Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

James Philbrook plays Sam Foster, a bounty hunter on the trail of four bandits led by an outlaw named Sonora.

Their trail leads him to the town of Hot Springs, where they’ve just robbed the bank, killing an employee in the process.

Problem is Foster suspects Jimmy Patterson, the headstrong younger brother of an old friend named Mary (Nuria Torray), might have played a role in the holdup.

So he sets out after Jimmy, helping him escape a posse at one point, because he believes the young man will lead him to the other bandits and the stolen loot.

But there are all sorts of complications, including a long-lost son who unexpectedly arrives on the scene and a money-hungry saloon girl named Rita who will do almost anything to get her hands on some of the stolen loot, even if it means involving White Feather and his Indian braves.

James Philbrook as Sam Foster, trying to steer a young man in the right direction, nab a gang of thieves and recover stolen loot in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Nuria Torray as Mary Patterson, shoved to the side for safety’s sake as trouble starts at her home in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Review:

What a silly mess. No sooner has Sam’s long-lost son arrived in town than Rita “kidnaps” him, though she’s never seen the youngster before.

In another scene, Sam and Jimmy are trapped in a building surrounded by marauding Indians. Jimmy slips out a trap door and immediately locates Sonora amid all the chaos.

It all plays out more like a bad B Hollywood Western than a Spaghetti flick. Philbrook does little with the lead role. Perla Cristal turns in her usual over-the-top performance.

Nuria Torray (as Mary) does look and sound cute with dirt smudges on her face as she blames Sam and not her spoiled brother for all her woes. But when that’s the film’s highlight … well, you’re not watching a classic.

Mariano Vidal Molina as Sonora, leader of the outlaw gang in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Julio Pérez Tabernero as Jimmy Patterson, Mary’s spoiled brother in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Directed by:
Leon Klimovsky

Cast:
James Philbrook … Sam Foster
Nuria Torray … Mary Patterson
Julio Perez Tabernero … Jimmy Patterson
Perla Cristal … Rita
Mariano Vidal Molina … Sonora
Joe Luis Lluch … Ricardo
Guillermo Mendez … Gray-haired outlaw
Arthur Gonzalez … The Sheriff
Phil Pink … Charley Foster
Rafael Munoz … White Feather
as Ralph Calvo
Antonio Moreno … Uncle Jeremy

Also with: Rafael Vaquero, Lola Lemos, Rafael F. Rosas, José Sancho, Jose Miguel Ariza, Jonathan Daly

aka:
Dos mil dolares per Coyote
Two Thousand Dollars for Coyote
Django, a Bullet for You
$2,000 for Coyote

Score: Alonso Duran and
Fernando Garcia Morcillo

Runtime: 84 min.

Perla Cristal as Rita, girlfriend of Sonora and temptress for Jimmy in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Phil Pink as Charley Foster, the long-lost son who shows up only to wind up in the hands of the Indians in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Memorable lines:

Mary Patterson to a wounded Sam Foster: “Just like a stubborn man. When he needs someone most, he somehow thinks it’s improper. What do you reckon us women were invented for?”

Sam Foster to Jimmy Patterson: “Too bad you don’t use your brain for something legal.”

Mary Patterson, of Jimmy: “He’s just a kid. I admit he’s a spoiled one.”
Jeremy: “He’s so spoiled, he bellows worse than a buffalo is he gets the least disappointment.”

Rita to Jimmy: “Prove I’m yours. Show it in your eyes. Cause they hate me when you’re jealous.”

Nuria Torray as Mary Patterson with the sheriff (Arthur Gonzalez). discussing JImmy’s trouble with the law in Ballad a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Nuria Torray as Mary Patterson with Uncle Jeremy (Antonio Moreno) after her home is burned to the ground in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Trivia

Talk about a film with an identity crisis. The alternate titles — “Two Thousand Dollars for Coyote” and “Django, A Bullet for You” — suggest it’s a sequel to earlier popular European Westerns when it bears no resemblance to either “Coyote” (1964) or “Django. “The Ballad for a Bounty Hunter” title is much closer to the truth.

The film was produced by Sidney W. Pink, who also directed three mediocre Spaghetti Westerns in the mid-1960s — “Finger on the Trigger,” “Tall Women” and “Christmas Kid.”

Jose Luis Lluch as Ricardo and Mariano Vidal Molina as Sonora trying to find Jimmy in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Guillermo Mendez as Chuck, a member of Sonora’s outlaw gang in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Jose Miguel Ariza as the tavern bartender, ready to defend Rita in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Perla Cristal as Rita, caught between Jimmy and Sonora (Mariano Vidal Molina) in Ballad for a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Nuria Torey as Mary Patterson, fretting about pulling a gun on a friend she mistook for a stranger in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

James Philbrook as Sam Foster, awaiting the Indian attack he’s is sure will come in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)