Hour of Death (1964) - Once Upon a Time in a Western

Paul Piaget plays Bob Carey, who has just been released from prison after serving five years for killing a longtime acquaintance while defending the honor of his girlfriend Mary (Gloria Milland).

He returns home to find Mary married to another man, a rancher named Clifford (Jesus Puente). But another old acquaintance named Ringo (Claudio Undari) hasn’t forgotten the killing.

You see, the man Carey killed was his brother; Ringo and his two surviving brothers have vowed vengeance.

Meanwhile, Clifford gets the disturbing news that his wife is suffering from a brain tumor sure to be fatal if she doesn’t reach Laredo, where there’s a doctor skilled enough to operate.

But reaching Laredo won’t be easy. With the Apache on the warpath, Clifford and a guide named Rogers are forced to hire a dubious quintet to accompany them on their journey — gamblers Tomaso and his friend Dan, and a trio of cowboys led by a man named Jess.

All five are more interested in getting their hands on Clifford’s money than getting his two wagons and his wife safely to Laredo.

The fact that Ringo and a wounded Carey join the small caravan only complicates matters.

Review:

A well done early European Western with a plot that owes more Hollywood than Spaghetti, but is still unpredictable enough to keep things interesting.

The film also benefits from the fact that Marchent avoids a Hollywood ending, instead serving up a couple of twists likely to catch his audience by surprise.

Most of the film’s visual treats come in the last half hour as our small caravan, nearly out of water, horses exhausted, tries desperately to reach a water hole so they can continue their journey.

And in another neat twist, the only people who know the true reason behind the trip are Clifford and his guide. Everyone else is in the dark about Mary’s condition, and that includes her.

Paul Piaget as Bob Carey in Hour of Death (1964)

Claudio Undari (Robert Hundar) as Ringo in Hour of Death (1964)

Directed by:
Joaquin Luis Romero Marchent

Cast:
Paul Piaget … Bob Carey
Claudio Undari … Ringo
as Robert Hundar
Gloria Milland … Mary Clifford
Fernando Sanchez … Tomaso
as Fernand Sancho
Jesus Puente … Clifford
Francisco Sanz … Rogers
as Paco Sanz
Raf Baldassarre … Jess
as Ralph Baldwyn
Joe Kamel … Greg
as Del Karmel
Beni Deus … Dan
Gregorio Wu … Lin Chu
as Gregory Wu
Luis Induni … Donald
Gasper Gonzalez … Tom
Alvaro de Luna … Burt
Lorenzo Robledo … Patrol lieutenant
Alfonso Rojas … Harvey
Emilio Rodriguez … Fort Filmore lieutenant
Antonio Gandia … Bob

Runtime: 98 min.

aka …
Antes llega la muerte
I sette del Texas
The Seven from Texas
Seven Guns from Texas

Score: Riz Ortolani

Gloria Milland as Mary Clifford in Hour of Death (1964)

Jesus Puente as Clifford in Hour of Death (1964)

Memorable lines:

Bob Carey, returning from prison: “I bet you thought I was dead.”
Tomaso: “I was going to bet on that. But then I figured you would come back and make me lose just on a count of cussedness.”

Lin Chu, after some of the water barrels are destroyed before crossing the desert: “Lin Chu say it make no difference where he die.”

Bob Casey as the perilous trip across the desert begins: “I think the desert will settle our feud for us, Ringo.”

Fernando Sancho as Tomaso in Hour of Death (1964)

Francisco Sanz as Rogers in Hour of Death (1964)

Bob Casey, as the journey across the desert continues: “How is it you haven’t killed me? You had lots of opportunities. When I was sleeping. Or when my back was turned.”
Ringo: “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do it that way … I didn’t figure it would be right to spare you all this thirst. But don’t worry. It’ll all be over very soon.”