A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die

Back when the Italians were making their so-called 'Spaghetti Westerns', studios often obtained the services of non-Italians to play the leads in their films. The idea was that these B-list foreign actors would increase the marketability of the films abroad and folks like Rod Steiger, Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef were often seen in these movies. In "Un minuto per pregare, un istante per morire", Alex Cord, Arthur Kennedy and Robert Ryan starred...and it was unusual to see that many American actors in one of these films.

Cord plays Clay McCord, an outlaw who is headed to Tuscosa, New Mexico Territory. Why? The territory has just approved an amnesty for criminals. In other words, if they sign a document promising to obey the law, their past crimes will be forgiven. But Cord realizes this might just be too good to be true...and that's exactly the case. Scum-bags, bounty hunters and the like plan to kill these outlaws before they get to the city...and in McCord's case this actually occurs IN Tuscosa...mostly because the Sheriff (Kennedy) is a jerk. But when the Governor (Ryan) arrives and swears the support the amnesty, McCord MIGHT just stand a chance.

Like you'd expect, this movie is extremely violent...as are nearly every Italian western. Lots of remorseless killings are the norm in this one and they seem to take precedence over the plot at times. Add to that a very simple plot and you have what amounts to an exciting time-passer and not much more.

By the way, I really liked Ryan's performance....very low key and convincing.

Pleasant and enjoyable Spaghetti Western with lots action , thrills , fights and violence . In Tuscosa, New Mexico, the Governor offers amnesty papers to all outlaws . When outlaw Clay McCord (Alex Cord) learns the Governor of New Mexico has offered a pardon to all who apply for it at the town of Tuscosa , he's intrigued but suspicious about it , but he wants his redemption . Then Clay who suffers from troubled occasional epyleptic and strange spells about his deceased father arrives in a minering village called ¨Escondido¨ with a poster captioning the following : ¨If you ain't wanted Mister , you ain't wanted¨. The village is tyrannically domineed by a ruthless villain , boss Kraut (Mario Brega) , there Clay is healed by the beautiful Laurinda (Nicoletta Machiavelli) .Later on , in Tutcosa , Clay McCord's appearance triggers a violent mayhem , as he clashes with the local sheriff , Roy Colby (Arthur Kennedy) , and other outlaws . The Governor (Robert Ryan) then arrives and attempts to calm the situation , knowing that if McCord asks for amnesty , other outlaws will follow .A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die... That's all McCord gives them! The man with the twisted hand always shoots straight to kill!

This is a good S. W. plenty of action , shootouts , fist-play and with an interesting character : an outlaw who suffers epileptic fits which plagued his father as well . An above average Spaghetti Western with usual ingredients , a violent confrontation among bandits , an amnesty and eventually a complex chain of happenings leading to a shoot-out with McCord, Colby, and the Governor on one side while a band of outlaws comprise the other . Stars Alex Cord who plays efficiently the deranged gunslinger , and , even did all of his own stunts . He sought a Hollywood a hard way to success and he found one via his equestrian skills in the early 1960s starring some TV Westerns . Steady work came to him on such established western TV series as Laramie (1959) and Branded (1965) and that extended itself into acting roles on crime action series as Route 66 (1960) and The Naked City (1958). Gaining a foothold in feature films within a relatively short time, he starred or co-starred in more than 30 feature films, including Synanon (1965), Stagecoach (1966), Stiletto (1969) and Mafia (1968). After his film career declined in the late 1970s he turned to action adventure overseas with this notorious "spaghetti western" : A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die (1967) and the British war drama The Last Grenade (1970) and later commercial interest was drawn from his title role in Grayeagle (1977). In Un minuto per pregare, un istante per morire (1967) movie appears usual support actors who took part of hundreds of Spaghetti or Paella Westerns as Italians : Mario Brega, Gianpiero Albertini , Enzo Fiermonte , Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia , Spartaco Conversi , Fortunato Arena, John Bartha, Alberto Dell'Acqua , Ottaviano Dell'Acqua , as Spaniards : Lorenzo Robledo , Antonio Molino Rojo , Aldo Sambrell , Daniel Martin , José Canalejas , Francisco Sanz and José Manuel Martin .

It contains an original musical score by Carlo Rustichelli , it is sensitive and rousing as well , this is one of the best soundtracks of the genre . Likewise, a colorful and evocative cinematography by Aiace Parolin, shot on location in Desierto de Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain and De Laurentiis Studio, Rome, Italy . The motion picture was professionally directed by Franco Giraldi . This Italian writer/filmmaker (and Sergio Leone 's assistant director) so consistently mixed the good with the mediocre that it became quite impossible to know what to expect from him next . He directed four Westerns with abundant touches of humor (Seven guns for the MacGregor -1966- , 7 women for the MacGregor -1967- ) and one serious and violent (A minute to pray , a second to day -1968- ) . Rating : 7/10 , acceptable and decent movie that will appeal to Spaghetti Western buffs .

A Minute To Pray,A Second To Die is a good spaghetti western that I enjoyed watching. This story is taken from the point of view of the outlaw. Alex Cord plays a outlaw gunslinger that grows tired of his occupation and life of violence and in the process of trying to hang up his guns and get amnesty for his crimes, he must deal with both law enforcement and the criminal element to achieve a future peaceful life. This film is approached differently than most westerns of it's times and it gives Alex Cord a chance to play up his character's flaws. Our hero/lead is not really a good guy, but he has some redeeming decent qualities compared to most of the other characters in the film. The west is portrayed here in a very dark fashion, life is cheap and most of the people live in squalor and misery or are completely ruthless and amoral scum. Robert Ryan shows up later and gives the film a lot of class and a bad ass character with unwavering integrity. I found this to be a very interesting B movie that was approached differently and enjoyed it quite a bit. A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die is also a song from Buffalo Hardcore legends Zero Tolerance. ZT was Buffalo, NY's answer to bands like Leeway or CroMags, so if you are a fan of NYHC or thrash metal, than Zero Tolerance is a band you should check out. Oh, the film... A Minute To Pray,A Second To Die is a nice spaghetti western and worth checking out regardless of your taste in music.

Alex Cord stars in this beautifully-photographed Spaghetti Western about a gunfighter with an arm that goes into epileptic fits under pressure. After a local town decides to give amnesty and $50 to gunfighters that give themselves up, Cord strongly considers giving up his run-n-gun lifestyle. But of course there's bounty hunters, bandits and lawmen who don't exactly take a liking to that so Cord is gonna' need a lot of bullets. The action sequences are average for a Spaghetti (good guy shoots a bunch of times, bad guys throw their arms straight into the air and spin around) but the direction is quite good and the storyline is intriguing. Robert Ryan shows up to kick some ass and add some class to the proceedings. 7.5 out of 10

I caught this for the first time a few nights ago on television. I expected to only tune in for a few minutes, but found myself intrigued by the movie. I ended up watching it all and found it surprisingly compelling. The acting by the three American leads was quite good, especially that of Alex Cord. He plays a gunslinger with quite a degree of vulnerability. Very different from how most of them are portrayed in westerns. He ended up in several situations where he was at the mercy of the bounty hunters. The final shootout between the three leads and the bad guys was very good, as was the scene where the doctor digs a bullet out of Clay McCord. Somewhat gruesome, but realistic. I must admit that, despite my initial misgivings at watching a "spaghetti western", I ended up enjoying this film quite a bit. I would recommend it to anyone who likes westerns.