ma-cortes Offbeat Western deals with tough and two-fisted African-American Pike (Jim Brown) must complete promises his upright wealthy employer Morgan (Dana Andrews) that he will venture across the desert to deliver $86,000 dollars in bankroll money . As Pike will have to ride across Mexican border to a ranch in Sonora, Mexico . Pike attracts a motley bunch of comrades for his trip , as he makes an uneasy alliance with smooth, yet suspicious card gambler Tyree (Fred Williamson) in order to execute successfully his risked assignment , meanwhile the dudes run afoul of bounty hunter Kiefer (Lee Van Cleef) . During their perilous trek Pike and Tyree pick up a couple of strays and desperate waifs , meet harassed whore Catherine (Catherine Spaak) and her loyal Kung-Fu fighting Indian companion Kashtok (Jim Brown) , while a vast army of pursuers chase after the loot . Along the way they face off ruthless bounty hunter Kiefer , a shifty marshal (Barry Sullivan) and numerous greedy chasers who give a dogged pursuit .This is a rather passable attempt to expand the Spaghetti/Paella Western blending the blaxploitation and Kung-Fu markets . Action Western in which a rugged trail boss as well as reformed criminal makes an uneasy alliance with an offbeat group of roles for his journey and to transport large payroll throughout Mexican border , being mercilessly pursued by a nasty bounty hunter who wants to take a heap of money . The film stands out the breezy chemistry between Jim Brown and Fred Williamson . Nice personalities wasted in a mediocre screenplay . The storyline is uneven but has its agreeable moments here and there . The picture takes part a little genre in which during the 1970s achieved splendor and mingled Spaghetti Western and martial arts with influence of David Carradine-Kung Fu series . Good stunts , including people falling from heights , slam into railings , throw themselves just in front of camera , bridge explosion and many other things . The notorious filmmaker , producer and stuntsman Hal Needham was brought in to coordinate stunts on the film , though he was promptly removed from the production . The support cast is pretty well , formed by a colorful team of characters full of bandits , sheriffs , deputies , desperadoes and outlaws such as ace martial artist half-breed Jim Brown , veteran Harry Carey Jr , Hollywood star Barry Sullivan , Robert Donner , and usual Spanish secondaries from Paella Western as Jorge Rigaud and Ricardo Palacios , both of whom worked with Lee van Cleef in Margheriti's previous Western : ¨Blood Money¨ or ¨Karate , colt and impostor¨ , being shot in Almeria , Spain . Adequate and sunny cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini , it is well set , in fact the town set from the opening scene has been become a sort of western theme park and , nowadays , everything is there exactly as it was in the movie , the main street houses and church . Filmed on location Canary Islands , Gran Canaria , Lanzarote , as surrounding area was used extensively, utilizing the black, volcanic sand of the island and also the dunes of Maspalomas on the southern coast . Fun and great musical score by maestro Jerry Goldsmith , he did one of his best for the genre . Jerry creates an absolutely fantastic score but was actually criticized for making a score superior to the film. This oddball motion picture was professionally directed by Antonio Margheriti who was born in 1930 , Rome, and died in 2002 . He was a director and writer , known for Yor (1983), Virus (1980) and Horror castle (1963) . Italian writer-director of horror and exploitation films, a former university engineering student who began in films in 1956 . He was also an expert in special optical effects and model-making . Often used the pseudonym 'Anthony M. Dawson'. He directed all kind of genres such as Wartime : The last hunter , Tornado , Code Name : Wild Geese , Commando Leopard , Der Commander ; Sci-Fi : War of planets , Planet on the prowl , Criminali Della Galassia ; Action : Operazione Goldman , Indio , The Squeeze , Cyberflic ; Terror : The Virgin of Nuremberg , Virus or Cannibal Apocalypse , Alien from the Deep , Flesh for Frankestein and Spaghetti : Joko , Dynamite Joe ,The Stranger and the Gunfighter , And God Said to Cain .

carltwo Trail boss Jim Brown is asked by dying boss Dana Andrews to carry a large payroll across the Mexican desert. He is pursued by bounty hunters and crooks led by Lee Van Cleef. It's an exciting old fashioned western that die hard western fan should like. If you like westerns with John Wayne and Clint Eastwood you should love this. Jim Brown and Fred Williamson make very good heroes. It's not up there with The Searchers or Fort Apache but it's very good. Watch out for veteran actors Harry Carey, Jr. and Robert Donner as bad guys. Can't think of anything else to say so I have to keep typing until I get 10 lines. If you like this movie also check out Rio Conchos.

Woodyanders Rugged trail boss and reformed criminal Pike (an excellent and convincing performance by big, bad Jim Brown) promises his honest wealthy employer Morgan (a fine cameo by Dana Andrews) that he will venture across the dessert to deliver $86,000 dollars in payroll money to a ranch in Sonora, Mexico. Pike makes an uneasy alliance with smooth, yet shifty gambler Pyree (ably played by the ever-suave Fred Williamson) in order to successfully complete his dangerous mission. During their perilous trek Pike and Tyree encounter desperate prostitute Catherine (an appealing portrayal by the beautiful Catherine Spaak) and her loyal ace martial artist half-breed companion Kashtok (amiable Jim Kelly in sturdy fighting form). Meanwhile, ruthless bounty hunter Kiefer (a perfectly steely Lee Van Cleef) and numerous greedy others give dogged chase. Director Antonio Margheriti, working from an offbeat and engrossing script by Eric Bercovici and Jerrold L. Ludwig, relates the lively and exciting story at a snappy pace, makes terrific use of the dusty Canary Islands locations, and stages the spirited shoot-outs and dynamic action set pieces with rip-roaring skill and gusto. The top-rate cast rates as another major asset: Brown and Williamson display a winningly easy'n'breezy chemistry and play off each other well (they also vigorously mix it up in a satisfying rough'n'tumble fisticuffs confrontation about an hour into the movie), Van Cleef makes for a marvelously menacing main villain, Barry Sullivan snarls it up nicely as brutal corrupt lawman Kane, Robert Donner and Harry Carey Jr. contribute pleasingly slimy turns as no-count cowpoke members of Kiefer's gang, and Charles McGregor provides some amusing comic relief in a regrettably minor part as the bumbling Cloyd. Riccardo Pallottini's sharp cinematography offers plenty of breathtaking shots of the vast and desolate dessert scenery. Jerry Goldsmith's twangy and robust score hits the stirring'n'sweeping harmonic spot. An immensely entertaining sagebrush saga.

zardoz-13 Everything gets taken for a ride in director Antonio Margheriti's action-packed but tedious horse opera "Take a Hard Ride." No, this isn't one of Margheriti's memorable efforts. The movie opens with cattle owner Morgan (Dana Andrews of "The Ox-Bow Incident") and his trail boss Pike (Jim Brown of "El Condor") selling their herd of steers for a whopping $86-thousand dollars. Morgan tells Pike about all of that prosperity that this money is going to bring to their ranch in Sonora. Unfortunately, Morgan dies from a heart attack before he can hit the trail. Before he dies, however, he has to good sense to entrust the loot to Pike. Once word gets out that a lone African-American is lugging around that bundle of money, every thief and cutthroat tries to separate our hero from his dough. The chief villain is a harmonica-playing bounty hunter Kiefer (Lee Van Cleef of "For A Few Dollars More") who goes after Brown with a small army, including a crazy gunman named Halsey (Ronald Howard of the 1950s "Sherlock Holmes" TV series) who has a Gatling gun mounted in the bed of a covered wagon. Just as Kiefer has his horde of hardcases, Pike picks up a snake-handling gambler, Tyree (Fred Williamson of "Hell up in Harlem"), a half-breed Indian Kashtok (Jim Kelly of "Enter the Dragon"), and an attractive pioneer woman (Catharine Spaak of "Downhill Racer") whose allegiance lie more with her own interests than our heroes."Hell in the Pacific" scenarist Eric Bercovici and TV writer Jerrold L. Ludwig of 'Three the Hard Way" have contrived a meandering saga that wears out its welcome early on during its action There are a couple of amusing moments that only die-hard western fans will recognize. First, the long-time character actor Harry Carey, Jr., who starred in a number of John Ford westerns, has a scene that would make the legendary helmer spin in his grave. The unsavory villain Dumper (Harry Carey, Jr. of "Rio Grande") sings the title song to Ford's classic Henry Fonda oater "My Darling Clementine" as he voids his bowels. Second, "Take a Hard Ride" lacks drama. Neither Pike nor Kiefer get around to shooting it out with each other. Along the way, just about everybody else does. For example, Halsey and his gunmen fall prey to Pike and company. Eventually, Pike and Tyree wind up at an abandoned mine where they stand off an army of bandits lead by Calvera (Ricardo Palacios of "Bad Man's River") who agree to do Kiefer's dirty work for a hundred dollars each. By the time that Calvera catches up to Pike and Tyree, our African-Americans heroes have found a cache of dynamite in the mine and make mincemeat of Calvera and company. Just before the fight breaks out, Pike hands the loot to a small Mexican boy and gives him the directions to the Morgan Ranch."Take a Hard Ride" was lensed on location--not in Spain--but in the Canary Islands. You would never guess that a western could be staged in such surroundings, but the rugged, craggy, inhospitable scenery substitutes well for the old West. The photography is good in the way that it thrusts us into the action. A line-up of western veterans comprises the cast. Aside from Brown and Van Cleef, we get to see Barry Sullivan, Dana Andrews, and Ronald Howard slap leather. The action and the stunt work is superb, thanks largely to Hal Needham during his second-unit directing days before "Smokey and the Bandit" made him famous in his own right as a director. Jerry Goldsmith contributes a flavorful score rather like his theme to the James Stewart & Dean Martin oater "Bandolero." The problem with "Take a Hard Ride" is that the characters aren't very interesting and the dramatic situations kindle little intensity. The scene where Robert Donnor and Carey try to kill Van Cleef is wrong-headed and gratituous Antonio Margheriti does the best that he could with the substandard script has more giddy-yap than giddy-up.