While I wouldn’t say I’m a die-hard fan of Lee Van Cleef
he’s always been an actor that if I saw one of his movies playing on TV I’d
make an effort to stop and watch it. He seemed to me to be one of those actors
that always carried off whatever role he was playing with ease. So when I saw
he had a starring role in DAY OF ANGER I couldn’t believe that I’d not only
never seen the film but had never even heard of it. And after watching it I was
even more surprised seeing how good a movie it was. Why doesn’t this one get as
much attention as the films of Sergio Leone?
Here again we have a movie you won’t find at imdb.com under
this title. Instead try GUNLAW. The movie opens in Clifton, AZ, with young
Scott (Giuliano Gemma) making his daily rounds, picking up buckets of human
waste and emptying them into his wagon barrels to be dumped at the stable where
he works. Scott is the town bastard, the son of a prostitute mother and unknown
father, who is treated poorly by everyone he knows from the local bar owner to
the judge. Scott Ekes out a living under the watchful eye of stable master
Murph, the only person who treats him well other than the owner of the local
brothel. Murph taught him how to draw a pistol even though the only thing he
has is a wooden one.
Into town rides Talby (Van Cleef). Well dressed and
well-armed it’s apparent that he’s a gunslinger. Talby impresses the young man
who he immediately takes a liking to. After Scott takes his horse to the
stable, Talby asks him to join him for a drink. Of course the locals aren’t
happy with this due to their opinion of Scott. When they get in the middle of
things a gunfight follows with Talby the man left alive. A quick trial finds
him innocent and he heads out of town with Scott tagging along.
As they travel to the next town Talby takes Scott under his
wing, giving him a series of lessons on survival. These include everything from
how to handle a weapon to not trusting anyone. All of these lessons will come
into play before the end of the film.
In the next town Talby confronts a man about a debt he is
owed. It seems that for 10 years Talby has waited for the man to be released
from prison after the man lost the money he took from a robbery they did
together. When the man explains that the folks of Clifton took the money and
framed the man to go to prison. The judge, bar owner, barber and banker were
all in on it. With that information Talby sets out to return to Clifton but not
before the man draws on him and dies in the street.
Before heading back Talby and Scott visit another town where
they pick up a sidearm for Scott. Choosing along barreled pistol Scott is
thrilled. On their way back to Clifton Talby continues to train Scott on how to
use his weapon. Surprisingly Scott turns out to not only be quick on the draw
but an accurate shot as well.
The two ride into town and Talby begins with the banker,
letting him know why he’s there and taking a small payment to begin with. From
there he finagles a part ownership in the local saloon. When someone tries to
keep him from moving forward with his plans a gunfight follows and Scott begins
to become the enforcer for Talby. It’s his chance to repay the fine folks of
Clifton for their treatment of him over the years.
But plans never turn out quite like those who formulate them
would like them to. Talby becomes more and more a presence in the town, pushing
things to limits that even Scott isn’t pleased with. Murph warns Scott that
Talby is only using him because he’s aging and an eventual faceoff between the
two will be the end result. Just who walks away and with what is the question.
The movie has a wonderful story that unravels and reveals so
much of the town’s past and those who live there. While it may seem like I’ve provided
too much the truth is there is more to these people than what I’ve written.
Those are the juicy parts of the film that make the writing of this movie so
good. It’s not a surprise to learn then that the director and writer of this
film later went on to make MY NAME IS NOBODY, a movie I consider to be a crown
jewel of the spaghetti western genre.
The acting here is smooth for all involved. There was a
question about Gemma playing the part of Scott since he was 30 at the time and
the role called for a much younger actor. But he does a great job. Of course
Van Cleef does his utmost best here in the role of Talby. His character starts
off as a well-intentioned guide for a young man only to be revealed as the
killer he is before the end of the film.
Arrow Video has done an amazing job with this release. The
picture quality is stunning to look at, restored from a 35mm Techniscope camera
negative. Extras include interviews with both the director and writer of the
screenplay. On top of this the movie is offered in three versions: a shortened
English version, the longer Italian version and that last version dubbed in
English as well. After watching this I’m sold on the quality that Arrow Video
has to offer. While I’ve never been a fan of most extras on movies, they provide
just enough to add to the feature without making the extras more than the movie
(unlike newer movies that seem to provide 4 hours of extras for a 90 minute
feature). I read someone reply to their releases as Criterion worthy and I
would have to agree. The biggest difference though is that Arrow seems to make
their releases more affordable.
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