There is joy in the little things in life. A child’s smile. A birds song. A bullet cutting down an evil piece of scum. This is why I (and many others) have long enjoyed a Western. Introduced to me, as many of you know, by my father. He was from the generation that had Sergio Leone’s “Dollars” trilogy as the film. With the hero (Clint Eastwood) and the music (Ennio M no less). This film, as you well know, triggered (pun intended) a wave of bullet blasting, bad guy busting films. they were often more grizzly. Less inspired by Kurosawa and more a look at the box office. Some were quite good. All had the motifs of sand and dirt, small towns of the old west and some guy who needed a shave. So in steps Five contenders for better than average films from the genre of Leone and Eastwood.

First is Romolo Guerrieri’s $10,000 Blood Money (1967; a.k.a. $10,000 for a Massacre). Gianni Garko plays as Django. Yes, Franco Nero hero to the masses. This time Django (the D is silent) is on the trail of bandit Manuel Vasquez (Claudio Camaso). Its a film which has a lot going for it and a lot of issues with one being a clapper board left in frame early on. Like many I compare it to the best of Django and the genre. It lacks the outrage of the Corbucci film but holds up an hour of your time well enough. Lee Broughton commentary delivers but is read like an essay. Draining a lot of the quality by making it so damn boring. Ernesto Gastaldi is the highlight. His interview is funny and he is smart enough to play to the crowd.

Giovanni Fago helms Vengeance is Mine (1967; a.k.a. $100,000 for a Killing). Garko and Camaso are back, this time as estranged half-brothers. On either side of the civil war. One is riding with renegade outlaws, the other a bounty hunter tasked with bringing him in alive. The best film on the set by a nose, this is a bitter and cynical take on the American dream. It deserves praise for a very good 2K transfer that sings on the screen. A very good and less robotic commentary from J. Smith and David Flint. They duel occasionally about the film, seeming like the brothers onscreen.  Next, Giuliano Carnimeo’s Find a Place to Die (1968). This sees Jeffrey Hunter from THE SEARCHERS, as Joe Collins. He is a former soldier who assembles a ragtag band of scoundrels to help a woman. Her prospector husband is trapped beside their gold mine. They want more than to be good Samaritans! A belter if you cover you eyes from the obviousness of the plot, this is the best directed of the films and the one which has a Howard Hughes commentary that works in all the angles. He might not be every ones cup of chai but Hughes is sharp and skilled at mining the details. He also does the booklet, which we didn’t see sadly…

At this point, before discussing the forth and final film, I want to mention the critic Fabio Melelli intros. They are well worth watching to establish the films and their place in the genre. They are more important if you have say read Alex Cox work on his favoured genre but might also reward a few views to be honest.  Film four is Cesare Canevari’s Matalo! (Kill Him) (1970). It feels chaotic and has a plot that is simple but steers into the surreal. A gang of outlaws, double- and triple-crossing each other when they try to take on a husband and wife team. Holed up in an isolated ghost town, husband Ray (Lou Castel) and wife Bridget (Ana María Mendoza) fight back, armed only with his weapon of choice: a bag full of boomerangs. Before I wax lyrical, dear person who has just split from a long term relationship, has mental health issues and feels they are a voice of a specific Asian film movement, STOP. You have not been published, are seen broadly as unstable and truth be told, punk ended in the early 80s and you need to reflect on personal choices post that. Breathe!

This looks visually the best. With the 2K being rounded (flattened) a little by the 1080p. It also sounds the best and actually has the best features. Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson, both published, both knowing their stuff in cinema and both respected enough to give a film that is ignored, a voice. They might go over some of the older ground covered before but they also grant us a few things. Mainly the sense that this film deserves a real hearing. Valuing its scripted chaos, intense direction and mise en scene (yes I said it!). So as Arrow have been mining these films for a while, I feel they have given enough  us enough to warrant a big fee in times like these…

Product Features

• High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentations of all four films
• Brand new 2K restorations of all four films from the original 35mm camera negatives by Arrow Films
• Original Italian and English front and end titles
• Restored lossless original Italian and English soundtracks
• English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
• Brand new introductions to each film by journalist and critic Fabio Melelli
• Galleries for all four films
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by author and critic Howard Hughes
• Fold-out double-sided poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeves featuring original artwork and a slipcover featuring newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx

DISC 1 – $10,000 BLOOD MONEY

• Brand new audio commentary by author and film historian Lee Broughton
• Tears of Django – newly edited featurette with archival interviews with director Romolo Guerrieri and actor Gianni Garko
• The Producer Who Didn’t Like Western Movies – brand new interview with producer Mino Loy
• How the West Was Won – brand new interview with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
• Theatrical trailer

DISC 2 – VENGEANCE IS MINE

• Brand new audio commentary by critics Adrian J. Smith and David Flint
• Cain and Abel – newly edited featurette with archival interviews with actor Gianni Garko and screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi
• In Conversation with Nora Orlandi – newly edited archival interview with the film’s iconic composer
• Movie After Movie – brand new interview with producer Mino Loy
• Theatrical trailer

DISC 3 – FIND A PLACE TO DIE

• Brand new audio commentary by author and critic Howard Hughes
• Sons of Leone – newly edited archival interview with director Giuliano Carnimeo
• Traditional Figure – brand new, in-depth appreciation of the soundtrack and its composer, Gianni Ferrio, by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon

DISC 4 – MATALO! (KILL HIM)

• Brand new audio commentary by critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
• A Milanese Story – brand new, in-depth interview with filmmaker Davide Pulici, discussing the career of Matalo! director Cesare Canevari
• Untold Icon – brand new, in-depth appreciation of the soundtrack and its composer, Mario Migliardi, by musician and disc collector Lovely Jon
• Theatrical trailer