Long Day of the Massacre (1968)

Peter Martell is Joe Williams, a sheriff with a knack for bringing them back dead.

That doesn’t amuse the local judge, who reminds him that even the most vicious killers deserve a trial.

So when three of Pedro La Muerte’s henchmen try to ambush Joe in his sleep, he indeed tries to bring them in alive.

But, sure enough, a gun battle breaks out. The Green brothers wind up dead. And the judge demands Joe’s badge, putting deputy Evans (Glenn Saxson) in his place.

Then Pedro’s band kills two settlers in a search for Joe and manage to pin the blame on the ex-lawman. Pretty soon, Joe has a $7,000 bounty on his head.

But he still proves a problem for Pedro and his gang.

When they rob the local bank, it’s Joe who winds up with the loot. And Pedro’s going to have a hard time getting him to tell where that gold’s hidden.

Peter Martell as Joe Williams, finding four bandits in need of justice in Long Day of the Massacre (1968)

Manuel Serrano as Pedro La Muerte, the bandit leader who has lost the loot in Long Day of the Massacre (1968)

Review:

Take away the seemingly endless scenes of characters riding around, the chase scenes and some very unconvincing fisticuffs, and there wouldn’t be much left to this Spaghetti Western.

There are two pretty ladies on hand. Luisa Baratto plays Joe’s girlfriend. She wants to marry so she can stop traveling from town to town with her brother Adam, selling magic elixir.

Then there’s Daniela Giordano in one of her better roles as Paquita, who rides right alongside Pedro on his raids and comes up with many of the gang’s best ideas, including framing Joe and later threatening his girl with rape in order to learn where the loot is hidden.

But remember, the key plot device here is that Joe’s in trouble for dispensing law with his gun. For playing judge, jury and exectioner.

Then comes the climatic massacre mentioned in the title. Guess who initiates it? That’s right, Evans, the man who replaced Joe as sheriff. Hmm.

Daniela Giordano as Paquita, wary of Clay’s focus on her legs rather than his banditry in Long Day of the Massacre (1968)

Luisa Baratto (Liz Barrett) as Lara, surprised by boyfriend Joe Williams’ sudden reappearance in Long Day of the Massacre (1968)

Directed by:
Alberto Cardone
as Albert Cardiff

Cast:
Peter Martell … Joe Williams
Manuel Serrano … Pedro “La Muerte”
Luisa Baratto … Lara
as Liz Barrett
Daniela Giordano … Paquita
Franco Fantasia … Clay
Ralph Webb … Alan
Andrea Fantasia … Judge
Glenn Saxson … Evans

Also with: Gaetano Imbro, Ugo Adinolfi, Fortunato Arena, Ettore Arena, Giglio Gili, Elio Angelucci

Runtime: 103 min.

aka:
Il lungo giorno del massacro

Music: Michele Lacerenz

Glenn Saxson as Evans, the man who replaces Joe Williams as sheriff in Long Day of the Massacre (1968)

Franco Fantasia as Clay, a Pedro henchman celebrating a sheriff’s demise a bit prematurely in Long Day of the Massacre (1968)

Memorable lines (from subtitles):

Judge, complaining to Sheriff Joe Williams about his violent means of maintaining the law: “Since you became sheriff, the jail is always empty and the graveyard is filling up.”

Pedro: “You are either cunning or crazy.”
Joe Williams: “Well, really, come closer. I’m crazy.”
Pedro: “What a man, my friends. I like him. Crazy men like him amuse me.”

Paquita to Joe Wiliams: “Why don’t you join our gang? You and me could do big things together.”
Pedro clears his throat, quite loudly.
Paquita: “Us three.”

Andrea Fantasia as the judge who believes justice shouldn’t always be dispensed with a gun in Long Day of the Massacre (1968)

Ralph Webb as Alan, Lara’s brother, selling his magic elixir in Long Day of the Massacre (1968)

Trivia:

Director Alberto Cardone also wrote the screenplay for this film. He directed nine films; six were Spaghettis, He was much more often an assistant director, where his resume include “Ben-Hur” (1959), “The Mongols” (1961), “Barbarella” (1968) and “El Condor” (1970).

This marked one of five Westerns Luisa Baratto appeared in between 1967 and 1968. The others werre “Kill and Pray,” “Killer Kid” and “Payment in Blood” (all 1967) and “Two Pistols and a Coward.”

Franco Fantasia, who plays Clay, one of Pedro’s top henchmen, and Andrea Fantasia, who plays the judge, were brothers. According to the Westerns All’Italiana blog, Franco was a fencing master, a skill that landed him roles in many a film about Robin Hood, the Three Musketeers and Zorro.

Daniela Giordano as Paquita, Pedro’s woman, coming up with a plan to put Joe Williams in trouble in Long Day of the Massacre (1968)

Glenn Saxson as Evans, the new sheriff quizzing Lara about the whereabouts of the former sheriff in Long Day of the Massacre (1968)

Daniela Giordano as Paquita begins to strip Lara (Luisa Baratto as Liz Barrett) for her men’s enjoyment in Long Day of the Massacre (1968)

Peter Martell as Joe Williams, confronts a would-be assassin in Long Day of the Massacre (1968)