I Live for Your Death

Four years after his appearance as Sandokan, Steve REEVES (1926-2000) returned in front of the cameras again, this time in a spaghetti western. Unfortunately, this was REEVES' last screen appearance, even though the film was really good.

Together with his brother Roy (Giovanni Ivan SCRATUGLIA), Mike Sturgis (Steve REEVES) runs a horse breeding business in Arizona. When they are attacked, they want revenge on the perpetrators. In doing so, they get involved in an even worse matter, in which the railway boss (Wayde PRESTON) and the sheriff (Mimmo PALMARA) also have their fingers in the game. Mike and his little brother end up in the notorious Yuma State Prison, which only the hunky Mike survives. Now the day of revenge has finally come...

Decent spaghetti western by Camillo BAZZONI, who knows how to tell his story in a straightforward manner. Mimmo PALMARA and Steve REEVES had known each other since the legendary Hercules films from 1958 and 1959, which marked the beginning of the rise and financial success (especially in N-America) of the Roman Cinecitta.

Great movie that's been down played and over looked for years. Reeves was born to make Westerns. If you loved his "Sword and Sandal" films this one won't let you down. Cool action, great shoot outs and that classic build that put's his contemporaries to shame. On the other hand, if you like the Westerns that were coming out of Italy at the time, you've got to check this one out. Not going to go so far as to say he rivals Eastwood but Reeves is heads above most of the guys who tried their hands in the genre. Best of all it shows off Revee's horse riding skills that were only hinted to in the "Hercules" type films. Very hard to find on tape but well worth the effort once you get your hands on a copy.

Steve Reeves only made one spaghetti western, but it's a good one. VIVO PER LA TUA MORTE was made in 1968, a golden year for the Italian Western, and many of the genre's favorite sons appear in this tale of revenge and redemption, among them Aldo Sambrell, Nello Pazzafini, Spartaco Conversi, and Silvana Bacci. Reeves makes a good western hero, losing his shirt at times to give us a glimpse of his splendid physique; at age 42 he was still in great shape and spends lots of his screen time running, jumping, engaging in fist fights and carrying on like a much younger man. The film's depiction of Yuma Territorial Prison is good also, replicating the feel of the prison remarkably well. A very minor knock is that the pistols are of the John Woo variety, shooting fifteen or sixteen times as needed, particularly noticeable in the prison break. The music by Carlo Savina is outstanding, but that's as usual for this genre. A lesser gem, in a nice package from Wild East including an interview with Mimmo Palmera.

Usual western spaguetti played by the unforgetable Steve Reeves, already stigmatized character on those Peplum and Sandals pictures from the glorious past years, now Steve Reeves tries out on western proves that he can makes easily another genre, also allowed to us a strange offering, the plot is average also commonplace, framed in a train robbery he and his young brother were sent to the jail at impregnable fortress Yuma, there was a riot and he escapes, but his brother didn't make and the revenge just began, if we consider it as last picture of Reeves, we must be carefully, actually he was the great Hercules, so demands some kind of assessment, in fact I really love those magnificent epics, this western for Italian standard is plentiful acceptable and Reeves makes the best he could and quite enjoyable job indeed, due he wounded his shoulders previously he had to quit to make pictures unfortunately, meanwhile it wasn't a great picture, it's just the final movie of the great and legendary Steve Reeves, the good news is about the DVD, was fully restored!!!

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First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6.25

While this is one of the better "spaghetti westerns" from the 1960s, it is little known in this country despite the presence of Steve Reeves in the starring role. Reeves' looks and presence here indicate that he could have had a post-Hercules career in the movies and it's both sad and puzzling that this career never evolved.

The movie itself lacks the flamboyant, even operatic style one often associates with these westerns, but unlike some of its competitors, this has a solid, well-constructed script which effectively uses the "revenge" theme without any digressions or detours. By some standards, this movie might even be labeled "minimalist!"

There is one missed opportunity, however. Reeves spends an entire reel laboring on a rock pile in one of those primitive, scorching-hot desert prisons manned by sadistic guards who are quick to dish out brutal punishments. (One is reminded of "Hellgate" or "There Was a Crooked Man.") He sometimes works with his shirt off -- giving us a look at that glorious, suntanned, sweat-streaked torso -- and he's sometimes given a punch or a kick or a shove. However, there's no scene of Reeves being tied to a post and given a savage flogging across his bare back. Since Reeves had one of those born-to-be-whipped bodies, it's unfortunate the makers of this movie didn't take advantage of this resource.