Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Dead Men Don't Count (1968) posterAnthony Steffen and Mark Damon star as bounty killers Fred and Johnny Dalton. They head to the town of Blackstone to pull off a scam.

Johnny tries to pass Fred off as the killer of the Clayton family, collect a $15,000 reward, then break him out of jail.

Only three men are already hanging from the gallows for committing the same crime. The Dalton brothers are thrown in jail, until the town’s leading citizen, Steve Rogers, recognizes the gun Johnny is toting and has them set free.

But Fred and Johnny can’t help noticing that innocent settlers keep dying, It seems someone wants their land.

And they suspect something is rotten in Blackstone when the sheriff rides off to warn a gang leader on whom they’re trying to collect a bounty.

Turns out the railroad is coming to Blackstone.

And that six-gun Johnny has will earn the brothers an unlikely ally.

Anthony Steffen as Fred Dalton, bounty hunter turned sheriff in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Anthony Steffen as Fred Dalton, bounty hunter turned sheriff in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Mark Damon as Johnny, bounty hunter turned deputy in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Mark Damon as Johnny, bounty hunter turned deputy in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Review:

Not bad, not great Spaghetti. Maria Martini plays Ellen Reed, a woman who has her husband killed so she can be with her lover, Steve Rogers, then comes to regret that decision when she thinks the son she rebuked years earlier has returned to avenge his father’s death. Dyanik Zurakowska is Elisabeth Forrest, the pretty young woman Johnny falls for.

The demise of the sheriff, forced to wear the clothing of one of the bounty killers so he’ll be shot by his own men, is well done. But Johnny seems to recover from Elisabeth’s death far too quickly.

Luis Indui as Steve Rogers, desperate to keep his financial empire, in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Luis Indui as Steve Rogers, desperate to keep his financial empire, in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Maria Martini as Ellen Reed pleads for the man who might be her son in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Maria Martin as Ellen Reed pleads for the man who might be her son in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Directed by:
Rafael Romero Marchant

Cast:
Anthony Steffen … Fred Dalton
Mark Damon … Johnny
Maria Martin … Ellen Reed
Luis Indui … Steve Rogers
Piero Lulli … Sheriff Bob Watson
Barta Barri … Forrest
Dyanik Zurakowska … Elisabeth Forrest
Raf Baldassarre … Gregory Lassiter
Jose Marco … Jack Logan
Luis Barboo … Anderson
Jesus Guzman … Jonathan Alegria
Miguel del Castillo … Judge Wright
Carlos Romero Marchent … Forrest’s son
Alfonso de la Vega… Deputy Jim

Also with: Fabián Conde, Guillermo Méndez, Giovanni Petti

aka:
Quien grita vengaza?
Cry for Revenge
I morti non si contano

Score: Riz Ortolani

Runtime: 88 min.

Barta Barri as Forrest faces a difficult decision in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Barta Barri as Forrest faces a difficult decision in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Dyanik Zurakowska as Elisabeth Forrest shares a happy moment with Johnny in Dead Mean Don’t Count (1968)

Dyanik Zurakowska as Elisabeth Forrest shares a happy moment with Johnny in Dead Mean Don’t Count (1968)

Memorable lines:

Johnny: “I was just wondering. You’ve had a lot more experience than me. What happens when you’re in love, anyhow?”
Fred: “Insomnia. And idiocy.”

Sheriff Watson to Steve Rogers: “I’ve got to say, your respectability sure comes in handy.”

Fred, locked in a jail cell with Johnny: “Sheriff, it was just a joke, really.”
Sheriff, pointing to the gallows: “Tell that to those three outside. If they laugh, you’re free.”

Piero Lulli as Sheriff Watson, who does Rogers' bidding in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Piero Lulli as Sheriff Watson, who does Rogers’ bidding in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Raf Baldassarre as Gregory Lassiter, leader of the Lassister gang, in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Raf Baldassarre as Gregory Lassiter, leader of the Lassister gang, in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Other tidbits:

Congo-born blonde Dianik Zurakowska also had a starring role in one of the campiest Spaghetti Westerns ever, “Bang-Bang Kid,” starring Guy Madison and Tom Bosley.

After his film career ended, Mark Damon became a film producer. Among his greatest success as a producer was 2003’s “Monster,” starring Charlize Theron.

Carlos Romero Marchent as Forrest’s son, wary of visitors to the ranch, in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Carlos Romero Marchent as Forrest’s son, wary of visitors to the ranch, in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Led by Gregory (Raf Baldassarre, middle), the Lassisters march toward a showdown in Dead Men Don't Count (1968)

Led by Gregory (Raf Baldassarre, middle), the Lassisters march toward a showdown in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Dyanik Zurakowska as Elisabeth Forrest faces a moment of distress in Dead Mean Don’t Count (1968)

Dyanik Zurakowska as Elisabeth Forrest faces a moment of distress in Dead Mean Don’t Count (1968)

Mark Damon as Johnny and Anthony Steffen as Fed Dalton in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

Mark Damon as Johnny and Anthony Steffen as Fed Dalton in Dead Men Don’t Count (1968)

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