A Train for Durango (1968)

TRAIN FOR DURANGO is a somewhat obscure spaghetti western shot in Spain with a mainly Spanish supporting cast. The director is Mario Caiano, one of the most experienced genre directors working in Italy, and his solid leads are played by Anthony Steffen and Mark Damon, two actors well acquainted with the making of Italian westerns.This is one of those comedy adventures in which the main characters are all rogues of some sort going after greater villains. The opening train robbery gives the film its title, but for the most part this is your standard comedy adventure, packed with twists and double-crossing and hidden character motivations. There's a ton of action here but most of it is inconsequential and merely seems to be action for the sake of action; thus the characters kick, punch, and shoot their way out of endless dangerous situations.Steffen and Damon remain good value for viewers although the rest of the cast are unmemorable and stuck in cliché type roles. As for the comedy, I found it merely adequate. The film has a long, slow middle part in which nothing much of note really happens, although it does pick up again at the end.

Two rogues witness a train robbery carried out by Mexican revolutionaries. They try to offer their services to these men suggesting that they know how to break open a safe of money stolen in the raid, while at the same time they try to rescue a girl also abducted in the robbery.A Train for Durango is a spaghetti western that also falls under that most uneven of sub-genres, namely the comedy western. I haven't seen too many of these that were worth a second look and to be honest this film is ultimately no different, even if it is a little better than most of its kind. It's still really actually quite unfunny which kind of is a problem, given that that is sort of one of its main ideas. But I would file it under forgettable as opposed to painful. The trio of main actors were pretty decent I have to say and it did in fact end on a pleasingly decent note. Actually, come to think of it, the ending was quite funny, despite what I said earlier. On the whole, it's one for spaghetti western fans mainly but it's strictly minor fare.

Though the 1970 spaghetti western "They Call Me Trinity" inspired a number of other comic spaghetti westerns, there were a few comic spaghetti westerns made before it, this movie being one of them. This one seems at times a little unsure of what tone to be, since there are several somewhat brutal killings by gunfire spread throughout. But most of the time the movie aims to be a silly experience. Though I have to admit that I didn't laugh at any time or at any gag, the light-hearted attitude makes the movie a pleasant experience if you are a fan of pasta westerns and want to see one that's somewhat different than usual. The only real complaint I have about it (other than the brutal parts) is that the movie for the longest time seems a little drawn out. Had it been shortened by fifteen or so minutes, I think it would have played out better. But the movie is all the same enjoyable.

A great film, great cast and soundtrack. Steffen and Salerno make a fine pair, supported by a mystery gringo (Damon). In the train o Durango they saw a robbery made by the Lobo (Camardiel) a a beautiful girl been taken by the thieves. They went where Lobo is, to revive the girl and the gold, but this pair is a little bite confused, and an American named Brown starting helping them, till they gets close the gold. There are also the participation of Aldo Sambrell as a officer and José Bodalo as a chief of robbers. Gets a little bite boring in the middle but the end is fantastic.