It's a western, which surely means we can rely on strong production design, art direction, costume design, stunts, effects, and action sequences, in addition to gorgeous filming locations (all true, here). It's an Italian western, which means we can rely on rather excruciating English dubbing, and probably overcooked camera techniques (definitely, in this instance). From there anything goes, but here are some other elements to make an impression in short order: Ornella Micheli's editing is as heavy-handed and overzealous as Riccardo Pallottini's cinematography; even if some instances are swell in theory, in practice they're direly overdone. Coriolano Gori's music is fine generally if customary for the genre, with some themes especially catching one's ear, though some specific cues are needlessly gauche; likewise for sound effects. If the dialogue as it presents (in the dubbed version) is a true reflection of the screenplay attributed to Fernando Di Leo (accordingly in collaboration with others), then I am forced to question his capabilities as a writer; while absolutely not the only problem, the most glaring example is hackneyed, stereotypical, and frankly racist lines given to Tchang Yu, too many of which begin with "Confucius say."
What is evident about 'Massacre Time' (also known as 'The brute and the beast,' also known as 'Le colt cantorono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro') is that those elements defining the visual style of the genre are solid, but otherwise it's a mixed bag. In addition to the disernible issues with Di Leo's dialogue, his characters don't have much substance; they embody various archetypes, and that's about it - whether that's enough is up for debate, and I'm at best unsure. In fairness, the scene writing is much more robust, even though mostly it's just a whole lot of violence (a flourish supposedly owed to the director's contributions to the screenplay. With all this in mind, the narrative as we see it is heavy on action and rather light on plot, which is a point deserving of either praise or criticism depending on one's perspective. For my part I do appreciate the action-oriented western, though I'd also have preferred more substance as a foundation. This is especially true since plot development is a bit club-footed, not least with the revelations that come in the last twenty minutes, making it all feel woefully contrived as a result.
All this leaves one last question to ponder: what of the direction of famed (infamous?) filmmaker Lucio Fulci? Here are a few numbers to consider: 'Massacre Time' marks the eighth film of his that I've seen to date, and only the second that's not one of the horror flicks he became known for in the latter part of his career. It's no coincidence that it's also only the second of his films that I find to have any notable value at all (though emphatically less than outstanding comedy 'Il lungo, il corto, il gatto'). In this instance I think Fulci's orchestration of scenes is mostly quite fine, particularly the action sequences, though some specific inclusions are, like other aspects, just too over the top (e.g. The wackily dramatic deaths of any henchmen; the bizarre instruction seemingly imparted to Nino Castelnuovo to often tilt his head to one side). Why, some of Fulci's shot composition is actually quite smart!
At length, I'm willing to grant that some of the most excessive or exaggerated elements of the production are perhaps just stylistic flair of the genre, and not necessarily a quirk or fault exclusive to this title. This doesn't excuse the deficiencies of writing that sacrifice mindful storytelling for assurance of extra action, thought it's also undeniable that one way or another, 'Massacre Time' has only one major thought underlying its construction. And once more, to the credit of all involved, this picture can at least claim strong, commendable visuals at large, and exciting western violence. Provided this is all one actually requires of their genre fare, then the movie is pretty decent; approach it with any more significant an eye for critique and analysis, and favor inherently wanes. All told I do like 'Massacre Time,' and I think it earns a soft recommendation; just don't go out of your way for it, and ask yourself what kind of feature it is that you want to watch.
What is evident about 'Massacre Time' (also known as 'The brute and the beast,' also known as 'Le colt cantorono la morte e fu... tempo di massacro') is that those elements defining the visual style of the genre are solid, but otherwise it's a mixed bag. In addition to the disernible issues with Di Leo's dialogue, his characters don't have much substance; they embody various archetypes, and that's about it - whether that's enough is up for debate, and I'm at best unsure. In fairness, the scene writing is much more robust, even though mostly it's just a whole lot of violence (a flourish supposedly owed to the director's contributions to the screenplay. With all this in mind, the narrative as we see it is heavy on action and rather light on plot, which is a point deserving of either praise or criticism depending on one's perspective. For my part I do appreciate the action-oriented western, though I'd also have preferred more substance as a foundation. This is especially true since plot development is a bit club-footed, not least with the revelations that come in the last twenty minutes, making it all feel woefully contrived as a result.
All this leaves one last question to ponder: what of the direction of famed (infamous?) filmmaker Lucio Fulci? Here are a few numbers to consider: 'Massacre Time' marks the eighth film of his that I've seen to date, and only the second that's not one of the horror flicks he became known for in the latter part of his career. It's no coincidence that it's also only the second of his films that I find to have any notable value at all (though emphatically less than outstanding comedy 'Il lungo, il corto, il gatto'). In this instance I think Fulci's orchestration of scenes is mostly quite fine, particularly the action sequences, though some specific inclusions are, like other aspects, just too over the top (e.g. The wackily dramatic deaths of any henchmen; the bizarre instruction seemingly imparted to Nino Castelnuovo to often tilt his head to one side). Why, some of Fulci's shot composition is actually quite smart!
At length, I'm willing to grant that some of the most excessive or exaggerated elements of the production are perhaps just stylistic flair of the genre, and not necessarily a quirk or fault exclusive to this title. This doesn't excuse the deficiencies of writing that sacrifice mindful storytelling for assurance of extra action, thought it's also undeniable that one way or another, 'Massacre Time' has only one major thought underlying its construction. And once more, to the credit of all involved, this picture can at least claim strong, commendable visuals at large, and exciting western violence. Provided this is all one actually requires of their genre fare, then the movie is pretty decent; approach it with any more significant an eye for critique and analysis, and favor inherently wanes. All told I do like 'Massacre Time,' and I think it earns a soft recommendation; just don't go out of your way for it, and ask yourself what kind of feature it is that you want to watch.