They Call Me Lucky (1973)

Keith G. van der Wat is Lucky Gomez, a Mexican bandit who runs a hideout in the desert and offers refuge to other bandits, provided they turn over 50 percent of whatever they’ve taken.

His fortunes change when a bandito named Juan, armed with a silver pistol, rides into camp with a kidnapped American girl named Elizabeth Parker (Cathy Usher).

Juan has no intention of giving up 50 percent of this “peach ready to be plucked,” so Lucky takes Beth, intending to hold her for ransom.

In the shootout that follows, Juan is killed and Lucky seriously wounded. Beth helps nurse him back to health, and the two fall in love.

But Juan will haunt Lucky, who’s taken that silver pistol as his own.

That’s because he winds up rescuing a dying man in the desert named Diaz Almeida.

Diaz has sworn vengeance against a Mexican who killed his pregnant wife. And the Mexican he’s seeking did it with a silver bullet from a silver gun.

Review:

An offbeat and entertaining film that benefits from a nice mix of action and humor and a standout performance from Keith G. van der Wat in the lead role.

The cast also includes Andrew Roberts as the preacher / bounty hunter and Trevor Edwards as Lucky’s sidekick Chino, who has been a faithful companion ever since Lucky’s long gun saved him from an Indian attack.

Much of the humor comes from Lucky’s attempt to turn three peons into a gang of banditos he plans to call Lucky’s Raiders.

And even though you can see Diaz’s quest for vengeance against Lucky coming from a mile away, director Peter Henkel still manages to throw in enough plot twists to keep things interesting and overcome a stiff — and largely unbelievable — performance by Cathy Usher as Beth.

Directed by:
Peter Henkel

Cast:
Keith G. van der Wat … Lucky Gomez
Cathy Usher … Beth Parker
Trevor Edwards … Chino
Andrew Roberts … Kelly McDade, “The Preacher”
Tullio Moneta … Diaz Almeida
Johan de Plooy … Juan
Diane Rider … Teresa

Runtime: 99 min.

Memorable lines:

Juan, referring to the pretty young blonde he’s kidnapped: “This time I cannot share my profit with you. The little one belongs to me — a peach ready to be plucked.”

Lucky: “These pistoleros are always stupid when they try to be clever.”

Beth: “Why are you helping me? You could be killed.”
Lucky: “I’m protecting my 80 percent. I think.”

Lucky: “As long as they were men and women and guns, there will always be war.”

Lucky: “I woke up with a terrible idea, but I liked it. These peasants — we will teach them to become banditos, pistoleros … We will call them Lucky’s Raiders. You like that?”
Chino: “A fancy name doesn’t put guts in a man’s belly.”

Lucky: “Like a woman is meant for bedding and making children, a gun is for killing and making graves.”

Beth: “You’re bad, Lucky Gomez. You’re bloody bad!”

Trivia:

This film was made in South Africa, as was its prequel, 1971’s “Three Bullets for a Long Gun,” also directed by Peter Henkel.

Keith G. van der Wat also played Lucky Gomez in that film and has a writing credit on both movies.