Death Rides a Horse (1967)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Dish Served Cold

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Giulio Petroni's Death Rides a Horse is one of the best and most notable non-Sergio Spaghetti Westerns (that is, not directed by either Leone or Corbucci). Part of what makes it so is leading man Lee Van Cleef, who gained a measure of fame in two Leone films, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad & the Ugly. (Both of those films were co-written by Luciano Vincenzoni, who wrote Death Rides a Horse.) We also have John Phillip Law, who made his mark a year later in Barbarella and Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik. But best of all, we have a great Ennio Morricone score, always a pleasure. The story has Bill, a young boy, who watches as four men murder his mother, father, and older sister. He memorizes certain details about each (a tattoo of playing cards, a scar, etc.). He spends 15 years training, growing up and becoming Law, hell-bent on revenge.

Just then, Ryan (Van Cleef) is released from prison, having been framed by, of course, the same men who killed Bill's family. The two men compete with one another until they finally team up for a big showdown. The work of director Petroni (Tepepa) is un-flashy, and a little staid for a Spaghetti Western, but it gets the job done. It's a favorite of Quentin Tarantino's, who might have drawn inspiration from it for Kill Bill. In 2024, Kino Lorber released a new Blu-ray that includes a commentary track by filmmaker and Spaghetti Western expert Alex Cox, trailers for this and six other Spaghetti Westerns, optional English or Italian language tracks and optional English subtitles.