Rattler Kid

I’m digging out some of the old reviews I did way back when I used to publish a little fanzine called The Cheeseplant back in the 1990s, when I was an optimistic and youthful fellow.  Well, a bit optimistic and youthful at any rate.  I’ve moderated my views about some of these films over time…  but in the case of Rattler Kid I haven’t seen it since and can’t claim to have any great urge to rush out and view it again.  Anyway, here goes…

Aka L’Uomo Venuto Per Uccidere (Italy), Un Hombre Vino A Matar (Spain), L’Homme Qui Venait Pour Tuer (France)
1967
Italy/Spain
Produced by Luigi Mondello for Nike Cin.ca (Rome), Copercines (Madrid)
Director: Leon Klimovsky
Story: Eduardo Maria Brochero
Screenplay: Odoardo Fiory
Cinematography: Julio Ortas {Eastmancolor}
Music: Francesco De Masi
Editor: Gian Maria Messeri
Art Direction: Jaime Perez Cubero
Cast: Richard Wyler (Tony Garnett/The Rattler Kid), William Spolt [Guglielmo Spoletini] (Riff), Femi Benussi, Conny Caracciolo, Jesus Puente (Alex Turner), Lucio De Santis, Luis Induni (Vic, member of Riff’s gang), Miguel del Castillo, Rafael Albaicin (Jim, member of Riff’s gang), Jose Maria Caffarel (Martin Anderson, the bank manager), Frank Brana (Tom), Santiago Rivero, Simon Arriaga, Aurora De Alba and Brad Harris (Bill Manners)

A group of thieves break into Fort Jackson and steal the payroll, killing two men (one of whom is the Commandant) in the process. Tony Garnett (Richard Wyler), a young and honourable Sergeant, is framed for the crime and sentenced to death at a court martial. He manages to escape by switching clothes with a pastor who believes in his innocence. However, the experience has left him embittered and he takes to robbing banks as a way of life – thus earning a new nickname, ‘The Rattler Kid’, as well as a price on his head. However, he is still determined to track down the men responsible for his situation, and has soon managed to execute them all apart from the mysterious boss, who had appeared masked at all times.

Meanwhile, another bunch of banditos are planning to hold up the bank in Icheda. Their plan meets a hitch when they discover that the new Sheriff of the town is the notorious Bill Manners (Brad Harris), who is not only devoted to the law but also one of the best shots in the West. Their leader, Riff (William Bogart), comes up with a plan; to enlist the help of someone who is an even faster gunman – someone who just happens to be The Rattler Kid, his cousin.

Whilst scouting the town, Garnett bumps into his old teacher, Alex Turner (Jesus Puente), and after they have some conversations he begins to have doubts about his new life as an outlaw. This doesn’t prevent the heist going ahead, and it inevitably ends in a bloodbath, with Turner being badly wounded in the fracas. This makes Garnett very angry, and his temper doesn’t improve when he discovers that it was Riff who was, all those years ago, the masked man who set him up.

This resolutely mediocre film wasn’t quite as bad as I expected, seeing that it’s another effort from the unceasingly tedious Leon Klimovsky. It’s no better than average, to be sure, and the director’s trademark lack of ability to keep things moving or generate much in the way of excitement is much in evidence.

Where Rattler Kid really falters is in the fact that there is simply far too much exposition. The middle third is truly execrable, bogged down with scenes in which secondary characters go about their boring lives and the rest of the plot is allowed to be entirely forgotten. It has to be said that most of these dull passages correspond with Brad Harris’s appearance on screen. Now I’m a big fan of Harris in spy films and peplums, where he seems able to display a self-effacing charm. He was unfortunately never really able to really translate this into his Western roles, in which he often appears far too earnest and stolid to fit comfortably into the cynical proceedings.

There is, however, a nice soundtrack from Francesco De Masi and the script has a few peculiarities – most notably the lack of a final gundown between the two central characters (unless you include a cactus fight, that is!) Tony Garnett is a relatively interesting, and not at all badly drawn, character, and his plight maintains the interest more than might be expected. Richard Wyler does quite well here, although he’s hardly blessed with much in the way of charisma.

Frank Brana has a typically minor part as Tom, a member of Riff’s gang, but his silent presence is eye-catching and his scenes with his equally grubby (and recognisable) partners are about the most enjoyable parts of the film. Guglielmo Spoletini later somehow turned up as a Taxi Driver in The Omen (76)!