Bad Man's River (1971)

Written by Wuchak on January 1, 2024

Goofy Spag Western with Lee Van Cleef, Gina Lollobrigida and James Mason

During the Mexican Revolution, a bank robber near the Southwest border (Van Cleef) marries a woman (Lollobrigida) that doesn’t end well. So, he gets involved with a scheme to blow up an arsenal of the Mexican army and rob those who bring the replacement funds. James Mason shows up in the last act.

A joint Italian/French/Spanish production, “Bad Man’s River” (1971) is a quirky Western comedy in the tradition of American ones, like "McLintock," "Cat Ballou," "Texas Across the River,” "Support Your Local Sheriff" and “Little Big Man.” This might be the silliest of them all and prefigures “Blazing Saddles,” albeit with the vibe and issues usually associated with Euro Westerns.

The soundtrack is puerile in a fun way and there’s lots of action amidst the amusing bits, plus both Gina and Diana Lorys (Dolores) are easy on the eyes. If I’m in the mode for a humorous Western, I’ll go with "Texas Across the River" and "The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox,” but I gotta respect the over-the-top zaniness of this flick.

The movie runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was shot in Spain.

GRADE: B-/C+