Spaghetti with Chorizo Western starred by habitual actors, such as Giuliano Gemma, Conrado San Martin and Nieves Navarro. After three years of heavy physical labor in an infernal jail, the former Sheriff Ted Barnett -Giuliano Gemma- breaks out from the doomed prison. Barnett was accused by three men and wrongly convicted to thirty years hard labor for the killing of his father. So Ted sets out in pursuit the true murderers. He looks for those that had framed him, seeking a relentless vendetta. Ted (Giuliano Gemma who recently died by car accident) freeing the town from a powerful owner (Conrado San Martin, a great friend of Sergio Leone, he played a lot of films for him , usually as secondary actor) and a corrupt Sheriff Douglas (Francisco Rabal , Luis Buñuel's customary's player) married to Ted's old girlfriend (Nieves Navarro or Susan Scott), using both, gunning down and shrewdness .
This Tortilla/Spaghetti Western is filled with action, thrills, horse riding, brawls and crossfire. Another Spaghetti that worked very well at the box office and that bases its plot on the eternal theme of revenge. This is the only foray into the genre of Florestano Vancini with the pseudonym Stan Vance, who for the occasion wanted to make a free adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel :El Conce de Monte Cristo¨.
This is a decent Spaghetti starred by Giuliano Gemma, a hero who after years of hard labor in a hellish prison in the desert, escapes from jail to seek revenge on the three men who framed him. Giuliano steals the show as a merciless revenger, executing thespian skills, bounds and leaps, twists and shooting and throughly enjoys himself. Recently deceased Giuliano Gemma is very fine in his ordinary role as a gunfighter who seeks vengeance against his eternal enemies, Conrado San Martin, Francisco Rabal and their hoodlums. Giuliano Gemma , along with Anthony Steffen and Gianni Garco, resulted to be the three greatest stars of the Spaghetti genre. Gemma in his beginning worked as a stunt-man, practiced many sports in his life, boxing, gymnastics, such as is well proved at the movie. Then the director, Duccio Tessari, gave him the first role as protagonist in the film " The Titani" and the first spaghetti western films where he often worked under the name of Montgomery Wood, playing Westerns as ¨A pistol for Ringo¨,¨The return of Ringo¨ and others as ¨Adios Gringo¨, ¨Arizona Colt, ¨The price of power¨, ¨Day of anger¨ and later ¨California¨. However, his first big opportunity came with the important Italian director, Luchino Visconti in ¨El Gatopardo¨ this was followed by important roles in "Angelica" , ¨Tenebre¨,¨Young Lions¨ and ¨The master touch¨. Then he played his most significant roles in ¨Il Deserto Dei Tartari¨ and ¨Il Prefetto Di Ferro¨. While Conrado San Martin played in ¨Winchester Bill¨, ¨In a colt's shadow¨ and various Westerns directed by his friend Sergio Leone ; furthermore , he starred several Peplum and thrillers. They're accompanied by a classic of the Spanish scene, a Francisco Rabal who was already known on the international scene, thanks to the Bronze Lion he received in Venice for ¨La Guerra De Dios¨.
In the movie appears usual Western support actors as Spanish people : Nieves Navarro, Milo Quesada, Manuel Muñiz ¨Pajarito¨ ; as Italian players as Riccardo Pizzuti, Ivan Scratuglia. It's a co-production Spanish-Italian and shot on location in Zaragoza, Barcelona , Alfonso Balcazar studios and, of course , Almeria: Desierto de Tabernas, Almería, Finca El Romeral, San José, Almería, Andalucia, Spain. There are many fine technicians and nice assistant direction , excellent production design , and atmospheric cinematography by Francisco Marin , he creates a magnificent scenario on the little town and barren outdoors , dirty landscapes under a glimmer sun. The music original by Armando Trovajoli composes an agreeable Spaghetti soundtrack in Morricone style , being well conducted and splendid leitmotif ; it's full of enjoyable sounds and emotive score .
This Western was inspired by the known classic novel titled ¨The count of Montecristo¨ written by Alexandre Dumas . Other Spaghetti loosely based on famous novels and plays are the following ones: ¨The Fury of Johnny Kid¨ based on Shakespeare , being directed by Gianni Puccini with Peter Lee Lawrence and Cristina Galbo from ¨Romeo and Giuletta¨. Furthermore : ¨Johnny Hamlet¨(1968) by Enzo G Castellari ; ¨The return of Ringo¨ by Duccio Tessari also with Giuliano Gemma and inspired on the ¨Odyssey¨, ¨John Il Bastardo¨(1967) with John Richardson, based on books from Zorrilla and Moliere ; ¨Anche Nel West Céra Una Volta Dio ¨ (1968) by Marino Girolami based on ¨Island of treasure¨ written by Robert Stevenson and ¨Apocalypse Joe¨ with Anthony Steffen based on Macbeth and Hamlet.
The flick also titled ¨Days of Vengeance" or "Long Days of Vengeance" or "The Deadliest Gunfight" or "Vendetta" was professionally directed by Stan Vance or Florestano Vancini. This Italian writer/filmmaker so consistently mixed the good with the mediocre that it became quite impossible to know what to expect from him next . His best films dealt with political events such as ¨The case Matteotti¨, ¨The long night in 43¨ and ¨Sicilian Jaque Mate ¨. He usually worked with Giulianno Gemma, his fetish actor , such as : ¨La Baraonda¨ , ¨Violenza Al sole¨and this ¨Long days of vengeance¨. Rating: 6.5/10. Good Spaghetti Western , it will appeal to Giuliano Gemma fans .
