$10,000 Blood Money

Another unofficial "Django" sequel, with yet another Franco Nero lookalike reprising the role of the silent but deadly gunslinger. It's practically impossible to inventory all the Django spaghetti westerns that were made in a relatively short time span, so it's advisable to restrict yourself to the really good ones. I'm still in doubt whether or not "10,000 Dollars for a Massacre" deserves to be labeled as a good one, though. The film knows a handful of genuinely powerful moments, and the atmosphere is overall very grim and melancholic, but on the other hand the plot is also quite mundane, and I was missing the truly raw & filthy aspects that I so desperately seek in Italian westerns. It's difficult to explain, but my absolute favorite westerns (like "And God said to Cain", "Bandidos", The Big Gundown", ...) have a few things extra that make them unique. In fact, the greatest spaghetti westerns are the ones that make you want to take a shower immediately after viewing them, simply because you can literally also feel the dirt and sweat on the protagonists' faces and necks. "10,000 Dollars for a Massacre" didn't have this effect, but let's not be too skeptical, as all the mandatory ingredients are nevertheless well represented: an unscrupulous and merciless villain, numerous violent shootouts, blood feuds, hostages buried up to their necks in hot desert sand, and poker games that end with killing the cheater who hid extra cards up his sleeve. Bounty hunter Django goes after the ruthless criminal Manuel Vasquez who kidnapped a rich landowner's daughter; - initially for the large reward, but naturally the hunt becomes personal when nasty Manual also kills the dame with whom Django was planning to retire in San Francisco. It's an interesting movie for cult fanatics who are somewhat familiar with the eminent names of the Italian film industry, since "10,000 Dollars for a Massacre" is directed by Romolo Guerrieri, with Sergio Martino as his assistant. Luciano Martino produced and the multi-talented Ernesto Gastaldi is listed as one of the scriptwriters.