Un fiume di dollari

Plot synopsis:
Tyler is obsessed with the horror film The Hills Run Red, considered the scariest movie ever made, with the deranged serial killer Babyface in the lead role. However, the film's director, Wilson Wyler Concannon, disappeared years ago and there is no known copy of the movie. Tyler's obsession with the film leads him to neglect his girlfriend Serena. When Tyler discovers that Concannon's daughter Alexa works in a night club as a stripper, he decides to meet her and ask about the lost film. He visits Alexa and asks her about the project. As she gives him a nude lap dance, the audience sees Serena cheating on Tyler with their best friend Lalo. Alexa informs Tyler that the movie might be in her father's home in the woods.
Tyler drives out to Concannon's home, accompanied by Serena, Lalo, and Alexa. On the way, they are bound and attacked by rednecks, who threaten to rape Alexa and Serena. Babyface appears and kills the attackers before chasing the teens into the woods, and then disappears into the woods. Tyler breaks into the house and finds a red room that contains many film reels hanging from the ceiling. When Tyler hears pain-filled screams, he finds Alexa tied to a bed and releases her. The two leave the house and find Serena, but Babyface breaks through the door, brutally throws Tyler into a wall and injures Serena. Alexa is slammed against the wall by Babyface and says "fetch," telling him to run after Serena. Tyler drops unconscious as Alexa approaches him, smiling. Serena hides under the car parked in front of the house. Babyface enters a barn as Serena quietly moves to an adjacent building. Serena is shocked to find bloodied bodies in the room, which turns out to be a smoke house. When Babyface goes inside the smoke house, he doesn't find her and leaves. Serena emerges from a drum that was used to store blood and changes clothes. However, when she leaves the smoke house, Babyface jumps down at her from the roof.
Tyler wakes and finds himself tied to a wheelchair. On the shelves behind him are many film reels, all titled The Hills Run Red. Tyler is shocked when Concannon, the missing director of the film, appears. Concannon tells him the secret behind the scares in his film, and plays a video of twenty years before, when the film was in shooting. Concannon is dissatisfied with the actor portraying Babyface, and angrily explains to him how to properly make a scene feel scary. He takes Babyface's costume and axe, and violently axes the actor to death. It is then that the reason why screenings were canceled and all actors vanished is revealed: the film was considered too violent, and all the death scenes in it were real. He also tells Tyler Alexa was only thirteen years old when she "had him", indicating Babyface is a child born of incest between father and daughter.
Babyface is called away by Wilson and returns to the barn, leaving Serena alone. She breaks free from her binds and successfully escapes the room. Alexa stabs Lalo in the chest, killing him. Concannon tells his daughter he's the only director of the family and shoots her. Babyface, angered by Alexa's apparent death, turns on Concannon and fights him. Concannon screams out that he is Babyface's father. Tyler takes a camera and encourages Babyface to kill Concannon – which he does. Babyface then turns on Tyler but before he can kill him, Serena stabs Babyface through the back with a long iron staff, apparently killing him. However, Serena is hit by a shovel, and Alexa, still alive, hits Tyler as well, knocking him unconscious. Alexa then ties Tyler up and forces him to watch her cut of The Hills Run Red, driving him insane.
In a post-credits scene, Serena, still Alexa's prisoner, is several months pregnant. Alexa sings a lullaby to Serina's unborn baby, and the end credits continue to roll as Serena screams.

Tags: western, revenge, murder

Review:
Pleasant Spaghetti Western with usual nasty Henry Silva who steals the show as a merciless gunfighter.
A soldier named Brewster (Thomas Hunter) is taken prisoner in Fort Wilson .
The conflict is a simple one between avenger Brewster , now named Houston, and oppressors, nasties bandits commanded by cruel foreman (Henry Silva) and his chief Milton (Gazzolo), owner of the ranch Mayflower where lives his sister Mary Ann(Nicoletta Machiavelli).
Then Brewster is submitted a tempestuous trap by a saloon-girl and is caught and he faces the vicious bandits.It's an exciting western with breathtaking showdown between the protagonist Thomas Hunter against the heartless Henry Silva and his hoodlums.
Thomas Hunter is fine, he cries, ravages the screen, shoots, hit and run and kills but also receives violent knocks, punches, kicks and wounds .
In the film premiere attained bit success , nowadays is best valued and I think it turns out to be a good Spaghetti Western.
Interior filmed at Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica, Studios Rome and outdoor sequences filmed at Spanish outdoors located on Colmenar Viejo, and La Pedriza, Manzanares , Madrid.Carlo Lizzani's direction -under a pseudonym named Beaver- is well crafted, here he's less thought-provoking and broody and more inclined toward violence and too much action, because he's a expert on serious cinema.
In The Hills Run Red, two Confederate thieves fleeing on a stagecoach draw cards to see which one will stay on the coach to lead their pursuers away and which one will jump off and hide with their fortune in stolen loot.Five years later the unlucky loser of that card draw (Thomas Hunter) is released from prison to find his destitute wife deceased and his son sent away by his former partner, breaking the promise the promise to take care of them that the now wealthy rancher made to his friend.Overall, this is worth viewing despite being saddled with a wooden lead performance by Hunter (cast for his passing resemblance to Clint Eastwood?) and a less than spectacular script.It's made enjoyable by some gorgeous photography (the canyon bushwhack/stampede scene a standout), an excellent score by an uncredited Ennio Morricone, and good support by Dan Duryea and black-leather clad villain Henry Silva.I wonder if this was an inspiration for John Woo's A Better Tomorrow..
Directed by one time film critic Carlo Lizzani, "The Hills Run Red" is a welcome addition to anyone's spaghetti western collection.The film begins with ex-confederates Jerry Brewster (Thomas Hunter) and Ken Seagall (Nando Gazzalo) fleeing by stagecoach from soldiers following a successful heist.
Seagall had shunned them, keeping the money himself and starting a new life under the name Ken Milton.Brewster screams out his intention for revenge, and is soon faced by gun-hands sent by Seagall.
Luckily for him, an ageing gunman Winny Getz (Dan Duryea) is on hand to help out - a mysterious character that is never fully explained (although some assumptions can be made that I won't spoil here!) but acts as Brewster's "guardian angel" throughout the film.Learning that his wife has died and his son is missing, Brewster decides to settle his score with Seagall.
To confront Seagall and get his revenge, Brewster is forced to infiltrate the gang."The Hills Run Red" certainly has some interesting characters.
Duryea's portrayal of the mysterious Getz also merits much applause.The love interest is provided by Nicoletta Machiavelli as Seagall's sister Mary-Ann. Constantly having to dismiss advances from Mendez, her attraction to Brewster is immediate.Music is courtesy of one Leo Nichols (better known as Ennio Morricone to you and I).
An interesting take on the sub-sub-genre of Spaghetti Western with a Civil War revenge theme, attempting to reincorporate traditional Hollywood elements, it doesn't lose sight of its Italian inspired roots.The sets are a little slap dash, but the score and direction make up for it.
It deserves at least a 7-8 on the all time Spaghetti Western scale.The sets are a little slap dash, but the score and direction make up for it.
I started watching this and thought oh, lord, another howler with every hokey cliché inherent to bad spaghetti westerns.
All in all it's the kind of tale that Hollywood had so tired of by the mid sixties they'd have sent it up as a comedy romp with an all star cast cracking one liners- but with admirable humility the spaghetti western production crew delivered this with straight faced sincerity, as if they still believed in what they were doing.
Jerry Brewster (Thomas Hunter) and Ken Seagull (Nando Gazzolo) are two ex-Confederates who've successfully stolen some of the governments' money.
Realizing that only one of them can make good his escape, they draw cards, and Ken, having drawn the higher card, is allowed to bail out with the money.
Unfortunately, he learns after being released that his wife died poor because Ken hogged all the money for himself.
It's a given that Jerry is going to be ripe for revenge..."The Hills Run Red", as directed by former critic Carlo Lizzani, is no great shakes, but offers a decent amount of entertainment.
But the most entertaining acting to watch is courtesy of a hilariously hammy Henry Silva, playing Seagulls' minion Garcia Mendez.
There's nothing subtle about this guy; even his wardrobe is all black."The Hills Run Red" kills time easily enough for those who are devotees of the Spaghetti Western genre.Six out of 10..
Compared to the other two I've seen (both from Sergio Leone), this seemed more what I would expect from a normal western thus making it an easier watch for me.The story was simple and easy to follow but had the acting style (I believe anyway) of what you would expect of a Spaghetti Western.
But this movie is by far the worst I have ever seen in the western-genre.
Our hero seeks for revenge, but he stands alone...The movie is very very bad: the first half might work as a parody, but this is denied by a boring and predictable second half.
The acting is really bad, especially by the leads: Hunter is awful as the hero(look out for the scene in which he screams for revenge)and Gazzolo doesn't get much to do either.
The only actor I knew in this "film" was Henry Silva and his role(leader of Gazzolo's men) is, to say the least, dynamic, but pointless at the same time.
The dialog was taken right off the pages of See Spot Run. At the end of the movie Duryea pins a marshal's star on the bandit turned hero that looks like it came off of a 1940s Christmas tree at St. Vincent de Paul.
This movie is a very good revenge tale told in great spaghetti western fashion.
There's plenty of action, violence, over-the-top emotion, and some great music from Ennio Morricone.The best performance in the movie comes from Henry Silva as uber-creep Mendez.
As an added bonus Thomas Hunter has a few funny lines thanks to some strange bad dubbing, and his facial expressions go along with it very well, adding to the unintentional humor.
Nicoletta Machiavelli is hauntingly beautiful as Mary Ann.The ending is a great action packed "against all odds" showdown with lots of suspense, bullets, and dynamite.Overall, this is a very engaging and entertaining film which I wholeheartedly recommend to all hardcore fans of Italian westerns..
First of all,I'd have to say:That this is one of the most under rated Spaghetti Westerns of all times.It is a revenge story with incredible performances from Actors,Screenplay,and Stunt performances.Even the dubbing is superb.Thomas Hunter is great,and of course Henry Silva.It has all the good ingredients a good Western should have,yet it does not have the typical violence,and what we got from Leone and Corbucci,in general.Lizzani shows us a typical revenge story,with wonderful dialog and great music from Morricone.It's a real paradox that the Italians made better Westerns than the Americans did,after The Wild Bunch etc.(just an example).Just take a look at the Horror Master Mario Bava and what he did for the Horror genre!
Brewster (Thomas Hunter) gets locked up a few years in jail while his buddy Seagall (Nando Gazzolo) runs with the money they stole together.
His right hand man Mendez (Henry Silva) is the real villain, a man in black who enjoys to be bad, every minute of it.
But a certain Mr Getz (Dan Duryea) helps Brewster without telling him the real reason why...The surprise of this movie is Thomas Hunter who starred for the first time in a western and creates an interesting character here, not the superior Man With No Name, but an angry young man who isn't always in total control, so he needs Getz to help him out of trouble.
"The Hills Run Red" is above average for an Italian western due to good production values (comparatively at least), clever director Lizzani ("Requiescant"), composer Ennio Morricone and a great cast which does not only include the above mentioned Hunter, cult star Silva and Hollywood veteran Duryea, but also the lovely Nicoletta Machiavelli ("Navajo Joe") for which two different endings were shot: one in which she dies, one in which she survives for a happy ending.
Fun little b-grade Spaghetti, revenge themed western..
Basic plot involves Brewster taking the fall for his robbing partner Seagull and after being released from prison (which includes having to stand upright in a small barb wire cage) finds that his partner (now known as Milton) has taken the loot and prospered as an evil land baron.
Fair supporting roles for Henry Silva as the Mexican henchman, with the wondrously cliched name Garcia Mendez, and Dan Duryea as the angel of mercy, Getts.
The finale, like the film, is ridiculous, but fun and effective, involving Brewster and Gett's alone against a posse of bad guys, a ghost town, and some conveniently available dynamite..
a forthright, spirited and easy-to-watch Spaghetti Western.
Here is a Spaghetti Western that is from early enough in the genre's brief history that is seems colorful, fresh, enthusiastic and straightforward -- much more like a "traditional" Western that its later, more cynical counterparts.The little-seen American actor Thomas Hunter stars in a lush Dino DeLaurentiis production that is a brisk and intensely violent if simple revenge saga.
With help from American Western veteran Dan Duryea as a helpful Samaritan whose intentions seem to good to be true, Hunter sets to battle Gazzolo and his henchmen, led by the outrageously evil Mendez (Henry Silva).I really liked Thomas Hunter's squinty-eyed ferocity in this flick -- he is like a flipside of Clint Eastwood's brusque-demeanored persona.
One great moment of many for Silva in the flick, he is terrific.Also noteworthy in the cast are Duryea, as Hunter's ardent and everpresent ally, playing it solid and simple; Gazzolo in his small part as the cowardly, weirdly effeminate turncoat; and lovely redhead Gianna Serra as a two-timing saloon singer, whose sassy bravado and piled-high hair bring to mind a wild west version of B-52's singer Kate Pierson.The scenery and photography here are lavish for the genre -- filled with beautiful vistas and big-scale, epic sequences suggesting the pic was not done on the cheap.
The acting business is well-handled, too, with a highlight being the intense scene where Hunter finally reveals himself to his rival, verrry slowly lifting his head til his eyes are visible from under his hat.The big, brassy theme by Ennio Morricone also aids in the film's cause, as it is a powerful, unsubtle blast of a tune that is reminiscent of the famous MAGNIFICENT SEVEN sound.
A Sprawling Sensational Spaghetti Western Shoot'em Up That's Worth Setting Your Sights On .
Carlo Lizzani's "The Hills Run Red" is a Spaghetti western courtesy of well-known, international producer Dino de Laurentiis of "Conan" and "King Kong" fame who provided some better-than-average production values for this six-shooting saga.
Dino went on to do several other Spaghettis, some with American talent like Burt Reynolds in Sergio Corbucci's "Navajo Joe," James Garner in the brilliant "Man Named Sledge" and Chuck Connors in Burt Kennedy's "The Deserter." "The Hills Run Red" opens not long after the American Civil War has ended.
Ken Seagull (Nando Gazzolo of "Django Shoots First") and Jerry Brewster (Thomas Hunter of "Battle of the Commandos") decide to split up and see if their luck improves.
Ken manages to escape while the Union soldiers ride after Jerry.
When Getz takes the circle of skin to Ken, he believes that Jerry is dead and hires on Getz despite the admonitions of his second-in-command Garcia Mendez (Henry Silva of "Johnny Cool") decked on in black leather and chewing the scenery as an insane gunslinger.When we see Ken next, he is a wealthy horse breeder with a large herd of horses.
Meanwhile, Jerry adopts different name, Houston, and rides into Austin where he wins a bundle of money at dice and learns that Ken uses the name Milton and owns two-thirds of the land around Austin.
Moreover, Ken wants to take over Austin; for example, his trigger-happy gunmen have killed the only sheriff and everybody is too afraid to stand up to him until Jerry arrives in town.
The saloon owner Horner (Geoffrey Copleston of "Superargo Versus Diabolicus") explains that they need a man like Jerry to help them defend themselves from Milton.
About that time, Garcia intervenes and forces Jerry to fight more of Ken's gunmen.
The ensuing shoot'em up in a pass and the flaming balls of brush that Jerry's men rain down on Ken's gunmen is a sight to see.
The inevitable gun battle between Ken and Jerry follows.Lizzani never lets the grass grow under anybody's boots in this fast-moving 90 minute horse opera.
This is a big, sprawling revenge western with scores of tough-looking galoots getting gunned down left, right, center, and sideways.
Spaghetti westerns fans will find this one is above-average.
The scenarists could have done a better job with Dan Duryea's mysterious gunman and his revelation after the finale."The Hills Run Red" has one goof and that knocks off at least a star from my rating.
There Are No Heroes In The Hills!, Just Bad Men, Mad Men And Dead Men. Two ex-confederate soldiers, Jerry Brewster and Ken Seagull(pronounced Segal), head home at the end of the Civil war with a stash of stolen government money.
However they are caught by union troops and Ken is fortunate enough to escape, although Jerry serves five gruelling years in prison.
When he is released Jerry heads home to Texas only to find Ken in a corrupt position of power as a rancher who dominates most of the territory.
Demoralised and angered by his "friend's" betrayal, it isn't long before Jerry's death is ordered by Ken. Consumed by hatred, Jerry sets out to destroy Ken and his empire.Carlo Lizzani's oft filmed tale of greed and revenge in the old west is a highly enjoyable affair.
The Hills Run Red has all the traits of a 50s B western, still it's just a little too violent to be made by Hollywood but definitely not as grotesque as other spaghetti westerns.
Little known American actor Thomas Hunter makes for an inspiring hero in Jerry Brewster, his athleticism means the role is tailor-made for him and his obsessive rage is exploited to great effect.
Rising Hollywood star Henry Silva was quite hammy as bandit leader Mendez to the point of being hilarious.
Dan Duryea was a favourite in Universal's B westerns throughout the 1950s(Waco Johnny Dean in Anthony Mann's Winchester 73 anybody?)and here he makes his only spaghetti western appearance as Colonel Winny Getz, a gunman who aids Jerry in his quest for retribution.
The gorgeous Nicoletta Machiavelli was also excellent as Ken Seagull's sister Mary-Ann. The action scenes were nothing short of enthralling.
The fistfights were also really good and I was surprised to learn that the film was scored by Ennio Morricone, as always the maestro does it again with a roaring soundtrack that can only be defined as superb.
The song "Home To My Love" was rather beautiful, although again it's like something you would hear in a mid 60s Hollywood western.
This movie had a good run.
Originally titled A River of Dollars and often retitled as Blood In The Hills & Dollar Power, the film remind me of the psychological Hollywood westerns of the 1950s in how bland, it is.
The revenge plot isn't anything new, to the Western genre, as if it was often used in previous films like Marlon Brando's 1961's film, One-Eyed Jacks.
Directed by Carlo Lizzani, a former film critic and veteran director of a multitude of spy thrillers and war dramas, the movie tells the story of two ex-rebel soldiers, Jerry Brewster (Thomas Hunter) & Ken Seagull (Nando Gazzolo) fleeing toward the Mexican border in a wagon, having made off with a huge sum of money stolen from the United States government, during the end of the Civil War. Just before reaching the safety of foreign soil, they are intercepted by a U.S. army patrol and Jerry is capture and sent to a military prison.
Five years later, Brewster is released and returns home to reunite with his wife and son.
Without spoiling the movie too much, you can clearly see, by the appearance of the film's main actor, Thomas Hunter, that he was hired, because how much, he looks like Clint Eastwood.
Thomas Hunter isn't a bad actor, but he does overacted a bit.
I can't say, the same with Henry Silva's performance, as the Seagull's psychopathic henchmen, Garcia Mendez.
Dan Duryea looks way too old and tired, but turns in a touching performance as the stranger Getz, whose identity and motivation are only revealed in the film's final scene.
Director Carlo Lizzani does good work here, mixing solid camera-work throughout most of the film with some neat touches including a Corbucci-esque style close-up fistfight.
The feel-good ending is a little too American Western in style, but this is only a minor criticism.
Overall: The Hills Run Red is a welcome addition to anyone's spaghetti western collection.