China 9, Liberty 37

Condemned gunman Clayton Drumm (Fabio Testi) , a pistolero in a Tom Mix hat , is given a last minute by a railway company chief (Luis Prendes) for reprieve freedom on condition he kills rancher Matthew (Warren Oates) . Visiting Matthew's ranch, Clayton is really stalked by Matthew , holding out against the advancing railroad with his trusted rifle and his less than trusty Anglo-Irish spouse .Clayton is unable to bring himself to kill Matthew and leaves, but Matthew's wife, Catherine (Jenny Agutter) , believing she has murdered Matthew during an argument joins Clayton. Then , there takes place the deadliest crossroad as Matthew, still alive, and mad as hell joins Clayton's equally angered partners (Franco Interlenghi , Charly Bravo , Romano Puppo) to hunt down Clayton and wife who has escaped with him .

The plot is usual in Spaghetti Western genre : a merciless vendetta , as a killer is contracted to murder , but the assassin fails to deliver, prompting a revenger to go after him instead . It delivers an absurd parallel within the stereotyped framework of the European Western , and revealing the sheer gratuitousness of traditional roles-types and ordinary mechanisms to create an uproarious genre critique . It provides an acceptable main and support cast . Fabio Testi gives a passable acting as a condemned killer who is hired by a railroad boss to murder an uncooperative rancher . While the gorgeous Jenny Agutter shows his beauty and charming face . As always , Warren Oates , Monte Hellman's regular , steals the show as the relentless avenger hubby . Support cast is formed by notorious secondaries as director Sam Peckinpah , SidneyLassick , Isabel Mestres , and familar faces from Spaghetti or Paella Western as Luis Prendes , Charly Bravo , Luis Barboo, Rafael Albaicin , Romano Puppo , and Helga Line .

Colorful and evocative cinematography by prestigious Giuseppe Rotunno , shot on location in desert of Tabernas , Almeria , andalucia , Spain . And sensitive as well as evocative musical score by Pino Donaggio . The picture was professionally directed by Monte Hellman , though it results to be slow-moving and has several flaws and gaps . After a few years directing in summer theater, Hellman hooked up with legendary "B" movie producer Roger Corman in the late 1950s. Corman helped finance Hellman's production of "Waiting For Godot", the the first time that Samuel Beckett's play had been staged in Los Angeles . Hellman made his film directorial debut with Beast from haunted cave (1959), and directed portions of Corman's The terror (1963). Hellman has directed a few films , some of them are deemed cult movies . As Monte has made : Back door to hell (1964) , Flight to fury (1964) , The shooting (1966) , Ride in the whilwind , Two-lane blacktop (1971) , Cockfighter (1974) , The Iguana and this Clayton Drumm or Catherine or China 9 Liberty 37 , among others .

This moves at an unhurried pace, and you may feel as if you've seen much of it before, especially if you're a spaghetti western fan. But it's worth seeing for the character played by Warren Oates, a former gunfighter whose behavior swings from the sympathetic to the unforgivable and almost back again. In a modest Western like this, it's a pleasant surprise to see ambiguous characters. So that his conflict with Fabio Testi, a younger gunfighter who steals Oates' wife, is full of uncertainty. For all the familiar trappings, you're uncertain how it will end; and that should keep you watching. As the object of desire, Jenny Agutter is constrained by a mumbling Irish brogue and an under-written part. But you can see why Testi is smitten with her. Bottom line: see this for Oates, a great actor in a worthy role.

It's 1881. Clayton Drumm (Fabio Testi) is given a last-minute opportunity to escape the hangman's noose by the railway men. He has to kill a rancher named Matthew Sebanek (Warren Oates) who owns land wanted by the railway company. Matthew lives in the middle of nowhere with his wife Catherine (Jenny Agutter).

This is mostly for Agutter fans. Warren Oates has been in many superior westerns and I don't know Testi. This is more a romance novel than a spaghetti western. The movie should have stayed on that dirt farm until one of them is dead. The End. That's the movie. The story loses steam once it moves away from the farm and the tension from the isolation. It's not great but some of it is still interesting.

This one comes very late in the Spaghetti Western timeline, is directed by an American, and plays out like a love story. It's different to say the least.

Fabio Testi is Clayton, a condemned man who is reprieved at the last minute, as long as he tracks down Warren Oates and kills him. Oates used to work for the Railroad and they don't like loose ends, so Clayton has to take him out. A problem arises in the form of Jenny Agutter, Warren's much younger, hot wife whom Clayton first spies skinny dipping. Clayton shacks up at the Oates/Agutter household under the pretence that he's passing through, but Oates is no fool, and Agutter starts making goo-goo eyes at the hunky Clayton.

Not a shot is fired in anger for the first fifty minutes of this film, as Clayton decides he can't kill Oates by he can get it on with Agutter, which leads to Oates attacked her and Agutter retaliating in a surprisingly violent way (she stabs him in the back and brains him with a rolling pin). Clayton and Agutter think Oates is dead and they can be a couple, but Oates wakes up and gathers his numerous brothers for some revenge...as does the Railroad when they find out Oates isn't dead...

As this is a late era Spaghetti Western, the pacing isn't exactly full throttle, but I was surprised to see that the violence was very realistic - people get shot and fall over instead of clutching themselves and spinning around the place, and the violence is very abrupt and sudden, like the accidental shooting of a hooker through a window or two corpses being shot over and over again.

Plus, Testi stands out as the lightening fast Clayton, made weak through his love for Agutter. Apart from her dodgy Irish accent, Agutter does well too and spends a lot of time naked with Testi (I actually gave birth to Testi's child just by watching this film!). Warren Oates stands out too, with his mumbly, tired character.

This must be one of the very last Spaghetti Westerns, and it's worth tracking down if you can find an uncut version of it. Sam Peckinpah makes a surreal cameo too, just to add to the sense of weirdness.

A somewhat odd spaghetti Western. I am not familiar with this Monte Hellman, but at first I thought he was trying to be Sergio Leone. Later, I thought he was trying to outdo Leone. I am not sure if the setting is supposed to be southeast Texas, even though there are towns named China and Liberty there, but the countryside there is wooded, and even a bit swampy. Excellent photography of the arid Spanish landscapes. The sound was awful, though, with score and background noise often drowning out dialog. Fabio Testi was the wooden anti-hero, with a serious Italian accent. Warren Oates was the only really well-developed character. Jenny Agutter was oh, so beautiful. But she was alternately reserved and wanton, so it was hard to figure out her character. (You really have to see the uncut version. It is available if you search hard enough for it.) There were a few anachronisms and plot holes but not terribly so. A pet peeve of mine is people suffering grievous wounds, like gunshots and stabbings, and seemingly having no ill effects after three days. I know it moves the narrative along, but sheesh. Anyway it was OK, and just a bit better due to Agutter.