Scott LeBrun Lee Van Cleef, typically amusing, is cast as bandit Roy King, leader of a gang that also includes Angel Santos (Simon Andreu), Ed Pace (Gianni Garko), and Tom Odie (Jess Hahn). Roy makes the acquaintance of the devilish Alicia (Gina Lollobrigida), who's hatched a scheme with her fellow criminal Francisco Paco Montero to dupe the Mexican government out of a cool $1 million. But before that can happen, they fall into the clutches of revolutionaries (this tale takes place during the Mexican Revolution) and are forced to deal with them.As written by director Eugenio Martin ("Horror Express") and Hollywood veteran Philip Yordan ("Johnny Guitar", "El Cid"), this is a rather lightweight, forgettable Euro Western- comedy. While it's always nice to see the leading actors in anything, they've certainly been better utilized before and after. In the beginning, the movie is decidedly annoying, with too many dopey songs and Martin overdoing it on use of freeze frames. While it's appreciable that Martin and Yordan were going for irreverence, they make things just a little too silly.Adequate action sequences help, and the filmmaking is technically fairly slick. There are some fun gags, especially right at the start when two men are inside a bank vault.Lollobrigida and her co-star Diana Lorys are fine scenery attractions, and the former plays such a conniving character that she helps to keep things interesting. The movie doesn't really hit its stride until James Mason shows up. (For fans of the actor, be warned that almost an hour is over until he does.) It's a treat to see him in this kind of setting, and he gives the story a real shot in the arm.The exemplary cast of familiar faces also includes Aldo Sambrell, Lone Fleming, Eduardo Fajardo, and Sergio Fantoni.Admittedly, if one is looking for a Lee Van Cleef fix, they could do a lot better than this, but "Bad Man's River" delivers some undemanding fun for 92 minutes.Six out of 10.

ironhorse_iv Bad habits are hard to die hard for Lee Van Cleef. Once again, he starred in a really horrible movie. Directed by Gene Martin AKA Eugenio Martín, this euro-western film also known as Hunt the Man down, or Four Mercenaries from El Paso, is a mess. The movie tells the story of bandit Roy King (Lee Van Cleef) and his gang. They were hired by a mysterious wealthy man, Montero (James Mason) to blow up a Mexican Army munitions stockpile in Mexico, using a luxury riverboat as a base of operations. The only problem, is that they were lured into a bigger scheme that digs them even deeper into the troubles of the Mexican revolution. Can Roy King and his group dig themselves out of this hole or will the problems of this job, become too much for them to handle? Watch the movie to find out! Without spoiling too much of the movie, I think I would have more respect for this film, if the movie flown right. Don't get me wrong, the movie could had work, with all the double-crossing and twist turns, but it got really annoying with all, the repetitive. Seeing these dummies get duped, time and time, again got frustrated, pretty fast. All the men in this film, are portray as cartoony idiots! The main character that Lee Van Cleef plays, is supposed to be smart, and clever. Yet, he even dumb himself down, by marry a woman, he only knew a few hours in the opening scene? Come on! Who does that! It didn't help that music that came with this film, claims that Lee Van Cleef's character is supposed to be the meanest and scariest of the bad-men of the old west! All we see, as the audience, is Ron King being afraid, and goofing off. The worst twist had to be, toward the end, when the schemes stop making sense. The last twist; comes out of nowhere, and felt so damn confusing. The movie gets dumber, when it comes to the music. Bad Man's River has a god-awful soundtrack, mixed with silly Barber shop quartet songs & out of place, rock music by Jade Warrior. It's completely wrong. It doesn't match the Spaghetti Western, feel, at all. Another problem with the film is the way, it was filmed. The dark blue color picture montage of Lee Van Cleef's face during the opening was really hard to see. I can barely notice, what the picture slideshow was showing. The film quality is so washed out, and faded. It gets worst, as the movie starts to use freeze frame, excessive! I really thought, there was something wrong with my DVD copy, at first! I thought, the dish was skipping frames, but I find out, later, that the film was doing this, on purpose. I don't get, why the director would chose to do this! It really ruins the feel of the film! Thank God, it's only in the first bits of the film. Still, the movie does have some bad editing, chops, toward the middle of the end, that's hard, not to notice. The pacing is a bit off, as well. The movie starts out, with a bank robbery, being successful and the movie plays it off, as if it was finishing up. It really seem like the movie is already, over. Then somewhat Ron King, end up in a mental asylum, only for it to blow up, minutes later! I know it's supposed to tell us, that King has escape, but it seem like he got killed, by the explosion, since the film doesn't show him, escaping! Anyways, the movie jumps around for the rest of the film, from locations in both US & Mexico. Despite, the locations haven't no rivers, near it, a steam boat, somewhat connection them, together. Honestly, I don't know, how Lee Van Cleef & his gang were able to move around, so quick. It's really puzzling, how they even got on the boat. Nothing about the boat's speed, makes logically sense. I guess, the boat is able to travel, both quickly & slow. The movie really push, the runtime, to its limits due to this. There are lots of slow moments with barely any good humor or action. The movie has this weird cartoony feel to its action. Good guys are able to kill, multiply bad guys, while bad guys aimed for the feet and seem like they can't even hit. Even with a sub-machine gun, no less! It's really impossible to suspend disbelief for this movie, when a six-shooter is able to shot, more than six bullets, at a time! I really hate the moment, when one of the villains, receiving a cannon shot to his face, and only appears scorched like a Looney Toon cartoon. It really makes this film appalling to watch! No wonder, why James Mason feels so embarrassed, taking this role. The acting is very stilted, due to the awful dialogue, given. It's clear, that the audio English dubbing, doesn't match the lips, any more. While, this movie is bad, it's not the worst, Lee Van Cleef's film, I saw. He was somewhat alright in this film. I like that he cover his toupet with a bowler hat. James Mason looks like he's isn't have fun like Cleef. He looks so miserable, being there. Eduardo Fajardo, Sergio Fantoni & Aldo Sambrell as the villains, were all funny, at times. By far, the worst character in the film, had to be Alicia (Gina Lollobrigida). I really don't get, how the men in the film were able to stand her. Her acting was over the top. While, her character is a bitch. The actress that played her, was indeed, a sexy sex symbol! Overall: This movie belong in the 1 dollar bargain bins. I just glad, I don't have to watch this movie, ever again. Thank God, all bad things must do come to an end.

MARIO GAUCI This eccentric Euro-Western has more in common with the revisionist, light-hearted approach of BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) than with any of the sadistic Italian fare shot around the same time and on the same locations. A great, eclectic cast (Lee Van Cleef, James Mason, Gina Lollobrigida, Sergio Fantoni, Jess Hahn, Simon Andreu, Eduardo Fajardo, Gianni Garko, Diana Lorys) finds itself somewhat stranded - and in the case of Mason, evidently embarrassed - in the face of the film's bizarre changes of mood, some of which work (there are a few enjoyably comical action sequences) and some of which don't (why the director chose to overdose on the "freeze-frame" stuff at the beginning is anyone's guess); in light of all this, the involvement of talented Hollywood veterans Philip Yordan, Irving Lerner and Bernard Gordon is even more baffling. All in all, however, BAD MAN'S RIVER emerges as a surprisingly pleasant, if ultimately forgettable, diversion.

JimB-4 Heaven knows how a talent like Philip Yordan came to such a sorry pass as writing this mess. Heaven knows how badly James Mason must have needed money for him to take part. Lee Van Cleef, one of my great movie heroes, made some really awful films here and there, but this one takes the cake. The pop-rock/barbershop-quartet score, completely inappropriate to the time and place, is the first clue that the viewer is in for a melange of malarkey. Everyone is dubbed, of course--it's a spaghetti Western. But at least Van Cleef and Mason dub themselves. However, Mason, who despite being second-billed doesn't show up until 2/3 of the way through, makes the most embarrassing attempt at a southern American accent I can recall ever hearing. Gina Lollobrigida exposes her talent in her special way, and the rest of the parts are played in the broadest fashion by a cast of overacting hambones. The plot is virtually unintelligible, though it does involve a river for a moment or two (the good guys hope their engine-less riverboat can drift from Matamoros to Laredo before the bad guys catch up to them--despite the fact that Laredo is UPSTREAM from Matamoros.) It's obvious that much of what goes on here is intended as comedy, except, one presumes, for scenes of people being shot and burned to death. Let's just say that none of the stars ever made a worse movie and then just pretend this farago never happened.