Western Wednesday: Death Rides a Horse

Death Rides a Horse was among the westerns I've been looking forward to watch for quite some time now, it was directed by Giulio Petroni and starred western icon Lee Van Cleef and John Philip Law. The film tells the story of a young man who's family got murdered by a gang of outlaws on a rainy night fifteen years ago. Now an adult, Bill (John Philip Law) seeks to take vengeance on the men who killed them and cross paths with an outlaw named Ryan (Lee Van Cleef) who's just gotten out of jail after fifteen years of incarceration.

John Philip Law as Bill

One of the best things about this western isn't just the presence of Lee Van Cleef but also John Philip Law's performance as Bill, you first think that he's doing some of the most wooden acting on film but he expresses his emotions through his eyes like so many westerns do, complete with close ups of course and there's plenty of that with his character, I also thought it was a creative decision on his part since his character was suffering from the trauma of seeing his father killed and  his mother and sister raped and killed. Van Cleef is believable as the hardened Ryan who is looking to settle some unfinished business while also holding a secret of his own which isn't revealed to us until later on in the film. There's an unspoken respect between both men and there's also a feeling that Ryan longs for something in life that couldn't be found in the path that he had chosen. Bill on the other hand has so many things to look forward to and still has a chance at a better life which is why Ryan tries to coerce him into giving up (taking away Bill's horse and leaving it ten miles away) and speaks to him for having too much hate in him and that sooner or later it's would land him into trouble.

Lee Van Cleef as Ryan

This western can be a little dodgy in certain moments like the scenes when you could tell that some of the actors are speaking another language but were dubbed during the editing process, and some of the death scenes are over the top but as a viewer I let it slide because this was typical of older films and this looks to be more of an Italian production but with well-known film stars of the time. However, I did enjoy the ending which takes place during a sandstorm and the father and son-like relationship between Ryan and Bill.