Van Cleef Seeks Revenge; Holden Steals Cattle!

Lee Van Cleef as Ryan.

Death Rides a Horse (1967).  As young Bill Meceita watches a vicious outlaw gang slaughter his family, he notes a distinguishing feature on each killer--a scar, an earring, a tattoo, a spur. Two decades later, a dead cowboy provides a key clue that reignites Bill's desire to avenge his family. As he tracks down the villains, he keeps encountering a man named Ryan (Lee Van Cleef). Recently paroled, the older Ryan has his own reasons for finding the same outlaws. Inevitably, Ryan and Bill team up to take down the outlaw's gang leader, who has become a successful (albeit crooked) businessman.

John Philip Law as Bill.

Like the previous year's blockbuster The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Death Rides a Horse was written Luciano Vincenzoni, features music by Ennio Morricone, and, of course, stars Van Cleef. Thematically, though, it shares more in common with Leone's For a Few Dollars More (1965). Each film features two men pursuing the same villain independently, though they eventually have to team up to accomplish their goal. Some film critics have claimed the two Spaghetti Westerns also share a mentor-protégé premise. That may be true of Death Rides a Horse, but Van Cleef's ex-colonel and Clint Eastwood's bounty hunter do not fit that mold in For a Few Dollars More. 

In the hands of director Giulio Petroni, Death Rides a Horse is an above-average Spaghetti Western punctuated with a handful of well-staged shootouts. The relationship between Ryan and Bill (John Philip Law) is well-developed, though the big twist is obvious from the moment Ryan is shown on screen. 

Unlike Eastwood, who moved back to Hollywood after his Spaghetti Western hits, Van Cleef remained in Europe until the late 1970s. His most successful non-Leone Western was probably Sabata (1969), though Death Rides a Horse has attained cult status over the years.

Alvarez Kelly (1966).  During the American Civil War, cattleman Alvarez Kelly delivers a herd of steers to the Union Army, who needs beef to feed its troops. However, Kelly barely has time to count his profits before he's kidnapped by the Confederates. They want him to help them steal the cattle for their troops!

Loosely based on a real-life event called the Beefsteak Raid, Alvarez Kelly squanders a promising premise and a strong cast. The film's central focus seems to be the relationship between the apathetic Kelly (William Holden) and a passionate Confederate colonel (Richard Widmark). To drive a deeper wedge between the men, the script includes a hasty subplot in which Kelly helps the colonel's fiancée (a poorly-utilized Janice Rule) escape from the surrounded Virginia capital of Richmond. Despite this, the audience is led to believe that Kelly and the colonel can still become "frenemies."

Standard fare like Alvarez Kelly and Paris When It Sizzles (1964) stifled Holden's career in the mid-1960s. Fortunately, it got a huge shot in the arm when Sam Peckinpah cast Holden as the lead in The Wild Bunch (1969). Richard Widmark wasn't as lucky, though he got a juicy role as an NYC detective in Madigan (1968) and its belated TV series (which aired under one of NBC's Mystery Movies in 1972-73).

Danger: Diabolik

John Phillip Law as Diabolik.

Made in 1968, Danger: Diabolik is both a psychedelic ode to the movie industry's grooviest decade and one of the first big-budget adaptations of a comic book. The title character was the subject of hundreds of popular comic books in Italy, with the first volume being published in 1962. Diabolik was not a superhero, but rather a master thief who typically stole from criminals. When working, he wore a skintight black suit that only exposed his eyes. He drove a black Jaguar, which was housed in an elaborate gadget-filled hideout. And he was assisted by his lover, the beautiful Eva Kant.

Marisa Mell as Eva Kant.

All those elements are on display in Mario Bava's movie version, which stars John Phillip Law as Diabolik. It opens with his ingenious theft of $10 million, which he accomplishes by using a fog machine and stealing the car containing the money on a dockyard pier. After Diabolik snatches an invaluable emerald necklace right out from under police protection, Inspector Ginko takes desperate measures. He applies pressure on underworld kingpin Ralph Valmont (Adolfo Celi) to broker an agreement in which the gangster will deliver Diabolik to the police. Valmont focuses on Diabolik's only weakness:  His love for Eva Kant.

Producer Dino De Laurentiis had to overcome numerous challenges to bring Diabolik to the screen. His first choice for director was Seth Holt, who made two fine suspense films for Hammer: Taste of Fear (1961) and The Nanny (1965). However, De Laurentiis did not like Holt's completed film, which starred French actor Jean Sorel as Diabolik and Gilbert Roland as the villain (he replaced an ailing George Raft). So, he fired Holt, commissioned a new screenplay, and hired Mario Bava as director. He couldn't have made a better choice.

Bava's masterful use of color is on full display in Danger: Diabolik and the supervillain's  elaborate lair inside a mountain is a visual wonder. Bava occasionally goes over the top, as exemplified by a bizarre drug-fueled sequence inside a nightclub. Still, it's a small price to pay for such visual delights as Diabolik and Eva cavorting on a bed covered with $10 million or Diabolik scaling the wall of a castle tower with suction cups.

Diabolik and Eva covered in millions!

In place of Sorel, De Laurentiis cast John Phillip Law as Diabolik. Law was considered an up-and-coming actor, having co-starred with Michael Caine and Jane Fonda in Hurry Sundown (1967). Knowing that only his eyes would be visible in many scenes, due to Diabolik's costume, he practiced conveying emotions using only his peepers. The result is one of his best performances. Personally, I found Law a bit bland in later, better-known roles in Barbarella (1968) and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973). It's too bad he didn't get a chance to reprise Diabolik for a sequel or two.

Catherine Deneuve was initially cast as Eva Kant opposite Law. However, she and Bava allegedly clashed and she was replaced by Austrian actress Marisa Mell. Looking fabulous in colorful outfits, the blonde-haired Mell projects the required "cool factor"--even if Eva doesn't have much to do in the film. By default, she is the strongest female character in what comes across a chauvinistic film by contemporary standards.

Diabolik scaling the castle wall.

Danger: Diabolik was not a commercial or critical success at the time of its release. It has even been the subject of an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Still, it has gained fame over the years and now holds a "fresh rating" on Rotten Tomatoes. We thought it was wacky fun, right down to the Europop theme song composed by--of all people--Ennio Morricone.