A Gunman Called Dakota (1972)

Mario Novelli (Anthony Freeman) is Dakota, who finds a wounded girl, the sole survivor of an attack by bandits, and take her to a nearby town for care.

It’s not the first time it’s happened in the region. In fact, outlaws have been terrorizing the territory for five years and Sheriff Scott has had enough.

So he organizes a posse and sets off to find those responsible, only to have the party ambushed. Dakota, who rode along, is captured and beaten, his gun-hand badly injured, but manages to escape.

Convinced Deputy John Lead (Gordon Mitchell) is part of the outlaw band, he manages to make his way back to town where he’s nursed by a trio of saloon girls until able to leave town to collect the evidence he needs to prove his case.

Lead, of course, learns Dakota has survived. And knowing the threat Dakota poses, he sets about squashing any bit of opposition left in town.

Lead is also determined to take the pretty sheriff’s daughter Elisa as his wife, whether she’s willing of not.

Mario Novelli (Anthony Freeman) as Dakota, the stranger who rides into town in A Gunman Called Dakota (1972)

Gordon Mitchell as Deputy Sheriff Lead, looking to drink some trouble away in A Gunman Called Dakota (1972)

Review:

An early saloon brawl in which the deputy sheriff nearly carves up Dakota’s face with a spur provides a hint that this might be a little known Spaghetti filmed with a bit more elan and edge than most.

The rest of the film lives up to that hunch. And while Novelli has the hero’s role, Mitchell is the one who makes the film memorable.

In one of his most demonic Spaghetti outings, he ties saloon girls to posts and has them whipped and molested in order to determine Dakota’s whereabouts.

He’s not above abusing and humiliating the local priest. About the only person he won’t harm is Elisa. He has special plans for her.

Tamara Baroni as Elisa, the sheriff’s daughter, in A Gunman Called Dakota (1972)

Fedel Gentile as Sheriff Scott in A Gunman Called Dakota (1972)

Directed by:
Mario Sabatini
as Anthony Green

Cast:
Mario Novelli … Dakota
as Anthony Freeman
Gordon Mitchell … Deputy John Lead
Tamara Baroni … Elisa
Mauro Mannatrizio … Doctor Mack
Bill Vanders … Padre O’Hara
Fedele Gentile … Sheriff Scott
Rossella Bergamonti … Rosie, saloon girl
Grazia Zanetti … Meg, saloon girl
Cleofe Del Cile … Angela, saloon girl
Aldo Berti … Damon
Franco Gula … Velinho
Tom Felleghy … Juiz

Runtime: 95 min.

aka:
Un uomo chiamato Dakota

Music: Carlo Esposito

Bill Vanders as Father O’Hara, the priest who dares intervene in A Gunman Called Dakota (1972)

Mauro Mannatrizio as Doctor Mack, who finds plenty of patients in A Gunman Called Dakota (1972)

Memorable lines:

Sorry, watched in Italian.

Trivia:

* This marked a rare starring role for Mario Novelli, a former stuntman who appeared in several other Spaghettis, including “Texas Adios” (1966), “The Stranger Returns” (1967), “Kill Django … Kill First” (1971) and “California” (1977).

* One of just five films directed by Mario Sabatini. He also directed 1971’s “Sheriff of Rock Springs,” starring Richard Harrison and Donald O’Brien.

* The only Spaghetti for former beauty queen Tamara Baroni, who became the mistress of a wealthy industrialist and got more attention — and a bit of jail time — for a scandal involving him than for any of her films.

* Rosella Bergamonti appeared in more than a dozen Spaghetti Westerns, but almost always in small or supporting roles like the one she has here.

Rossella Bergamonti as Rosie, one of the saloon girls in A Gunman Called Dakota (1972)

Grazia Zanetti as Meg, one of the saloon girls in A Gunman Called Dakota (1972)

Cleofe Del Cile as Angela, one of the saloon girls in A Gunman Called Dakota (1972)

Mario Novelli (Anthony Freeman) as Dakota has a disagreement with one of Lead’s allies in A Gunman Called Dakota (1972)