Matalo! (1970)

Director: Cesare Canevari

Starring: Lou Castel, Corrado Pani

More Info: IMDB

Plot: A gang of outlaws rob a U.S. Government stagecoach of its gold and then hide out in a nearby ghost town until they can dispose of the gold and turn it into usable cash with the help of a rich banker. In the meantime a stranger named Ray and (separately) a widow ride into town seeking refuge from the heat but instead become victims of the sadistic gang.

My Rating: 7/10

Would I watch it again? Oh, yeah.

#125 on Drive-In Delirium Volume 2 (part of the TRAILER TRASH PROJECT)

I'm so pissed. I've had this for a few years, gotten from a guy in Switzerland. It's a DVD dubbed from a Greek VHS (widescreen but with hard-coded Greek subs). It's watchable but there are some quality issues. At least it's widescreen, right? After watching it I see that the AWESOME DVD company, Wild East, put out a fantastic DVD here in the U.S. last year. I'll have to get this one. I support WE with every opportunity. They're doing something different and they deserve it.

This movie, despite the somewhat slow mid-section in the ghost town, rocks. Watch the trailer. I've seen it probably a dozen times and last week, after seeing it yet again, I decided that just HAD to be next. It's not as psychedelic as I had hoped for but it's close enough. The music is outstanding in it's psychedelic goodness. The camera work is sooooo 60s. It rocks. Corrado Pani (Bart) rocks. He's a badass.

The following is essentially all you need to know to whet your appetite enough to seek this out:

The film opens with an out-of-focus shot of what we will soon read as the sheriff's office. Two men escort a prisoner to the hanging platform just a few yards in front on the street. Bart, whose name we'll find out later, eagerly puts his head into the noose. He looks around and spots some men with rifles hidden about. Their his men and he smiles. Suddenly guns are blazing and the 60s rock score kicks in full throttle. Slo-mo as the lawmen are picked off one by one as well as the innocent bystanders. Bart's free and runs down the steps, across the street and into the sheriff's office. He gets his guns, and proceeds to steal the gold from the safe when he's confronted by a pistol-totin' widow (presumably the wife of the man he killed). He turns to her, seduces her briefly with his eyes, leans forward and kisses her passionately. As he does so he reaches into the safe, takes the pouch of gold, and walks away while she's still pointing the gun at him. He mounts his horse and you hear a gunshot. She's killed herself! HOW FREAKING COOL IS THAT? All this with that wild rock vocal you hear in the trailer.

Grandma's dead tired

Unfortunately the film doesn't maintain that cool but it's got it scattered enough throughout that you feel pretty damn satisfied by the end. And the end is nuts with Ray, whose spent most of his screen time getting his ass kicked and tortured in the ghost town, breaking free and saving the day with his big-ass pouch of boomerangs!?! This is a fucked up Spaghetti Western and in a good way. I'm sure I'll watch this one again as soon as I get the Wild East DVD. A better print usually makes for a better experience.