Thunder Over El Paso / I senza Dio (Roberto Bianchi Montero, 1972)

[morgan]

[runner]

I just watched an OK Youtube video and found this SW entertaining, not boring but maybe a bit leightweight without being lighthearted.
The story is OK and so is the acting. Maybe I will rate it as a 6/10, good but not very good is my first impression.

Regarding the locations, discussed above in this thread, one of the western towns was as stated before Golden City south of the real pueblo Hoyo de Manzanares north/northwest of Madrid.

Some other scenes were shot near Colmenar Viejo north of Madrid and southwest of the characteristic mountain with its peak San Pedro which is easy recognisable in many SWs.
There were also some scenes from La Pedriza north of Colmenar Viejo.
Several riding scenes for example were shot less than 2 km south of Ciempozuelos pueblo which is located south of Madrid. That area was also used in several SWs.
The prison which one of the leading characters broke out from was as far as the outdoors concerned also located near Ciempozuelos.

[runner]

I still rate it as a rather solid 6/10 for its overall entertainment value, and agree with the thread starter Reverend_Danite regarding his statement :
" Despite good individual performances from the leads (and Erika Blanc and Pilar Velasquez in it), and it having a smidge of charm and style of it’s own, it ultimately doesn’t sparkle enough to put it in the same league as some of the other lesser-knowns that turn out as diamonds. High hopes at the start were somewhat let down - but having said that - it still kept me there til the end and I (pretty much) enjoyed the ride."

So most of the scenes were shot in Spain :
Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, Spain
“Golden City”, Hoyo de Manzanares, Madrid, Spain
Ciempozuelos, Madrid, Spain
La Pedriza, Madrid, Spain
But the other western town was Elios, Rome, Italy.

The green first scene I am not sure where it was shot, or maybe could even be in Italy ? :

[Carlos]

Thunder Over El Paso has been updated to the new layout (3.0). Let us know if you can add anything: pictures, posters, trivia, facts, figures, links, etc…

[Mickey13]

Copied from the Spagvemberfest 2023 thread:

@Mickey13

This could have become a minor classic had it been headed by a more resolute director and had it been outfitted with a more distinguished cast. Be that as it may, the movie still packs a punch and certainly punches above its weight, especially taking into account its very late release date. However, there is no disguising the fact that it could have turned out even better and on certain occasions, it sinks in that it lacks that extra push, failing to leave a lasting impression in the end. Sabato and Avram are both fine and generate quite a bit of chemistry when they are on screen together, the bigger issue resides in Jose Jaspe who looks more like a dissheveled hobo rather than a charismatic Mexicano and he appears somewhat miscast as the bloodthristy gang leader.

Montero’s execution is more than adequate and exhibits some uncanny stylistic flourishes seen for instance in Sabato’s kaleidoscopic flashback scenes which almost resemble the grindhouse feature presentation in their colorful efflorescence and stand in stark contrast to the rest of the ordinarily helmed storyline. With that being said, some shootouts are at a loss for some additional oomph in that they are somewhat lacking in the stylistic department and it could be argued that some components could have been consolidated a tiny bit better, though I do realize this is just me cavilling about petty details. This is an outing every aficionado should track down sooner or later, as there is plenty to enjoy here and it constitutes one of the best entries released in 1972.

[Diamond]

I loved it. Awesome little movie that combines just everything I like about SW. It is action packed buddy movie with brutal and sometimes even quite disturbing scenes and filled with colourful characters. Definitely Sabatos best western. The direction is very strong with a lot of nice looking pictures and soundtrack is just perfectly fitting to each scene. It is going straight to my upadated top 20.