ironhorse_iv The first thing, you'll probably notice about this movie is the fact that the filmmakers couldn't figure out, what to call, this film. 'Seven Winchesters for a Massacre,', 'Renegade Riders', 'Blake's Marauders', 'Payment in Blood', "Last Resort' 'The Final Defeat' and 'Winchester for Hire' has all been used to describe this movie. Since, the movie has multiply titles, it has really confuse, most of the viewers. Directed by E.G Rowland AKA Enzo G. Castellari, the movie tells the story of a mysterious gunman, Stuart (Ed Byrnes) who joins up with a gang of ex-Confederate led by renegade Colonel, Thomas Blake (Guy Madison) in an attempt to find buried treasure, from the American Civil War. Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, the movie really tries too hard to be, the next 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'. There are way too many similarities to that Sergio Leone's 1966 film. While, many people believe that, Ed Byrnes kinda looks, and acts like Clint Eastwood's 'Man of No Name' in certain scenes, in my opinion, he looks and acts more like Casey Affleck in 2007's 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'. Without telling too much about him, all I can say, is that, the twist and turns with his character, somewhat doesn't make sense. If he's supposed to be the good guy, then why does, he kills a lot of innocent people!? It doesn't make sense. It really get more befuddling, toward the end, when it turn out, he was indeed, a good guy, and had a 'partner', who a few scenes earlier, left him to die and was working with the bad guys. They really tossed out, the logic of the film, out of the window, by this point of the film. Because of that, it's by far, one of the weakest parts of the film. You know, the movie has a problem, when most people find themselves, rooting for the group of rapist and murders over the large amount of faceless, not establish good guys. You know, then, that the film, has, went the wrong direction. Guy Madison as the villain, Thomas Blake was meh for the most part. I like how he does have a commanding voice. Yet, his role was nothing new and comes across as somewhat dull. Reportedly Madison had drinking problems while making this film. So, it was no surprise, that he often look like, he hasn't slept in days. He just look tired & bored of acting the same type of roles. He was indeed, typecast as a Civil War officer, way too many times. Despite that, I did like the group of sadistic cutthroats that made up Blake's Raiders. First off, you got the Tuco rip-off Chamaco Gonzales played by Thomas Moore AKA Ennio Girolami, who pretty much, set up the plot. Then, you got the quiet, Indian, Rios played by Alfred Aysanoa AKA Aysanoa Runachagua, whom looks like, he set out of the wrong movie. My favorite in the gang, has to be the sadist, Mesa Alvarez (Attilio Severini) who uses his spurs to kill or torture people & the cowardly Frenchman cook/sommelier, Levasseur (Piero Vida). Both were very memorable. I like how much, the gang reminds, a bit of Director Sergio Corbucci's 1967's 'Hellbenders' mixed with Director John Sturges's 1960's hit, 'The Magnificent Seven'. Anyways, I like how each one of them, having their own set of weapons, and gimmick for a campaign of violence. I love, how the movie kinda introduce them. It's by far, one of the best opening sequences, I had seen in a Spaghetti Western. Yet, I can't say the same, toward the later-half, when Louise Barrett AKA Lousie Baratto's character, Manuela was introduced. That scene comes out of nowhere, and seem very awkward. Her character really wasn't needed. Another thing, I wish the movie could had done, better, is in the video language transfer department. Not everything in the film was converted, back into the English language for the US and UK release, as the original Italian dubbing was still there. It was so badly done. Because of that, it really took me out of the film. It's just too weird to see characters jump, from one language to the other. Still, the soundtrack by Francesco De Masi was very exciting to listen to. The opening credits with the Civil War photos background was kinda cool, because of that. Another thing, that wrong, about this film, is its tone. It's all over the place. What a weird hodgepodge of odd comedy mixed with gritty extreme violence. While, the action was amazing; the problem is, so parts is a bit too unrealistic. I don't particularly like those obnoxious gimmick gun tricks, this movie has. Candles are shot from a candlestick, a water-jug is shot from a person's mouth, playing cards are shot from another person's hands, and last, a gun being whipped out of a holster, are a bit over the top. The editing is also not very inspired, at times the movie appears rather uninspired and loosely put together. Some scenes just ended, mid-sentences, and begin with no establishing shots. It was very jarring. The movie's visuals is sub-standard, but it kinda works, enough to reach the end of the climax. So I can't complain about that. Overall: Whatever, this movie wants to calls itself. I have to say, I was somewhat disappointed in how the film turn out. Great opening, but pretty crappy delivery toward the end. I really can't recommended, watching.

Red-Barracuda Enzo G. Castellari was a director who seemed to contribute films in a variety of genres, from sci-fi to giallo. I get the feeling that his best ones are his spaghetti westerns though. In Payment in Blood he delivers a pretty solid entry. Its story features a renegade Confederate colonel who refuses to accept the South's defeat in the American Civil War and so continues the fight with a band of outlaws. A stranger saves one of his gang from execution and is taken into their fold when he reveals that he knows the whereabouts of a casket of buried money.It would only be fair to say that the plot-line has quite a few similarities with Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy. Its hero, however, looks a little different from the shady leads from other spaghettis. He looks more like a character from an American traditional western, although he still has the same amorality and essentially acts in a similar way. The villains are decent enough and there is a fair amount of violent action to keep us entertained. Things are wrapped up with an interesting enough climax in an Indian burial ground, located in a cave. Overall, this is an entertaining, if unremarkable, western and should definitely find approval with fans of the Italian strand.

Wizard-8 When his career started to wane stateside, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes went to Europe and starred in several spaghetti westerns, including this one. I've seen several of Byrnes' spaghetti westerns, including this one, and in all of them he seems to be out of place. He looks too clean-cut to be stuck in the grittiness of the spaghetti western world. Still, he does give it his all, rolling around in the dirt and giving it his all.As for the rest of the movie, it has its ups and downs. It has a great musical score by Francesco DeMasi, very memorable despite a lot of it being repeated as the movie runs. There are also some serviceable action sequences, which is fortunate because the parts of the movie between these action sequences is kind of slow and lacking plot and character development.If you like spaghetti westerns, give this movie a go. If not, look for another movie.

cengelm This is the second film of Enzo G. Castellari I have seen, after KEOMA. It's not as original as the latter but provides good entertainment. The opening starts with a pseudo-documentary narrative which introduces the characters. While in THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN the introduced characters are the heroes here they are the baddies. Later the characters aren't much further developed, though. The strong aspect of the film is the uncertainty about the intentions of the Stuart character, well played by Edd Byrnes. He doesn't seem to be a good guy but maybe there is a reason why he kills so many innocent people. Guy Madison plays equally convincing his counterpart Blake.Overall an OK violent western with a good Francesco De Masi score which supports the pace of the story.5 / 10.