Yankee (1966)

Phillippe Leroy plays Yankee, a bounty hunter out to make a fortune in a town ruled by the Grand Cougar (Adolfo Celi).

He approaches the Mexican bandit with a bold proposition — that they form a partnership, then turn in all the Grand Cougar’s men and split the bounty on their heads.

The Grand Cougar isn’t amused. But he’s intrigued by Yankee’s claim to have a small fortune in gold hidden nearby.

So the outlaw plays along, intending all along to double cross Yankee as soon as he discloses the gold’s location.

The double cross fails. Yankee’s new offer: The Grand Cougar can keep the bounty on his own dead men, the ones Yankee has killed. The Yankee wants the bounty on the Grand Cougar’s head.

And if that means capturing his lover Rosita (Mirella Martin) as bait … well, that’s a risk he’s ready to make.

Review:

Standard Spaghetti fair marred by odd editing, like the reluctance to show Yankee’s face in many of the early scenes, cheap sets (check out those wanted posters) and a wooden performance by Phillippe Leroy in the lead role.

On the plus side, there are a few unique scenes — like Yankee being leashed to a pentagram in a ring of fire. And like Yankee tying the nearly nude Martin to a post as a lure for the Grand Cougar.

But, all in all, pretty tedious viewing. By the way, Adolfo Celi is a dead ringer for Ian McShane of Deadwood.

Directed by:
Tinto Brass

Cast:
Phillippe Leroy … Yankee
Adolfo Celi … Grand Cougar
Mirella Maravidi … Rosita
as Mirella Martin
Tomas Torres … Ruiz
Fransisco Sanz … Consalvo
Franco DeRosa … Angel Face
Victor Israel … Sheriff
Pasquale Basile … Gold Tooth
Jacques Herlin … Philosopher
Giorgio Bret Schneider … Painter
Renzo Pevarello … Portuguese
Antonio Basile … Tattoo

Also with: Tomas Milton, Cesar Ojinaga, Valentino Macchi, Henriquetta Señalada, Osiride Pevarello, José Halufi

aka:
El yankee
L’americano
Yankee l’americano

Score: Nini Rosso

Runtime: 92 min.

Memorable lines:

Consalvo, barber, to Yankee as he arrives in town: “Whatever you see, he (the Grand Cougar) owns. No man in the territory is more feared or has more power.”
Yankee, looking around the town: “I’d say his kingdom is a little worse for the wear. Doesn’t take much to make him happy, does it amigo?”

Grand Cougar’s man, to Yankee: “You’re in the wrong country for getting frisky, stranger. This is Grand Cougar territory, and even the air belongs to him. So don’t breath too much of it.”

Yankee: “Well, I may be a chicken, but I’m a rich chicken.”

Grand Cougar, at his lover reads her Tarot cards: “Don’t they say anything about Shotgun Johnny? Come on. Squeeze it out of those filthy cards. Look again.” He bangs the table. “I want to know where that money is.”
Rita: “No. You’ve cursed the cards, and the magic has disappeared.”

Painter: “When one is caught in a ring of fire, there are only two ways out. To burn. Or to go completely insane.”

Trivia:

Tinto Brass went on to become a director of European erotica. He was also chosen to direct Bob Guccione’s “Caligula,” but then fired from the film when he refused to turn it into a “flesh flick” and include hardcore footage. This marked his only Western.

Paris-born Philippe Leroy appeared in “55 Days at Peking” and the comedy “Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell” before starring in this Spaghetti. He went on to appear in more than 150 films, including another Spaghetti, “Mannaja” in 1977.

Apparently, this marked the only time Mirella Maravidi used the named Mirella Martin. She appeared in about a dozen films and two other Euro Westerns — “Requiescant” (1967) starring Peter Lee Lawrence and “Oath of Zorro” (1965), starring Tony Russel.