Le Grand Duel

Released in 1972 (1974 in the USA) and directed by Giancarlo Santi, "The Grand Duel" is a Spaghetti Western starring Lee Van Cleef as a grizzled ex-sheriff who helps a framed man (that looks like Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees) confront the politically powerful trio of brothers who want him slain.

This is an okay Euro-oater, but nothing to write home about. Van Cleef is stalwart as the grim hero, of course, and the three sibling villains are interesting, particularly the whacko effeminate one who massacres scores of settlers with a Gatling gun. The titular confrontation of the climax is akin to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, albeit with one person against three. In the female department, Dominique Darel and Alessandra Cardini are on hand as Elisabeth and Anita respectively, both good-looking in different ways, but their presence is never capitalized on. 'Barry Gibb' is fine as the secondary protagonist. There are some curious over-the-top sequences, like a character catching a bullet with his teeth and someone else being catapulted, which seem incongruous with the generally serious-but-quirky proceedings.

The movie runs 98 minutes and was shot in Uliveto Terme, Vicopisano, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, and Elios Studios in Rome.

GRADE: C