Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966) - Once Upon a Time in a Western

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 bounty hunter Sam Foster, reflecting on a family life destroyed in an Indian attack in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Julio Pérez Tabernero as Jimmy Patterson, Mary’s spoiled brother 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.

Nuria Torray as Mary Patterson, talking to Sam Foster about starting over in Ballad of a Bounty Hunter (1966)

Perla Cristal as Rita, girlfriend of Sonora and Jimmy 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.

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

Phil Pink as Charley Foster, Sam’s long-lost son 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.”

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 a member of Sonora’s outlaw gang 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.”