Never thought this film is slow.
Truth is it moves kinda slow at some points. The strong scenes clearly outweigh the weaker ones though. However my major complain is another one: When the incredible main theme starts at the beginning of the film, Fulci chooses to shoot some river waters. Unforgivable IMO. Why waste such a great tune like this? I’d prefer to see for example Nero riding his horse on his way back home, that would make a truly amazing sequence.
I would find that a tad cheasy, myself. And would strip the opening scene of impact. Besides, the rapids are moving fast enough. Don’t need a horse.
Come to think of it, it might make an interest opening title sequence. But you’d have to cut the original opening so as not to put the titles too deep into the film. Put Nero’s intro first, then riding opening sequence, then man fox hunt. Alright then.
Well, it would not make any sense to have a sequence showing Nero riding back home during the titles…becasue, at that point in the film he hasn’t been told he is needed back home, yet!
I think the running river sequence is perfect for the opening credits because it ties the opening scene in with Nero’s introduction.
The guy that Junior is chasing with his dogs ends up dying in the river…and his blood runs down river…and then we follow the same river into the gold camp where Nero is working. I think it is a pretty good, logical credit sequence, personally.
And I still don’t find anything slow about this film. 
How about leisurley or uneventful?
Nope.
Nope
Not at all.
Same here
It’s even in my TOP 20
That’s true. Still, the theme deserved another more spaghettish sequence IMO.
A true masterpiece.
The criticism about the slow pace I can not understand. :o
It is built up an incredibly dark atmosphere. Magnificent performance of Castelnuovo. The script by Ferdinando di Leo, as always, very good. The bullwhip scene with the white-clad Castelnuovo, or the opening sequence … very brutal. And then the end with lots of shooting and as a contrast, the white doves. Great !
In my top 20
My rating 9 / 10.
Just view or reviewed Tempo di Massacro
I’ve seen a lot SW but nothing compare to some of the guys here so I have a lot to catch up, but I remember renting this one in the 80’s back then for me this was a just another cowboy movie, but the chariot scene could not forget that one.
Fulci was a very good director got two of my favourite Giallos Perversion Story and don’t torture a Duckling. So in terms of Cinema nothing to say, it’s high quality. The plot is weak, we know almost from start what the secret was, but in a SW plot is not of so much importance, if its well framed with the acting, this isn’t Goddart (and even so). The acting is very good Hilton as a similar story to Lou Castel, but does not pretend to be in a Shakespeare play or something like Castel sometimes does, Franco Nero is a pretty decent actor and one of the SW best. Hilton and Nero form a very good pair, and the villain does it tricks in style the scene with the family in the rig it’s pure genius from Fulci. The more serious and sufferer character of Nero combines very extremely well with the one from Hilton more, comic but never losing it’s sense of tragedy. The Pace it’s the correct one for me not to slow, not a succession of actions scenes one after the other and that it’s what I called good direction.
The location was the same of Mannaja, the gorge scene for instance.
Very good SW, with great names on it Fulci Di Leo, Nero and Hilton, entertaining, I wont give it a ten because it was not made in the land blessed by God of Almeria
Saw this for the first time just this week.
The pacing could have been a little better but otherwise I was entertained.
I agree with those that said that we knew what the secret was pretty quickly, even though we were supposed to wait for the reveal.
The character of Jeff was pretty annoying and I was personally hoping for a bullet to the head…until the bar fight. Then I wanted to see what else this guy could do and was not disappointed.
The print that I saw was kind of grainy but it actually helped when it came to the ambience of the film.
Not my favorite SW but nowhere near the worst I’ve ever seen. Nice and dark and brutal.
I prefer this to Four of the Apocalypse, I think. Kind of a quirky film in that it ditches many conventions.
I’m always surprised to hear the mixed reviews on this one. Its one of my favorite SWs. I wish Franco and George would have done more movies together!
Yeh, and Fulci should have directed more westerns in the 60’s.
I’m not so surprised. It is a mixed film.
No, is a great film.
Great from the first to the last minute.
It is kinda slow at parts, after 4th viewing I still haven’t change my opinion. Not top-20 for me, but it is near.
After the fourth time, no movie is as good as the first time.