By ANTHONY LUSARDI
They say revenge is a dish best served cold. If so, then
you'll love this spaghetti western! After all, who doesn't love to see a
despicable villain get his just dessert, especially if the good guy is an
underdog who was only a child when his whole family was murdered?
Death Rides a Horse is not only a great spaghetti
western, but a great tale of revenge. Here, we see actor John Philip Law as
Bill: a gunfighter who has spent a lifetime to set a score with those who
murdered his family. Then we see Ryan (again Lee Van Cleef); another gunfighter
who has spent a good portion of his life behind bars, but has now been released
to settle his own score against those who framed him. Fortunately for these two
loose cannons, they happen to be after the same men. Spaghetti westerns were
known to be darker than American westerns. Death Rides a Horse appears this way
even more amongst its own peers. The opening family murder scene takes place at
night during a thunderstorm and ends with a burning house. Even a sandstorm
drifts in during the final showdown. Ennio Morricone put his musical talents to
work yet again, by harmonizing music and theme with sounds of thunder,
crackling fire, howling winds, and kettle drums.
A hit in its day, in Italy and abroad, Death Rides a
Horse has maintained a strong cult following since its release. Van Cleef
continued to appear in more spaghetti westerns, while Law, on the other hand,
never rose any further above his own cult status. Unlike most spaghetti western
stars, Death Rides a Horse was his only venture into the subgenre. The next
time the duo teamed up, it was for a western-themed Midas Mufflers commercial.
However, today, the duo will always be remembered as the gunslinging pair who
went on a rampage of retribution. Praised for its action, character
development, and revenge theme, Death Rides a Horse is considered one of the
more famous spaghetti westerns ever to come out of the pasta-loving country.
Trivia: Death Rides a Horse is one of the inspirations
for the Kill Bill saga. Aside from some of the spaghetti western's music being
re-used, the plot of Tarantino's film shares similar elements. For example,
when both main characters encounter one of their targets, a flashback occurs,
showing the villain's misdeeds against the protagonist.
ANTHONY LUSARDI
lives in Rockaway Borough
He's a 2013 graduate of Centenary College (now Centenary
University) in Hackettstown, NJ
He currently work as a freelance reporter
Anthony is an avid movie fan, reader, and lover of arts
and entertainment. I've attended and covered music concerts, art exhibits,
festivals, parades, book readings, library lectures, and even a movie premiere
in Parsippany and a movie shooting in Roxbury.
[Continued next
week]
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