Degueyo (1965) - Director: Giuseppe Vari - 6/10.
Though the film at first fails to rivet in virtue of the initial one-dimensionality of the yarn and the slow pacing, the storyline considerably picks up following the retrieval of the Confederate officer and steadily improves until it reaches the climax which proves to be possibly one of the best things Vari ever directed. The lead-up to the final confrontation teems with cynicism and brutality, yet Vari is prudent enough not to show too much too early, so the way the story unfolds and is eventually resolved turns out classy as well as graceful and although it does not really break any new ground, it all feels natural and genuine. There arise some issues with pacing and general editing in the middle in that some scenes are either cut too short or are intercut with those which easily could have been dispensed with in order to aid the rhythm and focus.
Therefore, certain narrative flaws do come to light sporadically, but by and large, most of these defects abate by the time the showdown comes. Lastly, Dan Vadis’s enactment of the antagonist may very well make for one of the most fearsome portrayals of a villain in the genre in that he genuinely appears deranged and utterly psychopathic in the way he disposes of people standing in his way and does so with much gusto and alacrity; thus, he does not merely go through the motions, ticking the boxes so as to meet some arbitrary criteria of what this sort of role customarily calls for, he resolutely acts out the lunacy whilst forgoing histrionic paroxysms which further enhances the realism of his interpretation. While the movie is not without its faults and is rather tedious at the beginning, it subsequently improves and becomes very interesting and engaging in its own right.