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A masterpiece, one of my favorites of all-time.
Years ago, I had two crappy-quality versions of it, but within seconds of pressing play, I knew two things:
- This movie is going to be phenomenal.
- This crappy version of it will not do it justice.
So, I decided I would not allow my first experience with this movie to be tainted by watching a terrible copy of it, so I held off on watching it until I was able to access a better, remastered version of it.
Years later, I’ve watched it countless times since, and it’s been a long-time favorite of mine and I suspect it always will be.
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I rewatched this film yesterday. My opinion on this film seems to change every time I rewatch it. It’s a very mixed bag. It features some of the best filming locations in the genre and includes a few memorable scenes. Overall, though, it’s quite average - perhaps even slightly below. Some elements just don’t work - for example, the drunk character who provides information to Law, the bank heist, and the framing of Van Cleef’s character all feel pretty uninspired. The dialogue is often overly cheesy and lacking in quality, and Law’s acting leaves a lot to be desired. The pacing is also quite poor - the final stretch in Mexico didn’t need to be 50 minutes long. That said, the film is definitely worth watching at least once. However, its rewatch value is quite low - it’ll be a long while before I revisit it again. - 6/10
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Anybody know if Anthony Dawson dubbed his own voice in the English dub? I always thought that he didn’t but after my latest rewatch I’m not so sure.
‘Death Rides a Horse’ opened in the UK at Gaumont Cinemas in Bristol and Liverpool on 2nd March 1969. During summers of 1976/77/78 it was part of all night Italian western showcases - back-to-back screenings with ‘A Fistful of Dollars’, ‘For a Few Dollars More’ (sometimes ‘A Fistful of Dynamite’) and ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’. Doors would open 23:00 and the last film would end around 08:15. It was first shown on UK television on Saturday 21st February 1981 (BBC1 22:50 - 00:40).
Source below: (Bristol Evening Post, 28th February, 1969)
In the United States, ‘Death Rides a Horse’ premiered in a midnight screening at the Malco Theater, Jonesboro, Arkansas on June 28 1969. The reviews were nearly all negative but the one below by Ben McKelway III (The Washington Daily News, July 17 1969) was quite positive.
Source below: (3) (Daily News, New York, September 9 1969)
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Rewatched this today and it’s a great as ever, but as always John Phillip Law drags it down. Could’ve been a top 5 with someone else cast in his role.
He literally sounds borderline stupid and almost like Forrest Gump. 
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