May God Forgive You … But I Won’t (1968)

George Ardisson plays Cjamango McDonald, who returns from a trip to town for find out someone has attacked his ranch, killing his father, sister and younger brother.

He suspects a neighboring rancher named Stuart might have something to do with it because he covets the McDonald property and had been hoping the family would default on its loan.

Plus there’s an old grudge between the families, the result of a gunfight that left Stuart crippled and in a wheelchair.

But a man named Barrica (Ignazio Spalla) actually watched the slaughter at the McDonald ranch and offers to lead Cjamango to those responsible.

That suits Cjamango. He wants the men dead, regardless of who they are; Barrica wants to collect the bounty on their heads.

Turns out those guilty are led by a man named Dick Smart, who has a whole army of henchmen to do his bidding.

And, yep, they attacked the McDonald ranch at Stuart’s request. But that doesn’t mean Stuart will be the one to benefit if the entire McDonald clan is eliminated.

Review:

A couple of nicely staged revenge killings — in one, Cjamango fires two bullets into a bandit’s mouth — raises hopes that this will rise above the standard Spaghetti revenge film.

But it doesn’t. The script never exploits the Romeo-Juliet romance between Cjamango and Stuart’s daughter, nor explores the root of the feud between the families.

Instead, it’s basically killing heaped upon killing heaped upon more killing. And when bodies aren’t falling fast enough, Cjamango finds a machine gun.

Oh, and check out that pretty unbelievable escape Cjamango makes after being captured and beaten by Smart’s men.

You might also be a bit distracted by the scenery. The filmmakers seem to have had an exaggerated view of how brightly colored a Western ranch house would be and how its porch posts would be decorated.

Directed by:
Vincenzo Musolino

Cast:
George Ardisson … Cjamango McDonald
Ignazio Spalla … Barrica
as Pedro Sanchez
Dragomire Bojanic … Dick Smart
as Anthony Ghidra
Pietro Martellanza … Jack Smart
as Peter Martell
Dante Maggio … Barista
Luigi Pavese … Stuart
Cristina Iosani … Virginia Stuart
Jean Louis … Scott
Franco Pesce … Undertaker
Franco Latini … Undertaker’s helper
Lill Lembo … Dick’s whore
Tano Cimarosa … Chico
Esmeralda Barros … Conchita
Salvarote Campochiaro … Sam
Dino Strano … Benson, Smart henchman

Runtime: 93 min.

aka:
Chiedi perdono a Dio … non a me

Score: Felice Di Stefano

Memorable lines:

Bad guy #1 at poker game: “I’ll start with $30.”
Bad guy #2: “I’m in.”
Cjamango: “I win the pot.”
Bad guy #1: “But … you ain’t looked at your cards.”
Cjamango: “I don’t have to look at my cards.”
Within seconds, the bad guys are dead.

Chico: “Forgive me, Cjamango. Forgive me.”
Cjamango: “God may forgive you. Not me.”
He fires two bullets down the man’s throat.

Virginia, banker Stuart’s daughter: “You arrived too late Cjamango. They already shot him.”

Barrica, running into the chicken coop to retrieve one of Cjamango’s victims: “That’s for me. That’s not chicken feed.”

Trivia:

Italian-born George Ardisson enjoyed his greatest success in spy films, two in which he starred as a character named Agent 3S3. He appeared in more than 60 films in a career spanning from 1960 to 1993.

George Ardisson’s first Spaghetti role came in 1964’s “Massacre at Grand Canyon” in which is played a vicious and gun-happy villain, Tully Dancer.

You’ll notice Dino Strano as one of Smart’s lead henchmen. And, yep, that’s Peter Martell in a brief, chest-baring role as Smart’s heavy-drinking younger brother.