Raw Deal (1977) User Reviews

A memorable western

[aloxyedozie · 7/10 · 28 July 2006]

This Australian western begins with the narrator's voice..."...because Australian has never seen a revolution before..." A compact western about a bunch of 'misfits' hired to check a rebellion & eventually dealt a 'raw deal' when the 'mission was accomplished'. The usual western roughnecks, jail birds etcetera; and watch out for the naive kid that gets his first taste of a whore... Nice simple plot, the quintessence western-scape & the punctuating gunshots...& wait for it, a taste of the Australian desert.

I watched in the eighties as a kid but would sure give an arm to watch it again. Believe me, they don't make them like they use to...

It's all a game, a game of chance...

[jgdk2 · 7/10 · 19 July 2010]

I just saw the movie for the first time, having borrowed a 20-year old VHS tape from a friend. I had never heard of it before and was quite impressed. The picture and sound quality of the tape was not that good, so I wont comment on that, but the movie itself was definitely entertaining. Made in Australia, the movie gives an interesting look into a wild-west where the the tea-party in Boston and the American revolution never occurred. The British want to get rid of a revolutionary (and rather criminal) gang-leader in the Australian out lands, and hire two gunmen to do the job, planning to do away with them when the job is over. The gunmen recruit helpers, and the game is afoot (won't spoil the fun by telling how it all ends up).

The tone of the movie is like The Comancheros, fun but just enough realism to keep you interested. The dialog is often quite witty (and sometimes not that 1880ish, like when they talk about ordering Chinese food - could you really do that in Australia at that time?) and the action moves along nicely. All in all a western well worth your time.

It is sad that this movie seems so difficult to get hold of. I suppose I should count myself lucky to have seen it at all, VHS and 20 years of wear and tear not withstanding. I really hope it is still lurking in some Australian safe-box, and that it will someday be re-released in blu-ray or DVD format. Count me in as one of the customers...

One of the best westerns ever

[sefiel · 10/10 · 3 October 2002]

This Australian western movie is very hard to come by. However, if you do get your hands on it, I recommend it, because it is one of the best westerns you will ever see. The characters are well developed and the plot is superb. In the movie a group of gunslingers are hired by the Australian federal government to quell a rebellion. Once fulfilling their mission, they are betrayed by the politicians who hired their services. There is then an amazing gunfight between the heroes and a firing squad, in which the heroes are wounded and some even die. However, the heroes still prevail. Watch this movie. It will keep you glued to your seat for two hours.

One of the best Westerns I have ever seen

[krasnegar · 8/10 · 29 March 2008]

Personally, i don't think anything in this comment is properly a spoiler, but some people get cranky about the most minor things, so don't read the last paragraph of this comment if you're one of them.

I used to have a copy of this on VHS (having taped it off cable in the 70s); unfortunately, a member of my family accidentally taped over it.

I would really like to have another copy.

This is very much in the spirit of the best "sphagetti" Westerns, and, in fact, in my opinion, is worthy to be mentioned in the same context as the greatest Western ever made, Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West".

If you ever manage to get hold of it, be sure to listen very carefully to the last lines of dialog, after the Butch-and-Sundance-get-away-with-it final action.

great movie

[dwaynemayo60 · 10/10 · 7 March 2014]

I'm sorry if you think I over rated this movie but I loved it. Great characters, great humor, just a rolling good time. I have never been able to find a copy. I even contacted a friend of gus mercurio's (one of the actor's) to get a copy about ten years ago. I tried everything I could think of to find it. IMDb didn't even have it listed. There search won't even bring it up, just the Arnold one.

I found out he was the prez of the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame but he had gotten ill or retired. It wasn't too long before he died, anyway the new prez of the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame told me all that and said he would contact gus and see if new where a copy was but he didn't think there was one. anyway we emailed back and forth a couple times (the new prez not Gus) but I never got anywhere, he said Gus was gonna see if he could get one for me but I think he was too ill to really do much. What a nice guy tho'

so blah blah blah I tried mu best, if anyone can get one i want one too