Gli uomini dal passo pesante

After the war of secession, the aging Cordeen, who owns thousands of acres in Texas, rules his numerous and quarrelsome sons with an iron hand. He sends them out to deal with the threat of the representatives from the North. However, not all the sons share his unlimited hatred for the Northerners.

A rather odd western, because it comes across like a Bonanza episode stretched out to a feature film length but with spaghetti sauce modestly sprinkled over it. It's quite sluggish, but just about watchable due to Joseph Cotten's performance as a destructive Southern patriarch in a post civil war scenario. It's good to see Gordon Scott in a rare non-loin cloth donning role, and though he looks ill at ease, he does well as the son of Cotten, who doesn't agree with his cruel ways. Pitched as a family tragedy guy, this western has its moments, capturing the aftermath of war quite well, but it's a little too drab, though. Good for a one time watch at least. There's a despondent and haunting aura in this film.