| Overview: | Spaghetti Western stalwart Anthony Steffen (pseudonym for Antonio De Teffe) in THE GENTLEMAN KILLER (Italian title: GENTLEMAN JO ... UCCIDI), an atmospheric exercise in the merits of revenge as long as it serves justice as well.
The film is set in a small border town during a period when the United States and Mexico were in a dispute over territorial rights. As a result, no law exists and chaos rules the town as it is overrun by a savage gang of Mexican bandits. Their leader (Eduardo Fajardo of DJANGO and THE MERCENARY fame in a great leering performance) seems to revel in human suffering. Into this disorder rides an enigmatic stranger (Steffen), who wants to avenge his brother's murder. As the film progresses he falls in love with a girl who gives him aid and comfort (Silvia Solar). Much of the second half of the film follows Steffen as he eliminates each member of the bandit gang until he is able to end the brutality and restore order to the frontier town.
Steffen was a well-known actor in Spaghetti Westerns with a total of 25 films to his credit including A MAN CALLED DJANGO, A STRANGER IN PASO BRAVO, SHANGO and probably his most accomplished film, DJANGO THE BASTARD, also known as THE STRANGER'S GUNDOWN. Steffen was magnificent at playing silent avengers, so much so that some critics referred to him unfairly as a poor man's Clint Eastwood, but no one can doubt that he was effective in the roles he chose.
Director George Finlay is actually Giorgio Stegani, who also contributed BEYOND THE LAW with Lee Van Cleet, also available trom Wild East, and ADIOS, GRINGO with Giuliano Gemma, both of which he co-wrote along with THE GENTLEMAN KILLER. Stegani is best known for his screenplay for MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN, a respected horror film with Pierre Brice.
Stegani's cinematographer on The GENTLEMAN KILLER is Francisco Marin, whose contributions to the genre include A PISTOL FOR RINGO and LONG DAYS OF VENGEANCE, both with Giuliano Gemma and THE TEXICAN with Audie Murphy.
The music score that drives the film is the result of a collaboration between Ennio Morricone and his frequent conductor, Bruno Nicolai, but in this instance, Nicolai is the composer and Morricone the director of the orchestra. In any event the score is Morricone-like in tone and provides atmosphere to an already well-made film.
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