Days of Violence (1967)

Peter Lee Lawrence is Josh Lee, a young ranch hand working for wheelchair-bound Mr. Evans (Andrea Bosic) and doing his best to stay out of the Civil War as Northern troops occupy Missouri.

He’s fallen in love with Christine (Beba Loncar), Mr. Evans’ daughter. And he and works alongside his brother (Romano Puppo as Clem) as they try to keep the ranch from falling into ruin.

Trouble begins when a ranch hand named Hank tries to rape Clem’s wife Lizzy (Rosalba Neri). Josh catches him in the act, beats him senseless, then kicks him off the ranch.

Hank decides to get even, conspiring with Union Capt. Clifford (Luigi Vannucchi) to take over what could be a profitable piece of post-war property.

First he tries to “requisition” Evans’ herd of horses. When that doesn’t work, he leads Clifford and the Union troops to the Evans’ ranch looking for the Confederate guerillas who helped save the herd.

Josh is away at the time, driving Christine to a stage so she can escape the dangers of the war. Upon his return to the ranch, he finds Clem and Lizzy dead.

Determined to avenge their deaths, he joins the guerillas, led by a man named Butch (Nello Passafini).

The guerillas are successful in harassing the Union troops. But they can’t save the war effort.

And Josh winds up a wanted man for gunning down a passenger who was trying to shoot Butch in the back during a stage holdup.

When he returns to the Evans’ ranch two years later, he discovers Christine engaged to the very captain who led the war-time raid on the ranch.

Still looking to avenge two deaths, still hoping to rekindle his love for Christine, he kidnaps her and sets off for Texas, knowing Clifford will likely follow.

Review:

A well-done Spaghetti that opens with the attention-grabbing assault on Lizzy and features a long and suspenseful chase once Christine is “kidnapped” by Josh.

There’s also more of a focus on romance than you’ll find in most Spaghettis, and it’s well-handled here thanks to all the complications thrown at the young lovers.

Christine returns home after the war looking forward to a reunion with Josh. Instead, she finds a wanted posted accusing him of murder.

She winds up engaged to a man who was once the family’s enemy. But he’s also a more prosperous man, one who could return the Evans ranch to its former glory.

Truly torn when kidnapped, she has a choice to make, especially when she’s asked to leave signs indicating which escape route she and Josh will be taking so her pursuers know where to set up an ambush.

Loncar is both lovely and capable in the role; Lawrence proves he can offer more than just a pretty face when given a decent script to work with.

Strong performances by supporting cast members help too. Nello Pazzafini tackles his role as a man who’s more bandit than soldier with relish.

And the wheelchair-bound Evans is hardly a sympathetic character. He seems to care more about his ranch than anything else. When Lizzy is attacked, he frets more about losing a ranch hand than what happened to her.

Directed by:
Alfonso Brescia
as Al Bradley

Cast:
Peter Lee Lawrence … Josh Lee
Rosalba Neri … Lizzy
Beba Loncar … Christine
Luigi Vannucchi … Captain Clifford
Andrea Bosic … Mr. Evans
Nello Pazzafini … Butch
Lucio Rosato … Hank
Romano Puppo … Clem
Harold Bradley … Nathan

Also with: Gianni Solaro, Adalberto Rossetti, Bruna Beani, Claudio Trionfi, Gloria Selva, Bruno Ukmar, Claudio Ruffini, Gilberto Galimberti, Rinaldo Zamperla, Riccardo Petrazzi, Renzo Pevarello, Arnaldo Dell’Acqua

Runtime: 103 min.

aka:
I giorni della violenza
Days of Violence
Days of Vengeance
Dirty Pistolero

Music: Bruno Nicolai

Memorable lines:

Josh Lee, questioning the wisdom of his boss’s pacifist views: “Excuse me, Mr. Evans, but the South is right in the middle of a war. And it’s useless to hope we can just get along with the Yankees one they’re here and we’re at their mercy.”

Capt. Clifford, during a raid of the Evans ranch: “We don’t take a Southerner’s word. We take his women.”

Hank: “With your husband murdered, there’s no one to protect you. Come with me.”
Lizzy: “You’re crazy. Me go with you?
It makes me vomit just to look at you. Why you filthy traitor. What would I want scum like you for, Hank?”

Josh: “I’m gonna find the man who lost this medal (left at the seen of a killing). And when I do, I’ll roast him alive. To remind him of what he did to my brother and his wife.”
Mr. Evans: “You’re making a mistake. You might find him. You’ll certainly find excitement. But you might forfeit your honor. But if a million people are killing each other out there, one more killer won’t make no difference.”

Mr. Evans, afer Josh ‘kidnaps’ Christine and Union forces set out in pursuit: “I want you to go with them, Nathan. For a measley fistful of dollars, those Northerners will start shooting without even thinking of Christine.”

Trivia:

* If Beba Loncar looks familiar, it might be because she played the female wearing a badge in 1964’s “The Sheriff Was a Lady,” also starring Freddy Quinn and Mamie Van Doren. It marked Loncar’s only other Euro Western.

* Alfonso Brescia directed several Euro Westerns, including two in 1967 featuring Peter Lee Lawrence. The other was the Jame Bond flavored “Killer Caliber .32,” co-starring Helen Chanel.

* Harold Bradley, who plays the part of Nathan, was a former NFL player who played guard for the Cleveland Brown championship teams in 1954 and 1955. He died in Rome in April 2021 at age 92.

Lucio Rosato as Hank, the former Evans ranchhand helping track down Josh Lee in Days of Violence (1967)

Peter Lee Lawrence as Josh Lee surprises Christine (Beba Loncar) by sneaking into her room in Days of Violence (1967)

Rosalba Neri as Lizzy, scorning the man who gunned down her husband in Days of Violence (1967)

Luigi Vannucchi as Capt. Clifford calls on Beba Loncar as Christine in Days of Violence (1967)