GOD DOES NOT PAY ON SATURDAY - KILL THE WICKED

No. You haven't read the title of this 95-minute movie incorrectly, my friends. The supreme-being himself will never give out monetary tokens on the sixth day of the week. Oh! Wait a minute! Is it sixth or is it fifth? Damn. I always get this type of thing muddled up. I tell you what I'll do, I'll ask its Director: Tanio Boccia; about this matter in 1967. And if not him, then maybe the Actors: Larry Ward, Rod Dana, Furio Meniconi, or Massimo Righi. Well, it couldn't hurt. Could it? THOOOOM!


Kill the Wicked


THE STORY:

Hey! Did you see what I just did, Shelley (María Silva)? Did you see how I just killed all of those outlaws that saved me from the hangman's noose? Devious. Wasn't it? In fact, I think my actions were so devious, what we should do next, is to saddle up with our two devious comrades, and then rob that rusty looking stage coach full of loot. 

BANG! BANG! THUNK! ARGGHHH!

Huh? What's that, Shelly? One of our compatriots has been wounded in action? Randall (Rod Dana)? Ha! Just leave him be will you. With you and that loony Laglan (Massimo Righi) by my side, I'm sure we'll be able to take our stolen loot and seek shelter in that deserted town nearby.

[ Sometime Later ]

OK. Let's scrap that last bit, shall we? When I said that this town was 'deserted', what I actually mean to say is that I thought it was deserted, until all of those weird looking characters eventually popped-up out of the blue. First it was that crazy old lady who tried to burn us down. And then those two strangers came moseying on into view, Benny and Judy (Larry Ward and Daniela Igliozzi), all because their wagon got turned onto its side.

Still. That's most probably why what next transpires all goes rather silly, when I -- the aged-outlaw called Braddock (Furio Meniconi) -- start's to call the shots. As hostages get beats - a horse kicks in the streets - Randall f*ck's up my plans - and at the end of the day, a woman and a man can't help but hold hands.

THE REVIEW:

Now if I'm going to be completely honest with you, dear reader, I'm not entirely sure if I liked watching 'Kill the Wicked' or not. A part of me kind of dug this film because it had that crazy Spaghetti Western style I've always seemed to go for. Whilst another part of me thought that the overall production was kind of pant's because the pacing was too slow, the story-line was meandering at best, plus the characters involved where single-faceted-entities to say the least. 

Take Larry Ward's character for instance. Benny. He just showed up half way through this movie without any explanation given as to why he was there. Furthermore, to make matters even more strange, he then gets tortured by one of the outlaws for the shear hell of it, before taking it upon himself to then save the day.

Also, where the main thrust of the tale is concerned, I couldn't really understand why the outlaws decided to hold-up in a derelict town, when they could have taken off as soon as they saw any sign of trouble! I mean, what was the point of that? Huh? If I was in there shoes I'd get the hell out there and spend my stolen loot, double-time, just in case the authorities then got called in.

Oh! And as for that whole scenario where that so-called wounded bad-guy gets shot at the start of this flick, then pops up at the end of it, attempting to usurp the leaders thrown in the process -- ouch! -- I won't even go there my friends. That was one hell of a throw away plot-line if ever I saw one.

Admittedly, in contrast to my negativity, there were certain aspects about this adventure I saw in a much better light. Like María Silva's character for example. Shelly. Plus that crazy old lady I can't find the real name of. To me, these two feminine roles actually propped this film up a notch or two in my own estimations. In the case of Shelly, she had that sexy savvy about her that was very captivating on screen. Whilst in the case of that crazy old lady, I really did enjoy following her sneaky and snide shenanigans, hoping she would become a more prominent figure in this film than she was ultimately allowed to be.

Anyway. By now I'm sure you get the basic gist of where I'm coming from with this review, folks. In my eyes this movie was a mixed bag full of odds and sods I wasn't quite certain of at all. Funnily enough, you can say the exact same thing about the following filmic-facts. (1) 'Cinematográfica Coperfilm' first released this production in Italy on the very same day the English government made pirate radio a criminal offence -- the 15th of August, 1967. (2) Loosely translated, this project was entitled 'Blood for Dollars' in Denmark; 'God Has Last Bullet' in Sweden; and 'God Grind Slowly' in its native Italian tongue. (3) Mino Roli, who wrote the screenplay for this flick, was in the business from 1951 to 1986, and during that time he's been a writer, a producer, and a director too. (4) The majority of this movie was shot on location throughout the two Mediterranean counties of Spain and Italy. (5) Now if you liked listening to the theme-tune played in this adventure, you might like to know it's called, 'Il Prezzo Sell'oro', and that is was composed by C. Danels and A. Lavagnino, and sung by Roberto Matano. (6) The director of this Western, Tanio Boccia, sometimes goes by the name of Amerigo Anton, and throughout his thirty-one year career, he has directed such movies as 'Caesar the Conqueror'; 'Terror of the Steppes'; plus 'The Revenge of Ivanhoe'. (7) Larry Ward, who was the actor that played the part of Benny Hudson in this film, has starred in such American television shows as 'M*A*S*H*', 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century', 'Wonder Woman', 'Land of the Giants', and 'Bonanza'. (8) After this flick slurped its last noodle, Larry Ward starred in the crime-caper, 'Non sta bene rubare il tesoro'; Rod Dana starred in the drama, 'Metti, una sera a cena'; and Furio Meniconi starred in the Spaghetti Western, 'John the Bastard'.

Overall I'd say that 'Kill the Wicked' is the type of a film which is slow in pace, muddled in plot, and has a way about it that's both sexy and bodacious in nature. Try to think of it as a drunken lady with no shoes on who wants to get home after a night out on the town, and I'm sure you know what I mean by this.

Nuff said.

THE RATING: B-