Raise Your Hands, Dead Man, You're Under Arrest (1971) User Reviews

Spanish-Italian co-production with SpaghettI hero Peter Lee Lawrence against evil Aldo Sambrell

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 12 April 2011]

An Italian-Spanish co-production full of action , exaggerated characters , gun-play and lots of violence . For money, for pleasure, for revenge, he doesn't care why he kills or how ¡ . The sole survivor , named Sando Kid (Peter Lee Lawrence) , of a Northern massacre seeks vendetta . After suffering atrocity the merciless Kid executes a single-handedly revenge , hits , ravages and kills each person involved in the slaughter . He is relentless in his vendetta , deadly in his violence . Sando enlists Texas Rangers , hunts bandits (Luis Barboo) and meets a likable bounty hunter (Espartaco Santoni). The conflict is simple one between avenger Kid and a Baron land (Aldo Sambrell) and his hoodlums ,oppressors , nasty bandits . Meanwhile Kid aids an unappreciated although terrorized little town called Springfield City in the process. The town is inhabited by important people as the banker , the priest , the sheriff and a gorgeous woman (Helga Line), among others. Kid is submitted a tempestuous trap and is caught .

It's an exciting western with breathtaking showdown between the protagonist Peter Lee Lawrence and the enemy , Aldo Sambrell , and his underlings . Peter Lee is fine , he ravages the screen , he jumps , shoots , hits and runs ; besides receiving violent punches , kicks , and ultimately , he takes the law on his own hands. Aldo Sambrell as a cruelly baddie role is terrific , this is his only acting as starring along with ¨Joe Navajo Joe¨ by Sergio Corbucci with Burt Reynolds , subsequently Sambrell would play very secondary or minimum characters . Comic relief in charge of Spartaco Santoni , also producer , as s sympathetic bounty hunter . Furthermore , here appears usual secondary actors from Italian/Spanish Western such as : Simon Arriaga , Joe Canalejas , Luis Barboo , Lorenzo Robledo , and several others. Klaus Kinski was attached to this production at one stage , but he , subsequently , turned it down . The film blends violence , blood , tension , high body-count and it is fast-moving and quite entertaining . There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing a shootouts or stunts every few minutes . This is an average Spaghetti/Chorizo Western with some moments genuinely entertaining if you can avoid thinking too much . It follows the exploits of Sando Kid in SW usual theme , the revenge , in addition the starring attempts to save his reputation and help unfortunates . Mediocre performances seem badly dated today . There are many fine technicians , nice assistant direction and screen-writers as Sergio Bergonzelli and Jose Maria Elorrieta . The musician Alessandro Alessandroni composes a vibrant soundtrack and well conducted ; it's full of guttural sounds and catching leitmotif . Atmospheric scenario with barren outdoors , dirty landscapes under a glimmer sun and fine sets with striking cinematography in Eastmancolor with negative well processed . Interior filmed at Ballesteros Studios (Madrid) , De Paolis Studios (Rome) and outdoor sequences filmed at Colmenar Viejo and , of course , Almeria, where in the 60s and 70s were shot innumerable Spaghetti/Tortilla Westerns .

The motion picture was middlingly directed by Leon Klimovski , a craftsman who directed all kinds of genres , as Terror for Paul Naschy (Marshall of hell , Rebellion of dead one , Orgy of vampires , Werewolf shadow , Dr Jekill vs. the werewolf) , Warlike (June 44 attack force Normandy , A bullet for Rommel , Bridge over Elba) and Western (Badland drifter ,Some dollars for Django , Torrejon city , Death knows no time , Two thousand dollars for Coyote). Rating: 4,5 ; regular but entertaining.

simple and entertaining

[spider89119 · 6/10 · 30 November 2005]

This movie has the mentality of one of those old westerns that were churned out in the 30's and 40's, but it is like a spaghetti western version of those kind of films. Like the old-time westerns from the days of Hoot Gibson, Bob Steele, Gene Autry etc., this film has an overly simple storyline, unrealistically uncomplicated situations, and a definite good guys vs. bad guys theme. I'm not too crazy about those old pulp westerns, but this movie is fun because it's done spaghetti-style, with lots of violence, a very cool music score, and Helga Line (who is way sexier than Dale Evans could ever be even in her dreams), so instead of being mindless entertainment for kids on a Saturday morning, it's mindless entertainment for more grown-up Euro-western fans on a Saturday morning. If that makes sense to you, you'll probably enjoy this film. This movie is directed by Leon Klimovsky, but some of Demofilo Fidani's films are in the same vein as this one, so if you like watching Fidani's movies, try this flick if you can find it.

Well-directed Spanish spaghetti from Leon Klimovsky

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 14 February 2017]

I saw this one under the title HANDS UP DEAD MAN. It's an Italian/Spanish spaghetti western co-production directed by the excellent Leon Klimovsky, a Spanish director who really knew his stuff when it came to knocking out genre flicks. His best films were the horror films he made with the likes of Paul Naschy, but as with many Spanish directors of the 1960s and 1970s, he also turned his hand to whatever else came along, hence this western.

Klimovsky's stylish direction is one of the best things about this production and he shoots the various action sequences with aplomb. His film features a youthful yet powerful turn from Peter Lee Lawrence as the survivor of a massacre swearing vengeance on the villains responsible. Plenty of action ensues, including some comedy scenes such as those with monks and the like. The violence comes thick and fast and there's rarely a slow moment, just sweat, dust, tears, and cold-blooded murder. Espartaco Santoni has a scene-stealing part as the helpful bounty hunter Dollar, Aldo Sambrell is the baddie, and Spanish beauty Helga Line (of HORROR EXPRESS) fame shows up too.

Raise Your Hands, Dead Man, You're Under Arrest (Leon Klimovsky, 1971) **

[Bunuel1976 · 4/10 · 14 November 2008]

This Spaghetti Western from Spanish horror director Klimovsky begins in the Civil War, then proceeds to your typical Western town; it does include an offbeat score, which blends a lively main theme with a flurry of vaguely ominous sounds.

The hero – called Sando Kid(?!) and played by Peter Lee Lawrence – is as bland as they come (and too boyish to convince); he's helped by a stuttering priest/ex-soldier pal and a rambunctious ranger/bounty-hunter (whose presence is always threatening to have some import on the central plot, but it never actually does!). The villain (typically, he wants to run citizens off their rightful land through terrorism for his own profit) is genre regular Aldo Sanbrell, his 'moll' "Euro-Cult" starlet Helga Line'; of course, Lawrence and friends won't stand for this (Sanbrell had actually met them during the war, where they were once again fighting on opposite sides…but he's conveniently erased all memory of his callous massacre of the wounded enemy at a time when hostilities had already ceased!).

As with many oaters in this vein, the film is a harmless time-waster but instantly forgettable; even at a mere day's distance from its viewing, I can barely recall other significant plot details or genuinely memorable sequences, action or otherwise – I do know that the priest, comically, gives absolution to Sambrell's fallen gunmen at the climax!

Pasta western not cooked well enough

[Wizard-8 · 4 July 2014]

This is the first Peter Lee Lawrence spaghetti western I've seen. I have more to see piled in front of my television set, and I hope they are a lot better than this one. It's not Lawrence's fault that this western fails so badly - he does what the direction and screenplay command, and the problems with the movie lie with those two creative forces. Although the movie starts as a revenge western, surprisingly the movie forgets about the revenge angle for the longest time. Lawrence's character seems mighty slow in getting his revenge. In fact, "slow" is the best word to describe most of this western. The movie feels very tired, directed with no passion or energy. Even the (few) action sequences lack a lot of punch. Unless you are collecting westerns that all contain the tired plot of an evil land baron snatching up land by illegal means, I'd advise you to skip this spaghetti western.

Another awful Spaghetti Western!

[thomayre · 4/10 · 3 April 2022]

I have an almost an addiction to Spaghetti Westerns, I watch at least 4 a week. It's not unknown from me to just quit half way through, like I did with this one.

The direction absolutely awful, seriously cringe-worthy. It reminds me some awful horror movies which I used to watch at sleepovers when I was little - and to little surprise this was directed by Klimovsky. Acting too, for the most part, was terrible probably no doubt not helped by the terrible direction.

The only saving graces is Peter Lee Lawrence and the film score.

I love speghetti westerns but this obvious quickie was intended for the simpleminded

[jordondave-28085 · 3/10 · 1 February 2023]

Saw this as "Hands Up, Dead Man" and not as "Raise Your Hands, Dead Man, You're Under Arrest". There's a six minute intro which showcases Lee (Aldo Sambrell) while in a Yankee uniform going on a shooting spree killing in cold blood wounded and unarmed confederate soldiers. And upon him going inside of a destroyed unit possibly a church or school he pays attention to more wounded confederate soldiers in there as well. And it was during at this point, he hands over a loaded pistol to a physician (Peter Lee Lawrence) and mocks him from being a respected doctorate into a professional gunfighter. And when he becomes really good, good enough to shoot as many as 3 or 4 outlaws at once, he then puts it into good use by thwarting every move baddie Lee from taking by force as well as killing and stealing peoples land or territory. The action is dumb, pretentious and ridiculous... that even the comic relief monk was cheap, unfunny and cringe worthy which is why as I had said at the outset that this movie is intended for the simple minded .