Tex and the Lord of the Deep (1985) User Reviews

Tex deserved better

[petra_ste · 4/10 · 27 May 2007]

Based on a popular (and once excellent) Italian comic book series, this western can be enjoyed only on a "so bad it's fun" level.

The plot had potential, with horror elements in a western setting (one of the trademarks of the series), but execution is cheap and forgettable. Berger is an acceptable Carson, but Giuliano Gemma does not convince as Tex. Gemma has given good and even great performances elsewhere (Il Prefetto di Ferro), but here he comes across as someone pretending to be tough, uttering nearly every line in a sardonic "don't mess with me" monotone. It's a toothless, vapid turn.

Featuring a bizarre cameo by Tex creator Giovanni Bonelli as a Navajo sorcerer.

Tex deserved a better movie.

3,5/10

So-so rendition based on a popular hero of the Italian comic-books including noisy action , crossfire and supernatural events

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 4 April 2021]

Based on the adventures of Tex Willer , a known hero of the Italian comic strips by Giovanni Bonelli . It is a typical Spaghetti but mingling it with magic, witchery, fantasy and necromancy. It tells Tex Willer's : Giuliano Gemma exploits , his feats and misfortunes along with Kit Carson : William Berger and Tiger Jack . This time they confront a band of gunrunners who are selling weapons to a strange group of Indians who want to reborn the Aztec empire by killing White Men .

Late Spaghetti Western packing thrills , go riding , shootouts and adding some fantastic elements . The film failed at the boxoffice and hardly ever exhibited in European screens , in fact it was actually the pilot of a TV series produced by RAI television, but due to its flop , didn't go on shooting other episodes . Stars Giuliano Gemma who in the Sixties and Seventies played a lot of Pasta Westerns , being especially known for A Pistol for Ringo and Return of Ringo, along with other notorious Spaghettis as Arizona Colt, California, Death of a President, Wanted, The White, the Yellow and the Black, Day of Anger, Ringo the revenger, Adios Gringo, among others. . He is accompanied by the veteran William Berger who also perfomed a large number of Spaghetti Westerns . Alongside several familiar faces from Paella Western due to be shot in desert of Tabernas , Almería, Spain , such as : Aldo Sambrell, Charly Bravo, Ricardo Palacios, Hugo Blanco, Jose Luis Villalonga and Frank Braña.

It displays an agreeable musical score with catching leitmotif by musician Gianni Ferrio who composed several Spaghetti soundtracks. The motion picture was regularly directed by Duccio Tessari whose fetish actor was Giuliano Gemma with whom worked in various Spaghetti and Peplum movies . Rating : 5.5/10 . Regular but passable and acceptable . The flick will appeal to Spaghetti Western fans .

Good, but a little too late

[unbrokenmetal · 6/10 · 26 July 2008]

Ranger Tex Willer (Giuliano Gemma) and his buddy Kit Carson (William Berger) are searching for 300 lost guns, a transport for the army. Mexican bandits are suspected first, but soon clues are found that a mysterious Indian cult is behind all this. But since the Indians have a dangerous weapon, a poison which turns people into stone, Willer and Carson must be very careful on their voyage...

From the hands of Duccio Tessari, we get a western movie shot at the traditional spaghetti western locations near Almeria/Spain, with a slight horror/fantasy touch (and based on a popular comic strip), but nevertheless quality work in a traditional way, not least due to experienced actors such as Gemma, Berger and Aldo Sambrell. Peter Berling ("Aguirre", "Name of the Rose") has a special guest appearance. Produced by RAI Television, a sequel or even series was an option if this had been a hit, but apparently it wasn't and remained the last western for Tessari and Gemma, 20 years after their classic "A Pistol For Ringo".

Oh, Good Lord, What A Mess

[Uinat · 3/10 · 10 May 2004]

Well, I'm a big fan of the original comic book, so my judgment here may be too harsh. A short introduction-Tex Willer is a US Ranger who travels around with old, grumpy Kit Carson. They ride around the old West surviving many adventures along the way. This comic book is some liter version of French comic book named `Blueberry'. Anyway, back to the movie. The movie is surprisingly lousy. I mean will someone tell me how could the country that gave us Spaghetti Westerns make such a lousy western based on their own creation?! Giuliano Gemma was a good choice as Tex, and William Berger is excellent as grumpy Kit. They did their parts very good. Unfortunately among all of Tex adventures somebody had to make one on his/her own. The strangest thing is that movie, although full of plot holes and bad support actors, works on some comic book level. My opinion is that they tried to literally copy-paste drawings to film. It showed once more that if you really want to transfer something from one kind of art to film needs more than pure wish and beautiful sunsets. Advice-avoid at all cost unless a Tex Willer die-hard fan.

Great poster not as good movie sadly

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 3 May 2018]

"They say he came from the north, like the ice wins that sweep the prairies during the great winter. Tex Willer. From the furthest reaches of the Silver Mountains to the birth of the Blue River of the long canoes, his name was spoken with respect. Death rode at his side, ready to strike anyone. who dared violate the law of white man. But his spirit soared free. It knew no boundaries. And it came to pass that even the Indian tribes learned to respect him. And they gave him the name Night Eagle. Then came the day when he joined his blood with the blood of the Navajos. And after a few moons, his forehead bore the symbol of leadership, the sacred wampum. History soon becomes entwined with legend, in the lost time between magic and reality. Let me tell you his story, then. And of the adventurous days which made him immortal."

After an introduction like that, how can I not get excited about this movie? It's based on the Italian comic book Tex by Sergio Bonelli, who also created Mister No and owned the comic house that published the adventures of Dylan Dog (which inspired the movies Dylan Dog and Cemetery Man).

Plans for a Tex movie had been in the works since the 1960's, with the original goal of having Charlton Heston play Tex and Jack Palance in the role of Kit. Duccio Tessari finally directed the film, which was a pilot for a proposed Tex TV series. He'd c0-written A Fistful of Dollars with Sergio Leone and directed the Ringo series of spaghetti westerns, so he seemed like a good choice, at least from the Western aspect of Tex. Yet if you see the poster art, this movie also focuses on the fantastic aspects of the character, drawing on three stories - El Morisco, Sierra Encantada and Il signore dell'abisso.

.Giuliano Gemma plays Tex. He was known for his Western films, like Day of Anger and for playing Ringo in that aforementioned series of movies. William Berger (The Sinister Eyes of Dr. Orloff, Five Dolls for an August Moon) is Kit.

They're the on the trail of some convoy robbers who are using a secret Indian weapon that mummifies people. It turns out that a secret tribe are ready to go to war with the white man, so our heroes must stop them. Look for Bonelli as an Indian mystic in an uncredited role.

Fans of the Tex comic hated the movie, as they felt that Gemma was completely unbelievable as Tex, even to the point that he wore the wrong color shirt. According to this review, "when the film was finally shown in Venice, most people in the audience were fans of the comics, who had only bought a ticket to boo the film."

This is a movie that has fantastic elements, sets itself up to be a bonkers genre-defying mashup and just doesn't seem to go far enough. This would have to be quite the movie to surpass that poster art, though!

Underwhelming B-movie hodgepodge

[dopefishie · 4/10 · 15 April 2022]

Underwhelming B-movie hodgepodge.

It's a supernatural western adventure film with little budget for special effects. The script is fairly well-balanced with some supernatural elements, gunfights, and comic relief. However, without the right budget, it looks pretty bad. Plus, the dialogue was cringey. The acting was average for this kind of film. Overall, you should skip this one unless you're a sucker for bad westerns.