Spiros Focas is Ken Dakota, who sets out to find the man who killed his brother and his brother’s wife in order to get half of a map to a gold mine.
The path leads to notorious gunman Gary Stevens (George Eastman) who is in cohoots with land baron Chris Malone (Horst Frank), though the two are constantly trying to double cross one another in order to claim the mine for themselves.
Problem is, they need one another, or at least one another’s half of the map.
So when Stevens is tried and convicted of murder, Malone has his men break him out of jail, then kidnap the witness who put him there, young Pat Dakota, the surviving son of Ken’s brother.
That gives Ken another reason to ignore his girlfriend’s pleas to set aside his quest for vengeance.
Review:
Not bad Spaghetti, featuring some unique scenes. Poor George Eastman gets terribly abused. At one point, he’s strung up upside down over a pit filled with snakes. Caged rodents are placed nearby to chew through the rope so he’ll eventually drop into the pit.
In another scene, a steel claw is fastened to one of his hands, a bamboo shield to the other so he can fight it out with one of the other men who try to double cross Malone. Apparently, he and his wife like to watch men fight gladiator style.
Meanwhile, Ken Dakota gets a helping hand from an undertaker named Duke, who has bad eyesight and trouble shooting straight, but is adept at throwing sticks of dynamite into the air so Ken can shoot them and blast Malone’s men to kingdom come. (Why not just light the dynamite and throw it?) Nicoletta Machiavelli plays Peggy, Ken’s lover.
Spiros Focas as Ken Dakota in Hate They Neighbor (1968)
George Eastman as Gary Stevens in “Hate They Neighbor” (1968)
Directed by:
Ferinando Baldi
Cast:
Spiros Focas … Ken Dakota
as Clyde Garner
George Eastman … Gary Stevens
Horst Frank … Chris Malone
Nicoletta Machiavelli … Peggy Savalas
Ivy Holzer … Mrs. Malone
Robert Risso … Duke
as Robert Price
Paolo Magalotti … Jose
Franco Fantasia … Sheriff
Claudio Castellani … Pat Dakota
Remo De Angelis … Bill Dakota
Franco Gula … Doc
Eugene Walter … Judge
Sergio Testori … Freed sale
aka:
Odia il prossimo tuo
Hate Your Neighbor
Score: Bobby Poitevin
Song: “Two Friends” by Raoul (listen below)
Runtime: 86 min.
Horst Frank as Chris Malone in “Hate They Neighbor” (1968)
Robert Rizzo as Duke in “Hate They Neighbor” (1968)
Memorable lines:
Peggy to Ken Dakota, warning him of the danger of getting too wrapped up in revenge: “Don’t you know how to forgive? You can’t hate your brother back to life.”
Duke to a wounded Chris Malone: “You’re lucky. You finally met a man who doesn’t know how to hate.”
Duke to Ken Dakota: “I bet you’re one of those fellas who believes in law and justice. Well, you’re a damn fool. Around here, justice is dead and buried. Yeah, buried in the first grave on boot hill. And guess who they done put in the second one? Mercy, son. Yes, my friend, mercy.”
Nicoletta Machiavelli as Peggy Savalas, Ken’s girlfriend, in Hate They Neighbor (1968)
Claudio Castellani as Pat Dakota, Ken’s nephew, in “Hate They Neighbor” (1968)
Trivia:
This marked the only Spaghetti outing for prolific Greek actor Spiros Focas. Among his other films: “Shaft in Africa” (1973), “Jewel of the Nile” (1985) and “Rambo III” (1988).
This also marked the only Spaghetti for Ivy Holzer, who plays Chris Malone’s wife and loves to watch his slaves battle it out, gladiator style.
Ivy Holzer as Mrs. Malone in “Hate They Neighbor” (1968)
Paolo Magalotti as Jose, one of Malone’s men, in “Hate They Neighbor” (1968)
Franco Fantasia as the sheriff in “Hate They Neighbor” (1968)
Remo De Angelis as Bill Dakota, Ken’s brother, in Hate Thy Neighbor (1968)
Spiros Focas as Ken Dakota in Hate They Neighbor (1968)
Ivy Holzer as Mrs. Malone with Horst Frank as Chris Malone in “Hate They Neighbor” (1968)
Spiros Focas as Ken Dakota with Nicoletta Machiavelli as Peggy Savalas in Hate They Neighbor (1968)
Claudio Castellani as Pat Dakota with Spiros Focas as Ken Dakota in “Hate They Neighbor” (1968)
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