Vengeance ( it, Joko - Invoca Dio... e muori, german: Fünf blutige Stricke) is a 1968

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

film written and directed by

Anthony Dawson Anthony Douglas Gillon Dawson (18 October 1916 – 8 January 1992) was a Scottish actor, best known for his supporting roles as villains in films such as Alfred Hitchcock's ''Dial M for Murder'' (1954) and '' Midnight Lace'' (1960), and playi ...

. It starred Richard Harrison, Mariangela Giordano and Luciano Pigozzi.

Plot

Joko, Richie, Domingo and Mendoza hatch a plan to steal gold from bandits. Domingo, however, betrays them by revealing the attempted theft to the bandits. Joko, Ricky and Mendoza are thus discovered during the robbery: Mendoza dies while trying to cover the escape of his friends. Ricky escapes with the gold but is captured by 5 bandits and tortured in an attempt to be revealed where he was to meet with Joko. When the bandits understand that Ricky won't speak, they dismember him by tying his limbs with ropes to horses. Joko thus begins his personal war to avenge his dead comrades and first kills Domingo, the traitor, and then sets off in search of the 5 bandits who killed Ricky: to each bandit, before killing him, Joko throws a piece of bloodied rope collected. from those used to dismember Ricky. Joko, however, knows only 4 of the 5 bandits: the discovery of the identity of the last one will reserve him a bitter surprise. During the hunt for the assassins, Joko will also have to understand the role of a mysterious detective who follows him like a shadow in all his movements.

Cast

* Richard Harrison as Jokko Barrat *

Claudio Camaso Claudio Camaso (born Claudio Volonté; 3 February 1939 – 16 September 1977) was an Italian actor, noted as much for his troubled, violent life as for his performances. He was the younger brother of Gian Maria Volonté. Early life and career C ...

as Mendoza *

Špela Rozin Špela Rozin (born 31 January 1943) is a Slovenian actress that became famous in the cinema of Yugoslavia. Her breakout role was the lead role in the film '' Strange Girl (film), Strange Girl'' that became a cult classic because of the modern por ...

as Jane (credited as Sheyla Rosin) *

Guido Lollobrigida Guido Lollobrigida (1927–2013) was an Italian actor and race car driver, usually credited in movies as Lee Barton or Lee Burton. He was a cousin of actress Gina Lollobrigida. Life and career Born in Rome, after graduating as a technical engin ...

as (credited as Lee Burton) *

Werner Pochath Werner Pochath (29 September 1939 – 18 April 1993) was an Austrian film actor. He worked in Germany, Italy and the United States, and then in the 1980s he began a second career as a Hollywood agent. He had been the partner of the ballet directo ...

as Kid *

Paolo Gozlino Paolo is both a given name and a surname, the Italian language, Italian form of the name Paul (name), Paul. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Paolo Art *Paolo Alboni (1671–1734), Italian painter *Paolo Abbate (1 ...

as Pinkerton Detective Lester (credited as Paul Lino) *

Alberto Dell'Acqua Alberto Dell'Acqua (born 14 March 1938) is an Italian actor and stuntman. He appeared in more than forty films since 1955 mostly Italian Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerge ...

as Richie *

Ignazio Spalla Ignazio Spalla (best known as Pedro Sanchez; 5 May 1924 – 9 February 1995) was an Italian film actor. Born in Siena, Spalla was mainly active in Spaghetti Westerns, usually playing roles of Mexicans, gunfighters and outlaws. His first roles ...

as Laredo *

Mariangela Giordano Mariangela Giordano (2 September 1937 – 16 July 2011) was an Italian film and television actress. Life and career Born in Dolcedo, Imperia, Italy as Maria Angela Giordano, the daughter of a journalist, Giordano was elected Miss Liguria in 19 ...

as Rosita * Goffredo Unger as Yuma *

Luciano Pigozzi Luciano Pigozzi, also known professionally as Alan Collins (10 January 1927 – 14 June 2008), was an Italian character actor. A long-time staple of Italian genre cinema, Pigozzi was noted for his resemblance to Peter Lorre and appeared in s ...

as Domingo

Release

''Vengeance'' was released in 1968.

Reception

In a contemporary review, the ''

Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...

'' noted that ''Vengeance'' had a "strange and colourful Gothic flavour, marred only by a hero clearly turned out on the Italian assembly line of faceless Clint Eastwood substitutes." The review also noted an "engagingly baroque villain" while "The plot, admittedly, allows Margheriti to do little but dress up proceedings and make the action as taut as possible;" The review concluded that "Margheriti's visual panache and ingenuity lift ''Vengeance'' out of the Italian Western rut and lend it a flavour more commonly associated with Bava or

Freda Freda may refer to: * Frida (given name), also spelled ''Freda'' * Freda (surname) * Freda (character) from The Lord of the Rings film trilogy * Ford Freda, a motor vehicle introduced in the Japanese market in 1995 * Freda Sandstone, a member of t ...

References

Sources

External links

* 1968 films 1968 Western (genre) films Spaghetti Western films West German films German Western (genre) films Films directed by Antonio Margheriti Films scored by Carlo Savina Films shot in Almería 1960s Italian films 1960s German films {{1960s-Italy-film-stub