Vengeance Is My Forgiveness

There is something missing from this 1969 Italian oater. Tab Hunter is pretty good as Durango, an ex-sheriff whose dreams of marriage are shattered when his fiancé and her family are massacred during a robbery. His hunting down and killing the perpetrators should be more fun than it is; the film seems claustrophobic, as much of the action takes place in confined areas, including a warehouse for the final showdown. Erica Blanc is fine as Joanne, Durango's former girlfriend who owns a saloon (!) but she sings snatches of a terrible song at least twice. Either she's saddled with a terrible voice or her dubber is, for the monotone lyrics are cut away from as soon as possible. The great Peiro Lulli turns up as a villain, and other familiar faces fill the screen. The music is suitably spaghetti, with the blaring trumpets and guitar chords, but Hunter, a fine rider, looks ridiculous on the small horse he's given to ride early on, and the sexual hi-jinx late in the film seem juvenile and out of place. Overall, a film that MST3K would have had a blast mocking. Serious students of the genre will find much to enjoy here, but others beware!