100 Rifles (Tom Gries, 1969)

https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/100_Rifles

I watched this yesterday, and I must say it’s the most spaghetti-esque American western I’ve seen so far. It’s more bad-ass, bloodier and overall just more fun than its American counterparts. Burt Reynolds and Jim Brown are fun to watch and Raquel Welch gives a sexy performance. The score by Jerry Goldsmith is also very spaghetti influenced. The main theme that basically seeps through the whole movie is very catchy, but somehow sounds damn familiar. Of course this is not a masterpiece, but it’s a fun watch and that’s the most important thing.
What are your thoughts on this movie?

I liked it too and you’re right it is very spaghetti influenced. Jerry Goldsmith always does good score work but for me it’s worth seeing just for the Lovely Miss Welch. A big favourite of mine as a youngster. She was equally gorgeous in Bandolero, a Jimmy Stewart western which was also scored by Jerry Goldsmith. In fact if anything she was hotter in that.
But I digress, 100 Rifles is a good picture. Plenty of action and while not a classic is always rewatchable I think.

Surely an underrated film. I like it more than Will Penny, which is often considered a classic.

Will Penny is a good film though. Possibly Charlton Heston’s best western. But a very different type to 100 Rifles. Will Penny is very much a character piece that moves as much around a love story as action. 100 Rifles is much grittier and heavily spaghetti influenced. In a way it’s hard to believe they were both directed by Tom Gries.

That’s true.

Just ordered this one, as I have only ever seen this one on VHS.

I’ve seen it on VHS too, still have a copy (an awfully looking fullscreen, rewatched it a few months ago).
Nice film, no classic, but action-filled, like most people have stated.

In those days American critics (even the more action orientated ones) didn’t like their westerns influenced by the spaghetti’s, so Will Penny (a good movie by the way) was applauded and 100 Rifles rejected.

When I first saw it, I thought it was heavily influenced by The Wild Bunch, then I read somewhere that it was made earlier! Both films are listed '69 though. Anybody with more precise info?

Interesting what you say re The Wild Bunch and this film.

100 rifles was released in 68.

Apart from the mexican setting I can’t see any similarities to The Wild Bunch.

100 RIFLES 1969 Jim Brown , Raquel Welch , Burt Reynolds, Fernando Lamas

I agree with previous reviews that 100 Rifles 1969 is an extremely well made, fun,
“spaghetti” like USA Western with a top class cast headed by the wonderful Jim Brown
and Raquel Welch.

JIM BROWN a former NFL top player has an impressive list of Outstanding 1960s films:

Rio Conchos 64 , MERCENARIES 68 , 100 RIFLES 69, Tick Tick 70, EL CONDOR 70

RAQUEL WELCH , a statuesque sex GOD , 1960s Superstar has All Time Greats Credits

ONE MILLION YEARS BC 66 , FANTASTIC VOYAGE 66 , Fathom 67 , Lady In Cement 68
BANDOLERO 68, 100 RIFLES 69 , HANNIE CAULDER 71 , Kansas City Bomber 72 etc.

My vote for 100 RIFLES is 16 out of 20.

That may be right, but I was thinking about the amount of violence and the approach to it.

The film is excessively violent and bloody; generally it is considered that the graphic representation (squirting blood etc.) of violence goes back to Peckinpah (who most probably was influenced by BONNY AND CLYDE of the previous year). As violent as they were, even in DJANGO and DJANGO KILL the violence was not of an all too graphic nature (even if Frayling made up some sensational stories about body parts and roasted villains).

In the years after THE WILD BUNCH a lot of westerns were made in which squirting blood and/or large scale massacre were main ingredients: SOLDIER BLUE, THE CULPEPPER CATTLE COMPANY, LITTLE BIG MAN, LAWMAN, ULZANA RAID …
When I watched 100 RIFLES It looked like a so-called post-Wild Bunch western to me, but apparently it was made before Peckinpah’s masterpiece.
This surprised me.

clearly i agree…

that surprised me too…?

[quote=“ENNIOO, post:8, topic:531”]Interesting what you say re The Wild Bunch and this film.[/quote] really it is i so agree very interesting the film great… his her other works to…?

I have watched totally unbiased and without any predispositions :

100 RIFLES 1969 Raquel Welch Jim Brown Directed by Tom Gries

WILD BUNCH 1969 William Holden Ernest Borgnine Directed by Sam Peckinpah

I found 100 RIFLES 1969 to be totally SUPERIOR/ CLASSIC in every single category :smiley:
The cast of Raquel Welch / Jim Brown was energetic/electric and vastly more enjoyable
than a dour William Holden and an Ok Ernest Borgnine. The plot of 100 RIFLES was also
more exciting, developed and spell binding than the overlong 2hour 15m Wild Bunch 69.
I also thought Tom Gries was far more able/competent than the critically liked Peckinpah :slight_smile:
That is not to say that Wild Bunch is not a “good” film but for me it would not get a vote
of more than 11.5 out of 20. :o

JIM BROWN and RAQUEL WELCH Made a Fine Couple On Screen.

The cast of 100 RIFLES 1969 was for me much more quality/class than the Wild Bunch’s.

can we elaborate on how spaghetti/euro this movie is? for some reason we’ve listed it in the database. was it shot in almeria?

Definitely shot in Spain (probably Almeria), with some spaghetti regulars in the cast. Also very spaghetti in feel.

Apparently some scenes were shot in Villamanta, near Madrid

According to this site quite a few films were shot there: The mercenary, Vamos a matar, compañeros, Guns of the magnificent seven, 55 days at Peking …

http://gustavovieites.cmact.com/cine.html

100 Rifles is an american western made by americans in Spain, like they shoot their westerns in Mexico, Israel, Romania, Canada, wherever it’s cheaper to make them.
No SW, not even an Euro western.

There are of course a few similarities to some of the italian Zapata Spags, but not that much, as far as I remember.

I’m trying to get a copy of this for rewatching, maybe my memory is deceptive.