Joe... cercati un posto per morire!

This is only the third film I've seen from director Giuliano Carnimeo, but he definitely already ranks as one of the most versatile cult-filmmakers of Italy. The three films couldn't be more different in tone and content! "Ratman" is a repulsive, ultra-sadistic and sleaze-filled 80's horror flick about a medical experiment gone bad, "The Case of the Bloody Iris" stands as one of the most stylish and convoluted Giallo mysteries of the 70's and then this "Find to Place to Die" is a traditional spaghetti western that came out during the highlight-years of the genre. This is a competently scripted and well-made Western effort, but the story is too routine and forgettable to be counted among the best in its kind. I honestly have to admit I especially purchased this film because the tagline on the DVD-cover sounded so utterly cool. "They followed her for the gold and her body… But they didn't get the gold". Promising concept, but not exactly accurate. The story indeed centers on an attractive woman who, along with her husband, discovered a goldmine near the Texan-Mexican border, but there's very little sleaze & raping going on. When her husband is badly wounded by a gang of gold-greedy bandits, the woman undertakes a dangerous journey to the nearest town to find help. When she mentions the goldmine, she immediately finds a handful of man willing to join her. Among them are a banished confederate soldier, a bloodthirsty priest and a several random gunslingers with an unhealthy interest in money and power. "Find a Place to Die" contains all the basic plot-ingredients of a solid spaghetti-western, but it's incredibly slow-paced and even the gunfights appear to be tedious. Especially the entire middle-section is painfully soporific and only contains sappy dialogs and redundant sub plot. The final gunfight is pretty cool (and lasts exceptionally long), but I think something went wrong with the editing, as the showdown between the heroic Joe Collins and the traitorous main villain happens off-screen. The filming locations are convincing and atmospheric and the acting performances are adequate. The music isn't very impressive and someone should have paid more attention to the continuity.

When a man is partially buried in an avalanche, his younger wife rides to the nearest town, bringing back a handful of dubious characters to the couple's gold mine, which happens to be in the middle of land controlled by a very dangerous bandit known as Chato.

No doubt inspired in part by Henry Hathaway's classic Garden Of Evil, Find A Place To Die stands apart from other Italian westerns in that it's dark and very atmospheric, without any of the flamboyant flourishes typical of the genre.

Set south of the border, this looks great with lots of rugged mountainous terrain, thick wooded areas, and crumbling Spanish architecture. They all add a lot to the movie's afore mentioned atmosphere.

Sadly, Jeffrey Hunter (who died the following year) is remembered by most people these days only as the predecessor to Captain Kirk in the original pilot episode of "Star Trek". Western fans though, know him as one of the great unsung anti-heroes in such films as The Proud Ones and The Searchers.

Though somewhat standard "gang hunts for gold" spaghetti western fare, it is well-directed and has solid performances. The score is also well-done, one of the better non-Morricone ones I've heard. Fast-paced with several nice action scenes, with a couple of great, cold-blooded sudden shootings. The VCI DVD is ok, letterboxed but the transfer is soft and rather noisy throughout, with a lot of grain in dark scenes. The mono sound, though, is rich and well-recorded. The film is definitely worth a look for anyone looking for an entertaining, obscure western.

Released in 1968-69, but not in the USA until 1971, "Find a Place to Die" is a Spaghetti Western starring Jeffrey Hunter as a dishonored ex-officer drinking his woes away in Mexico when a beautiful woman (Pascale Petit) hires him and several others to save her husband and their gold mine claim from a band of local bandits. Daniela Giordano is on hand as the beautiful Juanita at the cantina.

The plot is obviously borrowed (or, more accurately, ripped off) from 1954's "Garden of Evil" and combines it with a pensive Spaghetti Western flavor, lacking the goofiness and moral hollowness of, say, 1966's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." The melancholy is heightened by a moving song Juanita sings at the cantina in the first act; the tune is reminiscent of Jerry Goldsmith's excellent acoustic piece for 1970's "Rio Lobo." Too bad Giordano (as Juanita) didn't have a bigger role, but it's big enough.

There are several other things that propel "Find a Place to Die" above most Italo oaters: The group Lisa (Petit) compiles consists of a few interesting people, including an ex-con turned minister who seems to be sincere but is dubious at the same time. Secondly, their ordeal becomes almost a survival situation and I favor survival flicks. Thirdly, the story arc of the disgraced ex-Confederate (Hunter) is almost inspiring. Lisa says she's naturally drawn to him because she knows he's not like the other worthless cutthroats. The warmth of love slowly wakens the laconic loner out of his brooding stupor and draws the best in him out. Love is power and, when you find it, you need to plug into it if you want to live. Only a fool rejects it or, worse, abuses it. Lastly, being shot in Italy at some kind of ancient ruins, particularly the notable building of the cantina, the movie has a unique look for a Pasta Western, which of course were typically shot in Spain.

The movie is lean at 89 minutes.

GRADE: B

This is actually quite a sad film to watch. Not because the story is sad, but because it illustrates just how far (down) Jeffery Hunter had come since his hey-day. A couple are defending their gold mine from bandits (using dynamite!) when the husband becomes trapped under a collapsed wagon. Now rather than just use her horse to remove the offending bits of wood, "Lisa" (Pascale Petit) sets off to find some folks who will come to her aid. Unsurprisingly, she alights on a group of miscreants who are quite happy to help so long as they get her gold, herself - or, ideally, both! It might be, though, that "Joe" (Hunter) - a lapsed Confederate soldier - could have just a little more chivalry than the others and, of course, when they arrive at the mine we are soon to find out! Add to the mix, the fact that the original attacking banditos - lead by "Chato" (Mario Dardanelli) have not given up their own ambitions to seize the gold and we have a sort of explosive siege western where nobody can trust anyone. Adolfo Lastretti is quite entertaining as ruthless the "Rev. Riley", but otherwise this is a cheap and cheerful spaghetti-style western that was clearly made quickly, on a budget, and with scant regard to a decent script or production values. There's no chemistry at all between Hunter and Petit and indeed the whole thing has a rather unpalatable seediness to it that I found distinctly off-putting.