GOD'S GUN

Our Father. Who art in heaven. Winchester be thy name. Shooting will be our game. Go for the kill shot, not for the money shot. Badda-Bing, Badda-Boom. Pow-Pow-Pow! Just in the Nick of time to watch this 93 minute movie made in 1975, Directed by: Gianfranco Parolini; and Starring: Lee Van Cleef, Jack Palance, with Richard Boone. Amen.


God's Gun

Now when Father John (Lee Van Cleef) miraculously apprehends one of Sam Clayton's (Jack Palance) nephews for killing a man in a Juno City saloon, deep down inside he preyed that everything would then turn out for the best.

But no. He was wrong. Dead wrong. Mere moments before he begins his next sermon, four members of Clayton's gang guns him down in front of his very own church. As they then proceed in taking over this western province by any means necessary.

But hey! Don't you worry your pretty little heads off, folks! Suddenly, someone living in this rustic berg decides they should find someone to fight back against their oppressors.

No. It's not their local Sheriff (Richard Boone), silly. He's too scared to do anything about these bodacious ne'er do wells. And no. It isn't the curvaceous Jenny (Sybil Danning) either. To be honest with you, she doesn't really know what to do.

Thankfully, though, her son does. Her son, Johnny (Leif Garrett). Who manages to flee this town by using all of his youthful savvy, running all the way to their eventual savor, despite loosing his voice in the process.

Still. That's most probably why what next transpires all draws a blank when Father John's twin-brother Lewis (Lee Van Cleef) starts calling the shots. As origins are relayed - a town becomes dismayed - a brother gets his revenge - and as push comes to shove, a villainous father gets buried under some rocks a lot smaller than Stonehenge.

 

THE REVIEW:

When I first sat down and watched 'God's Gun', nigh on straight away I noticed how cheap and imitative everything looked. Yeah. I'm not kidding, folks. The film-stock appeared polarized and faded. The sets had a very tacky and nth rate appearance about them. And to top it all off, the overall production came across like a second rate Sergio Leone film without any pizzazz.  

However, as the film then progressed a number of things began to win me over. For a start, I started to enjoy the theme tune that was playing in the background, because it had that rhapsodic and operatic tone to it that I really do dig. Next I would have to say that in contrast to the more conventional first part of the movie, the second part had a lot more substance to it, because it was able to convey back-story, character, and plot, thus allowing the conceptual narrative to gain added girth. And finally I have to mention my old mate Lee Van Cleef. My God. What a great actor he is. Not only was he able to play two divergent characters in that very lucid way of his. But in addition to this, he just garnished the screen with an almost mystical presence, directly elevating the whole God damn tale into the stratosphere and beyond.  

In contrast to all my positively, though, I would have liked it if the story-line was a lot more focused, and a lot less flim-flammy. Now don't get me wrong, as I said before, I did enjoy the second part of the film quite a bit. As it did manage to 'fill in the blanks' on certain aspects which were missing out previously. Yet as for the first part of the film on the other hand, well -- nah -- it  just wasn't really my cup of tea. Some of it was too slow in the telling. Some of it was too imitative by default. And some of it felt too tried and tested and tacky to boot.

Anyway. That's enough of that for the moment, folks. I think it's about time for some filmic-facts. (1) 'Troma Entertainment' first released this production in America, on the very same month Charlie Chaplin was knighted by Elizabeth the 2nd -- March, 1975. (2) Loosely translated, this project was entitled 'The Wild Ones' in Finland; 'Ruthless' in France; and on occasion, it has used the two alternate titles, 'Diamante Lobo' and 'A Bullet from God'. (3) Considering she's only fourteen years older than him, Sybil Danning plays Leif Garrett's mother in this movie. Oops! Oh, dear. Tut-tut-tut! (4) I kid you not; most of this Italian / Israeli co-production was shot entirely in Israel. Wow! What a mix that is! (5) This was the only ever script John Fonseca contributed to throughout his thirty-two years in the business. Normally he is a photographer, an actor, or a dialogue coach. (6) After this picture drew a blank, Lee Van Cleef starred in 'Vengeance'; Jack Palance starred in 'The Cop in Blue Jeans'; and Richard Boone starred in 'The Shootist'. (7) The uncle and nephew combo in this Western, Sam and Zeke Clayton, are in real life the father and son combo of Jack and Cody Palance. (8) Richard Boone, who played the Sheriff in this flick, quit before it was ever completed. In an interview he gave a year later, he said, "I starred in the worst picture ever made. The producer is an Israeli and the director is an Italian, and neither of them speaks! Fortunately, it doesn't matter. Because the director is deaf in both ear's" Ha!

Overall I'd say that 'God's Gun' is a pretty decent film to watch, and well deserves a remake in the near future. Yeah. Straight up. The story wasn't all that bad. And it only needs a little tune up here and there. I can see it now -- in my minds eye -- Tarantino as the director -- Daniel Day Lewis as the Cleef-twins -- and Willem Dafoe as the bad-guy.

Well, you never know, miracles do happen sometimes!

Nuff said.

THE RATING: B-