Death Rides a Horse – Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1968
Director: Giulio Petroni
Writer: Luciano Vincenzoni
Cast: Lee Van Cleef, John Phillip Law, Mario Brega, Luigi Pistilli

Release Date: November 7th, 2017
Approximate running time: 115 Minutes 9 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"Fifteen years after four bandits massacred his family while executing a $200,000 robbery, a young man (John Phillip Law, Danger: Diabolik) seeks revenge. The men responsible for the murders all hold positions of power in the new west, but now a bandit (Lee Van Cleef, Sabata, Return of Sabata) they had framed for the murders is due to be released from prison… he’s ready to exact bloody reprisals and decides to form an unholy alliance with the vengeance-seeking young man.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4/5

Death Rides a Horse comes on a 50 GB  dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 27.8 GB

Feature: 25 GB

No information is provided about the transfer. When it comes to this film’s North American home video releases, they have always left a lot to be desired. And with this release from Kino Lorber, this film finally makes its way to HD in North America. The source used for this transfer is in great shape, any print-related imperfections being very minimal, And when compared to previous North American home video releases, this transfer is superior in every way. With its greatest areas of improvement being color saturation and image clarity, That said, image clarity during the darker scenes is not as strong as it is for the majority of this transfer. It should be noted that this release's back cover incorrectly lists this film’s aspect ratio as 1.85:1. This release does present this film in its correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio mixes sound clean, clear and balanced. Range wise, ambient sounds are well-represented and the score sounds robust. Included with this release are removable English subtitles. Unfortunately, the English subtitles are a direct translation of the English-language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with filmmaker Alex Cox.

Other extras are trailers for For a Few Dollars More, Barquero, Return of Sabata, The Mercanery, Valdez is Coming and Navajo Joe.

Summary:

The narrative revolves around a man who searches for the four men who murdered his family.

Giulio Petroni only directed a handful of films over his twenty-year career as a director. And after the success of Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, the western genre would soon take over the Italian film industry over the next few years. Of course, this would lead to countless imitators, and by the end of the 1960's, there was an oversaturation that would contribute to the demise of the Italian western. During the peak of the spaghetti western genre in Italy, Giulio Petroni would direct three spaghetti westerns: Tepepa, A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof, and Death Rides a Horse.

One of the reasons why Death Rides a Horse works so well is its brilliant screenplay. Which was written by Luciano Vincenzoni, a screenwriter who was no stranger to the Italian western. He wrote or co-wrote For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Mercenary, and Duck You Sucker.

From its opening sequences, it is obvious that Death Rides a Horse is not your typical spaghetti western. With its depiction of raping and killing women and children, and though there is an underlying tone of violence that drives the story, there is also a distinct line that is drawn between the good and the bad guy, which is something that makes Death Ride a Horse stand out from its contemporaries, who often dealt in gray areas and never established the hero as the villain.

Lee Van Cleef (The Big Gundown) is one of the spaghetti westerns most iconic actors. And his career was resurrected after his appearance in Sergio Leone’s For a Few Dollars More. In Death Rides a Horse, he is self-assured and always looks cool, even when things aren’t going his way. The character Ryan has many similarities to the Frank Talby character that Van Cleef portrayed in Day of Anger. Most notable, both of these characters are mentors to younger gunfighters who seek revenge.

In the lead role of Bill Meceita is John Phillip Law, who is most remembered for his roles in the films Danger: Diabolik and Barbarella. At times, John Phillip Law looks too wooden, and when he tries to look angry, his eyes betray the rest of his body language. Despite his shortcomings, John Phillip Law still manages a few really great moments, like when he is buried in the ground with nothing more than his head above ground and when the Ryan character arrives in time to rescue him. The look on his face is priceless when Ryan takes his sweet time to dig him back out of the ground.

All of the best Italian westerns are blessed with a strong supporting cast that offsets the leads. And Death Rides a Horse is a virtual who’s who of supporting players like Luigi Pistilli (Your Vice is a Closed Room and Only I Have a Key), Mario Brega (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), Anthony Dawson (Dial M for Murder), and José Torres (Run, Man, Run).

Visually, Death Rides a Horse takes full advantage of the widescreen frame. And nowhere is this more evident than when it comes to the use of blood red during flashbacks. Another key ingredient is composer Ennio Morricone, who would write all of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western scores. His score for Death Rides a Horse sees him continuing to experiment as a composer. And some of the music in Death Rides a Horse would be used 35 years later in Kill Bill Volume 2. Ultimately, Death Rides a Horse is an exceptional film that is one of the Spaghetti western genres high water marks.

Death Rides a Horse is a first-rate release from Kino Lorber that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and an informative audio commentary, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer