Tierra brutal
Tags: western, violence

Plot synopsis:
The film takes place in a small valley in the Mexican state of Sonora, near the Arizona Territory, around 1870. Steve Fallon, a drifter and gun-for-hire, is severely exhausted when travelling through the barren landscape and is found by Mike Summers and his wife, Franchea. He is taken into their home and, while recovering, he learns that a local land baron, Ortega, is pressuring local ranchers to sell their land to him with the help of Danny Pose and his gang of outlaws. Fallon also develops feelings for Fanchea's sister, Juana.
Mike Summers, a former Confederate officer, had become a pacifist following his experiences during the American Civil War. Refusing to even wear a gun, he is defenseless when Danny Pose arrives at the ranch to collect "protection" money. Confronted by Fallon, Pose is disarmed and loses to Fallon in a brawl. He is eventually run out of town after a gunfight with Fallon ends with three of his companions dead.
Ortega responds by taking over the gang himself and leading a raid against the Summers ranch and, in one of the film's most graphic scenes, he has Fallon's hands crushed under a wagon. Danny Pose soon returns, under the belief that Fallon has been killed, and turns on Ortega murdering his former employer. Riding to the Summers ranch, he sees the helpless Fallon and threatens to shoot him when Summers grabs a nearby gun and kills Pose in order to save Fallon's life.

Review: Very early spaghetti western, if not the first.. In 1961 Michael Carreras was looking to become an independent producer, breaking away from Hammer Films, purveyors of high-quality Gothic horror movies, which was a family business owned by James Carreras, his father. His idea, a new one, was to film a European western, using the desert area of Almeria, Spain, to fill in for the American southwest. Along with another Hammer regular, Jimmy Sangster, he signed American actors Richard Basehart, Don Taylor, and Alex Nicol, all of whom had acted for Hammer, to play the protagonists. The result, SAVAGE GUNS, is one of, if not the first, spaghetti westerns of the modern age. It has the look, the low sandy desert, adobe houses, the sneering bandidos, and the iconic mysterious gunslinger who finds himself between warring factions. The music is not quite there yet, very American in style, as is the action, but it has its moments. As a prototypical Euro-western, it's of interest to students of the genre, but probably too slow for typical western fans. Lots of talking. Capricorn, Carreras' and Sangster's company, didn't last long, and most likely because of the failure of this film, Hammer remained uninterested in adding westerns to their roster of Gothic Horror, Adventure, and Thriller movies.. Passable Western with historical interest , being the first filmed in Almeria , Spain. Acceptable Chorizo Western co-produced by Spain/England/USA with a British director and two Hollywood B-actors as Richard Basehart and Don Taylor and numerous Spanish secondaries . A good example of Latino western genre from Spain . In Sonora, 1870 in a lonesome valley next to the frontier of Arizona , there appears ex-Confederation officer named Summer (Don Taylor) , now a farmer married a beautiful Mexican (Paquito Rico) living in Rancho Summer and he tries to forget about the horrors of the war of independence on his farm. He is a peaceful man and has foresworn to violence . His intention is put to the test when a band of nasties ravages the ranch . There arrives a gunslinger (Richard Basehart) who being wounded and healed by the family ; later on he join forces with the farmer to take on a land baron (Jose Nieto) and his underling (Alex Nicol) .Paella/British/US Western co-produced between Spain, England and doesn't follows the Sergio Leone wake , but it is proceeded in American models . It's an exciting western with breathtaking gunfight between the protagonist Richard Basehart against the heartless Alex Nicol and his nasty hoodlums , in addition a stirring ending fight between the three main protagonists , Basehart , Nicol and Taylor . This movie is a lot of fun to watch . It's an acceptable story with a touch of peculiarity , some great characters, and an amazing music score . The picture is a tale of justice and revenge , as a Pistolero seeks to help a family against a restless cattle baron . Richard Basehart is passable though miscast , he plays as a gunfighter who attempts to forget his past . Basehart's performance in the movie is a bit wooden for the role of such an interesting character , a Shane/Alan Ladd-alike , but the fantastic performance by Alex Nicol as the slimy, menacing outlaw make up for , here in his ordinary role as bandit and in a cruelly baddie character , he is terrific as a villain hoodlum giving a fine acting similarly his role in ¨The man of Laramie¨. There appears as secondary actors the habitual in Spanish/Italian Western such as Jose Nieto , Jose Luis Martin , Xan Das Bolas , Alfonso Rojas , Rafael Albaicin , Fernado Sanchez Polack , Rafael Vaquero , Jose Riesgo , Victor Israel and Fernando Rey in his customary character as an intellectual man .The film packs violence , shootouts , high body-count and is quite entertaining , though sometimes results to be slow-moving . There are thrills ,romance , drama and action in the movie , guaranteeing some shoot'em up or stunts every few minutes . There is a very odd implementation of shots in the camera work during some particular scenes as the film approaches its climax , as in the final gunfight . The movie gets the Western ordinary issues , such as avengers antiheroes , violent facing off , exaggerated baddies and spectacular duels , among them . Well produced by Jimmy Sangster , Hammer's usual screenwriter , and Jose G . Maesso who produced several Western such as ¨The ugly ones , Minnesota Clay , Django , A train to Durango , Hellbenders¨ . Good production design creating an excellent scenario with luminous outdoors , dirty and rocky landscapes under a glimmer sun and cool settings by expert set designer Francisco Canet who designed several Westerns as Spanish as international ones . The musician Anton Garcia Abril composes a nice soundtrack and well conducted , this turns out to be one of the most memorable parts of the movie; as it's full of enjoyable sounds and haunting musical background . The soundtrack contributes tremendously to the atmosphere of the film, including an emotive leitmotif, the music score is perhaps the best part of this film . Striking cinematography by Alfredo Fraile , though is necessary a correct remastering . Outdoor sequences with barren and rocky exteriors , and including Mediterranean Sea filmed in Spanish places located in Aguilas , Alhamilla and desert of Almeria. The motion picture was professionally directed by Michael Carreras , though with no originality . He was a prestigious director, screenwriter and producer for Hammer Films . He Gradually introduced science-fiction into Hammer's output . Executive producer , Managing director and Chief Executive at Hammer Films until he forced to resign in 1979, when the company failed to secure finance and fell into receivership. Rating : 5,5 . The picture will appeal to Eurowestern buffs .. No protection money! No protection!. Tierra Brutal (Savage Guns) is directed by Michael Carreras and adapted to screenplay by Edmund Morris from the story The San Siado Killings written by Peter R. Newman. It stars Richard Basehart, Don Taylor, Alex Nicol, Fernando Rey, José Nieto, José Manuel Martín, Paquita Rico and Manolita Barroso. Music is by Anton Garcia Abril and cinematography by Alfredo Fraile. It's 1870 in Sonora, Mexico, and wounded gunman drifter Steve Fallon (Basehart) is taken in by rancher Mike Summers (Taylor) and his wife, Franchea (Rico). While recuperating Steve learns that Mike is an ex- Confederate officer who has turned pacifist and refused to ever fire a gun again. That is something which is proving to be a problem as the Summers ranch is being threatened by land baron Ortega (Nieto) and his hired thugs. Steve sees a way he can thank the Summers family... Hammer Studios regulars Carreras and Sangster formed the short lived Capricorn Productions to release this Paella Western filmed out of Almeria in Spain. It's influence on the trajectory of Euro Westerns is telling, even if as filmic entertainment it's pretty average fare. Good guys wear black. Film follows along the lines of Shane, with Basehart a weary old gunman finally finding what he says is the first home he has had since he was 15. Helps that he has a considerable love interest here as well in the shapely and beautiful form of Franchea's sister, Juana (Barroso). He can't believe his luck as much as we can't believe she would fall for a bloke old enough to be her dad! It's a slow build of a film, sometimes too laborious for its own good, but the action when it comes is well staged (except for one fist-fight that is wholly unbelievable) and the characters are a roll call of types that would form the basis for many a Spaghetti Western that surfaced in the following years. Interestingly the poster for it has the production as being in Totalscope and Eastmancolor, yet I didn't see this on the credits, in fact it said Metrocolor. Either way it's a nice colour production in the traditional Euro Western sense, with sun baked vistas framing the grizzled characters and the architecture, both natural and man built, gives off the requisite period vibe. Abril's musical score is excellent, though it's not what we would come to know as a Spaghetti/Paella composition. But it really lifts certain sequences to better heights with stabs of brass mixing with military styled percussion. Cast are fine, with Basehart, enjoying playing a bad ass, and Nicol on over drive loose cannon head henchman duty, particularly enjoyable. 6/10. A grim, intriguing, somewhat entertaining prototype European western.. The Spanish title is Tierra Brutal - The Brutal Land.This does indeed seem to be an awkward prototype of the European westerns starring Clint Eastwood, followed by others. It is notable for the hard, sunny climate and terrain, beautiful "Mexican" (Spanish) women, and cold-bloodedness of the killings. Not only can good guys draw first, Basehart's character even shoots bad(der) guys in the back - none of this mythical, Ivanhoe-like Code of the West chivalry nonsense.Notable too is the determination of the beautiful heiress to defend her ranch, by getting her men to kill or by hersekf killing someone from her living room. Latin women: beautiful and DANGEROUS.And yes, Richard Basehart's tired gunfighter character *is* old enough to be the pretty young girl's father, but it is not at all unusual for a girl to fall in love with a much older man. My second ex-wife won't be half my age until next year (2015), and we have 2 beautiful children to show, for her infatuation.Thanks to the hot beauty of its women, the film wasn't an hour or so wasted watching this while doing other things.