Can you beat a title like that? 'Death Rides a Horse...' Only the Italians could come up with something like that.
Western vengeance tale with John Phillip Law going after those who murdered his family, 15 years after the fact. Van Cleef has a connection to these murders which will become apparent towards the end of the film. I won't give away the spoiler, here.
What must have been shocking and brutal for 1967 was the fact that white men were shown to gun down women and children, something a Hollywood western would never touch unless they were depicting the Indians doing it. That was OK since they were bloodthirsty, heathen savages who had no morals and could be portrayed as such.
But for 'civilized' white men to do so, that was a no-no. No wonder John Wayne hated these kinds of westerns. They threw the 'code of the west' right out the window.
Putting aside Van Cleef's appearance in Leone's westerns, I would rate this one as high as 'The Big Gundown' (1967) and 'Sabata' (1970) as my all-time favorites.
And yes, the Morricone score goes well with the film. Especially the scenes where Ryan (Van Cleef) has just walked out the door of a prison and is buying the horse, and later when he meets Bill (Law) for the first time (as an adult) on his farm. Man, that score is unnerving. If you can track it down on old vinyl or CD, buy it. Nothing beats those soaring choruses or Spanish guitars, jangling tensely in the background.
Get's an 8 out of 10 for sheer entertainment value...
