THE SILENT STRANGER

Lo straniero di silenzio – Italian title
The Silent Stranger – U.S.A. title
Hiljainen muukalainen – Finnish title
Le cavalier et le samourai – French title
Der Schrecken von Kung Fu – German title
Der Fremde und der Samurai – German title
O cowboy kai o samurai – Greek title
Horseman and Samurai – English title
Samurai on a Horse – English title
The Stranger Takes All – English title
The Stranger III – English title
The Stranger in Japan – English title
 
A 1968 Italian, U.S.A., Japanese co-production [Primex Italiana (Rome), ABKCO Industries, Inc (New York City), Reverse (Tokyo)
Producers: Allen Klein, Tony Anthony (Roger Petitto), Roberto Infascelli
Director: Vance Lewis (Luigi Vanzi)
Story: Tony Anthony (Roger Petitto)
Screenplay: Vincenzo Cerami, Giancarlo Ferrando, Lloyd Battista, Tony Anthony (Roger Petitto)
Cinematography: Mario Capriotti [Metrocolor]
Music: Stelvio Cipriani
Running time: 92 minutes
 
Cast:
‘The Stranger’ – Tony Anthony (Roger Petitto)
‘The American’ – Lloyd Battista
Matori – Kin Omae
Gunman – William Conroy
White-Eye – Raf Baldassarre (Raffaelle Baldassarre)
Princess – Rita Maura
With: Satô (Kyôichi Satô), Kanji Ohara, Yoshio Nukano

The film opens with ‘The Stranger’ traversing the Klondike goldfields, but the action is soon transferred to the interiors of a miner’s shack. The Stranger obtains a mysterious scroll with the promise of payment if the scroll is delivered to a certain Matori in Japan. The Stranger then is seen arriving in Japan. The Stranger slowly explores the unknown territory, of the narrow streets and nooks of a Japanese village. He  encounters some problems such as unfriendly samurais, a tong war, and ‘The American’ who owns and operates a machine gun. The Stranger is pushed into a deluge of events and uncovers reasons of ever present hatred and violence. He tries to exploit the situation and soon finds out it´s a cut-throat game, especially when it comes down to the family matters of the various Japanese clans. Eventually all ‘The Stranger’ wants to do is deliver the scroll collect his payment and leave.

 

YouTube trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMZi7l_Rgpk