Der Tod ritt dienstags (1967)

Der Tod ritt dienstags: Directed by Tonino Valerii. With Lee Van Cleef, Giuliano Gemma, Walter Rilla, Christa Linder. A scruffy garbage boy becomes the pupil of a famed gunfighter, and the stage for confrontation is set when the gunman becomes unhinged and overruns the boy’s town through violence and corruption.

“u0026quot;Day of Angeru0026quot; is an incredible western. Not only is it one of the 3 or 4 best non-Leone spaghetti westerns, It also has just about the best non-Morricone music score I have heard.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLee Van Cleef is at his very best in this movie as Talby, the slick, intelligent, and ruthless gunfighter. As is the case with many spaghetti westerns, this movie draws a very thin line between u0026quot;goodu0026quot; and u0026quot;evil.u0026quot; Talby is a killing machine who is out for his own personal gain, yet he is also very likable in many ways. When he takes Scott under his wing and teaches him not to put up with being treated with disrespect from the u0026quot;goodu0026quot; citizens of Clifton, Talby actually becomes the only person who represents any real sort of u0026quot;justiceu0026quot; in the whole town. Then we find out that the pillars of the community have something to hide, and Talby delivers his own brand of justice to them also.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGiuliano Gemma always delivers a great spaghetti western performance, and he is at the top of his game here as well. In the role of Scott Mary he has to play a character who goes through a lot of different emotions, and a couple of life-changing events. When Scott becomes a gunfighter like Talby, we relate to him and like him even more as he demands and gets respect from the people who used to spit on him. Talbyu0026#39;s comment to the townsfolk of Clifton sums up why: u0026quot;He was born a wolf, but you made him rabid.u0026quot; What a great line! The final showdown at the end is one of the classics. It is wonderfully choreographed with the filmu0026#39;s music, and has that artistic, operatic quality that the very best spaghetti westerns possess. Thereu0026#39;s lots of emotion going on in this one, as it is plain to see that the two men squaring off still have respect and admiration for each other. On some level, it even still seems like they are friends, but this moment was inevitable, like an uncontrollable force of nature. As Talby says, u0026quot;once you start killing, you canu0026#39;t stop.u0026quot; Talbyu0026#39;s killing finally draws that thin line, Scott ends up on the other side of it, and the final showdown begins. I will say no more.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRiz Ortolaniu0026#39;s score is awesome. I love the opening theme, and the pictures and movements on the screen that accompany it. It pulls you right into this film before the story even begins. Not only is the music great, it is very original as well. It is not a Morricone rip-off at all. Ortolaniu0026#39;s style here is all his own. It is much more of a swinging 60u0026#39;s sound that retains just enough western flavor to make it appropriate for this type of film. This is a soundtrack I would like to have on CD.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is one of those movies that I just canu0026#39;t say enough about. I would recommend it to anyone, and if you like spaghetti westerns you really need to own it.”