At
the end of the Civil War, two ex-Confederate soldiers have stolen a
large payroll shipment and are on the run from Union soliders. They
make a deal that on the draw of a card, one will stay and take the
blame while the other will jump off and hide with the money. Jerry
(Thomas Hunter) loses the bet and takes five years in prison - when he
comes out he find that Ken has not kept to his side of the bargain.
Jerry's old family home is destitue and a note from his wife explains
that she was told he had died in the war - when gunmen attack him at
the house, Jerry is sure that Ken has betrayed him and sets out to get
his revenge...
Made during the boom year for the genre, The Hills Run Red was scripted by Piero Regnoli (who had previously worked on Sergio Corbucci's Navajo Joe
(1966)) and is really none too original, a basic revenge storyline that
would crop up a hundred times down the years. Fortunately Regnoli
focuses his energy on giving the plot a good backing with some
effective characterisation and a generally strong script throughout.
Interestingly the character of Ken is actually quite minor compared to
Mendez the chief farm hand, who quite realistically seems to run the
show at the ranch. The tone throughout is generally quite dark although
there are a few light hearted moments, mostly thanks to Getz, that stop
it becoming too grim. Pacing is very good and thanks to the effective
characterisation, the climax is genuinely tense and gripping.
Director
Carlo Lizzani (credited as Lee W. Beaver) does good work here, mixing
solid camerawork throughout most of the film with some neat touches
including a Corbucci-esque close-up fistfight. The direction, like the
script, keeps the emphasis on the realistic and so the fight scenes
leave the characters plausibly bloody and they carry the scars the rest
of the film. Ennio Morricone (credited as Leo Nichols) gives the film
an effective soundtrack with a typically distinctive opening song -
although the main theme does seem to crop up a little too often.
American
lead actor Thomas Hunter had just made his film debut, in another
Italo-Western, when he starred here. Fortunately this lack of
experience doesn't stop him turning in a strong and very convincing
performance and he works well with fellow countryman and Western
veteran Dan Duryea as his partner, and the Italian actor Nando Gazzolo
as his rival. The scene stealer however is yet another American actor,
Henry Silva - looking genuinely Mexican he is able to balance the
character's humanity and anger very well and even his maniacal laugh
isn't hammed up, an outstanding performance and it is a pity that this
was his only Spaghetti Western.
The script's lack of originality sadly stops The Hills Run Red
from being classified in the genre's upper echelons but it is
undoubtedly one of the best midcard entries thanks to a fine script,
impressive production and an outstanding performance from Henry Silva.
It comes recommended to Spaghetti Western fans who want to explore the
genre's lesser known entries.
In brief:
Anyone famous in it?
Henry Silva - a little known American who became a Euro-crime star after starring in La Mala ordina (1972)
Directed by anyone interesting?
Carlo Lizzani (as Lee W. Beaver) - best known for directing Rod Steiger in The Last Days of Mussolini (1977) he also helmed the Spaghetti Western Requiescant (1967) and a large number of minor Italian films.
Any gore/violence?
A number of deaths and some light blood.
Any sex?
No
Good soundtrack?
Another solid score from Ennio Morricone - like most of his early work, it was written under a pseudonym.
Who is it for?
A solid Spaghetti Western midcard entry that genre fans should certainly track down.
The DVD
Visuals
Original Aspect Ratio - 2.35:1. Anamorphically Enhanced. Colour Picture quality is generally strong with only light damage and a little grain.
Audio
English
mono - sounds fine although the dubbing is not perfect - a few lines
and effects seem to be missing (almost certainly a fault on the
original audio track).
Subtitles
None
Extras
None
Region
Region 2 (UK, Europe) - PAL
Other regions?
Available
on an almost identical US R1 disc from MGM, which also includes a low
quality fullscreen version. A Japanese R2 release contained a
non-anamorphic transfer. Expected from Koch Media in Germany later in
2008.
Cuts?
Believed to be fully uncut. Print is English language.
Summary
Hardly the most original storyline but the script is otherwise sound and the film looks great. Recommended to genre fans.
A solid DVD release, seems to be the same as the US release.
