morganmpoet

I can't rate this less than 4 stars for a few reasons: Joi Lansing, Lon Chaney Jr. , John Carradine, Basil Rathbone. I'll throw in Linda Ho as well. Yes it's dopey, it's corny and it's horrible but that's not the point. It's a great chance for fans to see these performers and anything they're in makes it fun. Joi is especially lovely. For her fans this is a must see, she even does some mild bondage at one point. And her silver jump suit scenes alone are worth the price of admission. I'm not a big fan of Firlen Husky our any of these performers per se but that's just me. Annoyingly every song he sings has the echo chamber dialed to 9. Oh well, everyone keeps a straight face throughout. It's like a Scooby Doo episode with lots of county songs.

Degueyo is an exceptional spaghetti western. It's not among the greatest but it's just barely under the top tier spaghetti westerns imo. What i especially liked were several things. First and foremost the plot, is linear, actually makes sense and is complex enough to keep your attention. 2nd, main Characters are given enough back story that you care about them. 3rd, they do mostly logical things, ie when a baddie is dispatched the protagonists actually take their weapons and ammo knowing they'll need it later.

Performances are good and overall a very grim feel pervades throughout. Dan Vadis as the main bad guy is excellent, he moves with great energy and you can tell he relished this role. Rossi Stuart as well does great as the hero.

The film is fairly violent for its time and let's just say not too many of the characters get out of it alive. My highest marks would go to the script / plot. Much tighter than most spaghetti westerns and more complex. No, it's not perfect but it's very enjoyable and I've seen a lot of italian westerns. Just know that this is basically a siege type plot/ primarily taking place in the town itself, so no emphasis on expansive Vistas or impressive desert visuals. Anyway, recommended and currently can be seen on YouTube.

Many of AIPs main players are there including writers, direction etc. However, the script is very weak. There is very little of the classic AIP interplays or humor at work here. It feels flat and barely has any redeeming features. However, Fred Clark is good as the general and he's pretty funny. And great to see all those other character actors from those times. But something is missing here, it just has a weird vapid meandering vibe to it. Literally any previous AIP generated beach movie or knock offs such. 'Fireball 500' are much better. This film has its moments but really, if you're wanting to delve into the AIP library, this is not the place to start. Like I said, for completists only.