The Hills Run Red (1966)

I don't have a very great history with Westerns, I even have a worse history with Spaghetti Westerns (granted I have only seen two prior to this one so it isn't much of a history). Compared to the other two I've seen (both from Sergio Leone), this seemed more what I would expect from a normal western thus making it an easier watch for me.The story was simple and easy to follow but had the acting style (I believe anyway) of what you would expect of a Spaghetti Western. While I would still take an American Western over this one I would have to admit it has made me want to seek out more Italian Westerns just to prove those first couple I saw (both heralded as major ones) were not the norm and that the genre is not just inherently bad.

Fans of Carlo Lizzani will recognize many subtexts in this film. An interesting take on the sub-sub-genre of Spaghetti Western with a Civil War revenge theme, attempting to reincorporate traditional Hollywood elements, it doesn't lose sight of its Italian inspired roots.The sets are a little slap dash, but the score and direction make up for it. The current rating on here of 5.6 is way too low. It deserves at least a 7-8 on the all time Spaghetti Western scale.The sets are a little slap dash, but the score and direction make up for it. The current rating on here of 5.6 is way too low. It deserves at least a 7-8 on the all time Spaghetti Western scale.

This is an unusually-structured western, but a very satisfying one. TCM played a nice letterboxed print of this, and it was a surprisingly-engrossing revenge drama. Some unexpected violence in the several shoot-outs made this more brutal than usual for a mid-sixties western.

Basic plot involves Brewster taking the fall for his robbing partner Seagull and after being released from prison (which includes having to stand upright in a small barb wire cage) finds that his partner (now known as Milton) has taken the loot and prospered as an evil land baron. Not only that, but Brewster's wife has died in poverty and his young son believes him too be dead. It abandons logic and sense in favor of over the top abstract moments, lots of scenery chewing, like the expressionistic yelling on Brewster's behalf, and typical throwaway action. Fair supporting roles for Henry Silva as the Mexican henchman, with the wondrously cliched name Garcia Mendez, and Dan Duryea as the angel of mercy, Getts. Kudos to Milton/Seagull's line `I wanna' see you spit out your soul, Brewster.', and director Carlo Lizzani's pseudonym, Lee W. Beaver. The finale, like the film, is ridiculous, but fun and effective, involving Brewster and Gett's alone against a posse of bad guys, a ghost town, and some conveniently available dynamite.