Duel at Sundown (1965)

Terence Hill is Larry McGow, a short-tempered young man who’s tired of living in the shadow of his older brother Don (Peter Van Eyck).

So when his father (Walter Barnes) offers him a chance to lead a cattle drive through dangerous territory, Larry sees it as a chance to prove his manhood.

The first day out, he squabbles with his brother over where he’s stopped the herd; Don would have preferred a more defensive position less susceptible to bandits.

Rather than fight with his brother, Don rides off.

When he returns, his brother and the herd are gone. All that remains is a horseless wagon and the body of a ranch hand named Quents.

With his father’s urging to bring Larry back alive if possible, Don sets out to find out what happened, suspecting the herd has been rustled and Larry might have been harmed as well.

He’ll have companions in pretty Nancy Greenwood and a jovial bandit named Punch.

An he’ll cross the paths of bandits Lord and Smoky Jim en route to a shocking revelation.

Peter van Eyck as Don McDow, marching toward a gunfight he never wanted in Duel at Sundown (1965)

Terence HIll (Mario Girotti) as Larry McDow, ready to leap out of his brother’s shadow by leading a cattle drive in Duel at Sundown (1965)

Review:

In the film’s opening scene, Terence Hill reaches for a six-gun he keeps by his bed, fires a bullet into the cuckoo that emerges from his clock on his bedroom wall, then bursts into maniacal laughter.

He’s convincing as the hot-headed youth eager to escape his brother’s shadow. But the promising start turns into a missed opportunity.

That’s because Hill’s character disappears along with the herd about 18 minutes into the film and doesn’t reappear until the final five minutes.

In between, we’re treated to a unique scene in which his older brother and an outlaw have to shoot at one another around a pastor who’s trying to prevent a killing.

And we’re treated to some silliness, like when rifle-wielding Nancy fires at a cabin full of outlaws until the cabin door falls right off its hinges.

I’d suggest finding a version with English subtitles. Otherwise, it’s tough to keep track of all the people Don and Nancy encounter on their search for answers, let along their motivations.

Carole Gray as Nancy Greenwood, searching for answers about Larry McDow and a lost herd of cattle in Duel at Sundown (1965)

Walter Barnes as Pa McDow, sending his youngest son off with the herd in Duel at Sundown (1965)

Directed by:
Leopold Lahola

Cast:
Peter van Eyck … Don McDow
Carole Gray … Nancy Greenwood / Parker
Wolfgang Kieling … Punch
Terence Hill … Larry McDow
as Mario Girotti
Walter Barnes … Pa McDowell
Todd Martin … Smoky Jim
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart …. Quents
Demeter Bitenc … Fred Mack
Kurt Heintel … Sheriff
Jan Hendriks …. Lord
Carl Lange … Pastor
Klaus Dahlen … Baby Face

Runtime: 96 min.

aka:
Duell vor Sonnenuntergang
Sparate a vista su killer kid
Killer Kid: Shoot on Sight
100 Days of Fury in Arizona

Wolfgang Kieling as Punch, the jovial outlaw who joins Don McDow on his journey in Duel at Sundown (1965)

Todd Martin as Smoky Jim, one of the bandits who makes driving a herd through these parts dangerous in Duel at Sundown (1965)

Memorable lines:

Sorry, I watched a non-English version of this film.

Jan Hendriks as Lord, one of the men up to no good in Duel at Sundown (1969)

Giacomo Rossi-Stuart as Quents, a McDow ranch hand, watching the quarreling brothers in Duel at Sundown (1965)

Trivia:

Peter van Eyck plays the older brother here. He was indeed 28 years older than “younger brother” Terence Hill and, in fact, seven years older than Walter Barnes, the actor playing his father in this film. Van Eyck died of a blood infection in four years after this film was made at age 57.

One of van Eyck final films was “Shalako,” starring Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot. He plays Baron Von Hallstatt, leader of the European hunting party and an artistocrat who hopes to marry Bardot’s character.

This marked the only Euro Western for female lead Carole Gray. She was also the feamle lead in 1965’s “Curse of the Fly,” the second sequel to 1958’s sci-fi classic “The Fly.”

Terence Hill was still using the name Mario Girotti when he appeared in this film. But that didn’t keep distributors from plastering a very Trinity-looking character on posters for the film after “They Call Me Trinity” became an international hit.

Terence Hill (Mario Girotti) as Larry McDow and Peter van Eyck as his older brother Don, arguing about where a herd should be bedded down in Duel at Sundown (1965)

Kurt Heintel as the sheriff, teaching Don McDow a lesson about quarreling brothers in Duel at Sundown (1965)

Carl Lange as the pastor, trying to prevent a showdown in his church after his congregation has fled in Duel at Sundown (1965)

Peter van Eyck as Don McDow, teaching a pair of barroom bullies a lesson in Duel at Sundown (1965)

Terence Hill (Mario Girotti) as Larry McDow, blasting the cuckoo clock that wakes him up in Duel at Sundown (1965)

Carole Gray as Nancy Greenwood and Peter van Eyck as Don McDow, surprised as a posse approaches in Duel at Sundown (1965)