★ 7 / 10
**_Jenny Agutter as a bored wife on a
Wuchak
**_Jenny Agutter as a bored wife on a remote ranch in west Texas, 1885_** The original Italian title translates to “Love, Lead, and Fury,” which, needless to…
**_Jenny Agutter as a bored wife on a remote ranch in west Texas, 1885_**
The original Italian title translates to “Love, Lead, and Fury,” which, needless to say, is an all-around superior name. For video release in the USA, it was called “Gunfire”; in Spain it was named after the protagonist, “Clayton Drumm.” The official title, “China 9, Liberty 37,” makes it sound like a high school football score between two east Texas towns. Speaking of which, there are two such towns northeast of Houston with just such a mileage sign between them, as shown in the opening of the movie, but the location in the film is obviously supposed to be west Texas since the landscapes of southeastern Spain don’t look anything like southeastern Texas.
The flick was one of the last Spaghetti Westerns, which were produced for fifteen years from 1964-1978. Of course, like a lot of Spaghettis, this isn’t purely an Italian-Spanish production. For instance, director Monte Hellman, cowriter Jerry Harvey and star Warren Oates were all Americans, and Agutter is English, not to mention American Sam Peckinpah, who has a curious acting cameo.
It shoots for eccentricity to distinguish it or try something new, similar to other Westerns from the late 70s: “The Missouri Breaks,” “The Shadow of Chikara,” “Goin' South” and “Eagle’s Wing.” Unlike those, it throws in quite a bit of (tame) nudity, mostly involving Agutter (which was nothing new for her, if you’ve seen “Walkabout”). Peter Fonda’s “The Hired Hand” from the early 70s, which also costars Oates, is a good comparison.
The story revolves around a romantic triangle between Catherine (Agutter), her grizzled husband, who’s twice her age (Oates), and a pardoned young gunfighter named Clayton (Italian Fabio Testi). In the small circus sequence, you’ll catch a glimpse of the beautiful redhead Helga Liné, who was 45 during shooting.
The film drives home the boredom and loneliness of life in the Old West, particularly if you’re living on a small ranch far outside of town. When romantic enticement rears its head, it’s an understandable temptation. When gunfights suddenly break out, they’re realistic.
It runs 1h 42m and was shot in the fall of 1977 in Tabernas, Almería, Spain, with studio work done in Rome.
GRADE: B
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★ 6 / 10
Existential Spaghetti
hrkepler
'China 9, Liberty 37' is last of Monte Hellman's westerns, and his weakest attempt in that genre. The film tries to combine elements of spaghetti western with…
'China 9, Liberty 37' is last of Monte Hellman's westerns, and his weakest attempt in that genre. The film tries to combine elements of spaghetti western with Hellman's usual existential vision. Although entertaining and thrilling at moments, the film falls into mediocrity as there isn't enough spaghetti nor existentialism.Clayton Drumm (Fabio Testi) is a gunslinger waiting to be hanged, but is given last minute pardon when men from railroad company hire him to kill Matthew Sabinek (Warren Oates) who used to work as a hired gun for same men years ago. Sounds interesting? Clayton rides into the farm where Matthew lives with his young wife Catherine (Jenny Agutter). The younger and faster gunslinger, who has grown weary of the killing, decides not to complete his mission when he starts to like Matthew and two men become sort of friends. And then enters farmer's gorgeous looking wife.There is the feel of growing tension in the first quarter of the film, that promises to become tense thriller, but then falls flat as generic love triangle and revenge story. Fabio Testi's lack of charisma against the talents and gravely looks of great Warren Oates becomes obstacle that doesn't allow proper chemistry to evolve between two main characters. Monte Hellman's other westerns (or western type movies) weren't always very thick and original on plot either, but they were executed with fascinating ways and ideas.Recommended to the fans of Warren Oates and Monte Hellman, and when you do, try to get the uncut version as there are some meaty lines (an nudity) to juice things up a little bit.Also, another great western director Sam Peckinpah treats the fans of the genre with wonderful cameo as an author Wilbur Olsen who wants to write story based on Clayton's life.
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★ 7 / 10
"This day hasn't turned out well"
Bezenby
This one comes very late in the Spaghetti Western timeline, is directed by an American, and plays out like a love story. It's different to say the least. Fabio…
This one comes very late in the Spaghetti Western timeline, is directed by an American, and plays out like a love story. It's different to say the least.
Fabio Testi is Clayton, a condemned man who is reprieved at the last minute, as long as he tracks down Warren Oates and kills him. Oates used to work for the Railroad and they don't like loose ends, so Clayton has to take him out. A problem arises in the form of Jenny Agutter, Warren's much younger, hot wife whom Clayton first spies skinny dipping. Clayton shacks up at the Oates/Agutter household under the pretence that he's passing through, but Oates is no fool, and Agutter starts making goo-goo eyes at the hunky Clayton.
Not a shot is fired in anger for the first fifty minutes of this film, as Clayton decides he can't kill Oates by he can get it on with Agutter, which leads to Oates attacked her and Agutter retaliating in a surprisingly violent way (she stabs him in the back and brains him with a rolling pin). Clayton and Agutter think Oates is dead and they can be a couple, but Oates wakes up and gathers his numerous brothers for some revenge...as does the Railroad when they find out Oates isn't dead...
As this is a late era Spaghetti Western, the pacing isn't exactly full throttle, but I was surprised to see that the violence was very realistic - people get shot and fall over instead of clutching themselves and spinning around the place, and the violence is very abrupt and sudden, like the accidental shooting of a hooker through a window or two corpses being shot over and over again.
Plus, Testi stands out as the lightening fast Clayton, made weak through his love for Agutter. Apart from her dodgy Irish accent, Agutter does well too and spends a lot of time naked with Testi (I actually gave birth to Testi's child just by watching this film!). Warren Oates stands out too, with his mumbly, tired character.
This must be one of the very last Spaghetti Westerns, and it's worth tracking down if you can find an uncut version of it. Sam Peckinpah makes a surreal cameo too, just to add to the sense of weirdness.
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6.1/10
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Just watched the Z Channel doc. Going to be searching a lot of the films they talked about in that.