classicsoncall I've seen Chill Wills as a villain before, but Man, he really takes it to the limit here as outlaw Ike Slant. In an opening scene, not only does he torch a rancher's home, but shoots a woman and a crying child (off screen) before his crew makes a getaway. That was cold.Seeking revenge for the murder of his family, former bounty hunter Talion (Robert Lansing) teams up with young gunslinger Benny Wallace (Patrick Wayne) to track the killers and bring them to justice. Talion makes no pretense of what he really feels - "I just want to make sure they all die, son". This is the first time I've seen Lansing in a lead role and I thought he had the perfect look for other Western portrayals, though I don't think I've caught him in any before. As other reviewers have noted, he has that Steve McQueen look going for him, the first thing I thought of when he showed up in the picture.The story pretty much plays out by the book, with a nominal love interest for Talion in the person of Gloria Talbott's character, Bri Quince. It seems to me the writers miscalculated with the tease because at the end of the story, Talion rode off into the proverbial sunset leaving the disappointed girl behind. There was really no reason why the picture couldn't have pulled it off, it seemed like a loose end that should have been tied up.The main plot element here has to do with Talion becoming the eyes for partner Benny when the up and coming bounty hunter is blinded by an Ike Slant ricochet. Some time is spent on Talion being patient with his protégé as he learns to handle his gun visualizing the minutes on a clock. That seemed a little odd to me because clocks aren't linear, but the strategy managed to work for the final showdown.It's always cool to see Paul Fix and Strother Martin in support roles, but I have to admit, I could never get used to seeing Clint Howard as a character actor. At least as a kid; he has the perfect look as an adult for any number of roles calling for a deranged individual. Let's just say he was the complete opposite of his brother Ron.

bkoganbing If you are very lucky you'll be able to catch this western as it showed up on YouTube and I could see it for the first time since it was in theaters. An Eye For Eye is a taught and lean with a fine cast of second string players. That's no reflection on their quality just their star power.In the great MGM epic Ben-Hur one of the subplots involved Sam Jaffe who was the House of Hur steward spending many years in jail and being beaten so bad he lost the use of his legs. So he made a partnership of sorts with Ady Barber playing a big strong man whose tongue had been cut out. Each supplied the other with what he was missing. As Jaffe said in the film 'we make a considerable man'.Both Robert Lansing and Patrick Wayne have to supply some needs for the other in An Eye For An Eye. During an encounter with gunslinger outlaw Slim Pickens, both being bounty hunters kill two of Slim's running buddies but are left injured. Lansing's gun hand is crippled and Wayne's blinded.Probably in time they could recover, but do they have that kind of time because Pickens is out to get them. They devise an imaginary clock like gambit to use when they have to face Pickens inevitably. The leads are fine, but the two you will remember are first Slim Pickens who started out in westerns and got first notice as a goofy sidekick to Rex Allen. Slim expanded his range considerably and while most probably remember him for Dr. Strangelove and Blazing Saddles, he could play it mean. Western fans will also recall him in both One Eyed Jacks and Rough Night In Jericho as a villain. But he was never nastier on the screen than in this film.Strother Martin is also in this playing a nasty toad like character who'll sell anybody out for a few dollars. He's done that before most notably as one of Lee Marvin's sidekicks in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, but he brings that character to its lowest depths in An Eye For An Eye.Not much in big budget production values, but western fans, this one's a must.

el Cambion Eye for an Eye (1966) I would recommend this only for fans of Robert Lansing (which I am). From the very first strains of the guitar and whistling over the opening credits (which was absolutely awful) I seriously wondered how low the budget was.Two crippled bounty hunters (one blinded and one with a crippled hand) team up to seek revenge. Sounds like good fuel for a satisfying plot but somehow the spirit keeps getting lost.Strother Martin (love Strother) is up to his usual eccentric character performance. Same with the antagonist, Slim Pickens. Lansing is laconic as usual. A very young Clint Howard plays an overly ebullient child. Not that the character was oddly too loud but that Clint himself never uses his 'indoor' voice. Even at that early age.But despite the mostly adequate performances the plodding pace and discouraging themes push me toward 'thumbs down'. No saving overall payoff for the 92 minute investment.

kirbyskay2012 This summary is influenced somewhat because this reviewer has been a Robert Lansing fan as long as can be remembered. Every single time Lansing has acted in a production (TV, play, or movie), his performance has made me forget about the actor practicing a craft and to become engrossed in the role and the particular story. That is what makes a truly fine actor, in my opinion, and it is sad that Lansing had been unrecognized by the entertainment industry in general and not given more roles to portray during his career.The story of Talion (aka An Eye For An Eye) is offbeat from the average western story, as it focuses on personal relationships between humans more than the shoot-'em-up aspects of the Old West. There is action in the gunfighting, a bit of history in Ben's background, the creativity used to surmount physical shortcomings in order to achieve a set goal, a view of family life in the hardscrabble wilderness of the 1800s, the dignity with which an aging ranch owner strives to raise his children to be honest, confidant,and respectable adults, and even some romance in the longing the early settlers must have experienced when living in a relatively lawless location and era, often far away from neighbors, family, and the diversions of city or even town life. And, it contains a lesson in morality and conscience in that the story shows even a mature adult can learn to see life from a different perspective, regardless of the events of the past.The general production values were appropriate if not lavish, but with what appeared to be the use of genuine antiques for household props. The cinematography was outstanding, lending a real feel to what life on an isolated ranch must have been like. The ending was unusual as well, and not predictable. This is not a large production or epic western (such as THE BIG COUNTRY which was peppered with big name stars), but a lonely and tender but still a little gritty family-appropriate production.Serve a batch of buttered popcorn, a bowl of chocolate and nuts to munch on, and your favorite beverage over ice. Curl up on the couch and turn the lights down low to enjoy this simple story of the Old West.