Probably this score will be available on cd & will see the who is the real composer.