Barrel Full of Dollars (1971)

Klaus Kinski is Hagen, leader of a band of outlaws who orders revenge when his brothers Tommy and Jack are killed.

So he sends Tamayo (Hunt Powers) to the Hamilton ranch in search of those responsible. Tamayo has the ranch house burned to the ground, killing everyone inside.

Then Mark Hamilton, aka Nevada Kid (Jeff Cameron) returns from the Civil War. Those were his brothers who died at the ranch.

Now he’s the one seeking vengeance. And he has a gold watch as evidence of who was responsible and a gun-happy bounty hunter (Gordon Mitchell) to help.

He also has a damsel in distress to rescue and protect. That would be Monica Benson (Simonetta Vitelli), daughter of a wealthy rancher who Hagen has kidnapped in an attempt to get a $10,000 ransom from her father.

Review:

Straight-forward plot with none of the twists and turns that can make these outings memorable. Then again, this is a Demofilo Fidani (aka Miles Deem) Spaghetti, so that’s not surprising.

The fact that Klaus Kinski has much more than a cameo role helps, and Gordon Mitchell turns in one of his more tempered performances.

Director’s daughter Simonetta is easy on the eyes, but there’s very little logic in her tagging along with Cameron and Mitchell, and she never shows a moment of remorse when her dad dies.

As for Jeff Cameron, he’s not exactly the most charismatic leading man, but he does make some of the most amazing shots in Western history.

He kills one bad guy diving headfirst over a well, kills another while jumping a dead body and grabbing the dead man’s gun, and yet another while flipping over a hitching post.

Give Fidani credit for this: His gunfight victims do some of the best death dances you’ll ever see.

Jeff Cameron as Mark Hamilton (Nevada Kid) in Barrel Full of Dollars (1971)

Klaus Kinski as Hagen in Barrel Full of Dollars (1971)

Directed by:
Demofilo Fidani

Cast:
Jeff Cameron .. Mark Hamilton, aka Nevada Kid
Klaus Kinski … Hagen
Jack Betts … Tamayo
as Hunt Powers
Gordon Mitchell … John
Simonetta Vitelli .. Monica Benson
as Simone Blondel
Ray Saunders … Sam
Benito Pacifico … Ramirez
as Dennis Colt
Attillio Dottesio … Charles Benson
as Dean Reese
Amerigo Castrighella … Wells
as Custer Gail
Renzo Arbore … Sheriff
as Lorenzo Arbore

aka
Per una bara piena di dollari
Coffin Full of Dollars
Nevada Kid
Adios Companeros
Showdown for a Badman
Pray to Kill and Return Alive

Music: Lallo Gori
Song: “I Know My Love” sung by Mark Wolf

Jack Betts (Hunt Powers) as Tamayo in Barrel Full of Dollars (1971)

Gordon Mitchell as John in Barrel Full of Dollars (1971)

Memorable lines:

Nevada Kid, after being given a gold watch in the ruins of his family’s home: “This watch will count the hours until justice is done.”

Gang leader, pointing to Monica Benson: “Hey, fellas, what are we going to do with her? I figure all of you deserve a share.”

Bounty hunter John when Nevada rides up, just after he’s gunned down a man. “If you’re a sheriff, I killed him for you. If you’re a friend of his, this rifle is still loaded.”

Former slave Sam to Nevada: “If you’ve seen his face once, you won’t ever forget it anymore. He’s got yellow hair, like a diabolical angel of Satan. If you ever get on the wrong side of Hagan, you’ll never live to tell about it.”

Benito Pacifico (Dennis Colt) as Ramirez in Barrel Full of Dollars (1971)

Ray Saunders as Sam in Barrel Full of Dollars (1971)

Trivia:

Simone Blondel, real name Simonetta Vitelli, is the daughter of the filmmaker. She appeared in many of her dad’s films in the role of a damsel in distress. In this one, she’s gagged and suspended over a well, threatening her with a drop to her death.

Gordon Mitchell built Cave Film Studios in Italy and said he appeared in a number of Demofilo Fidani’s Westerns because they were filmed there.

Simonetta Vitelli (Simone Blondell) as Monica Benson in Barrel Full of Dollars (1971) Simonetta Vitelli (Simone Blondell) as Monica Benson in Barrel Full of Dollars (1971)

Simonetta Vitelli (Simone Blondell) as Monica Benson in Barrel Full of Dollars (1971)

Simonetta Vitelli (Simone Blondell) as Monica Benson in Barrel Full of Dollars (1971)

Jeff Cameron as Mark Hamilton (Nevada Kid) in Barrel Full of Dollars (1971)

Klaus Kinski as Hagen in Barrel Full of Dollars (1971)

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