Kill Them All and Come Back Alone (1970)

A Disappointing Continuation

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Hey - this is an Italian World War 2 movie plot! A bunch of guys, having fulfilled a training exercise, are then sent behind enemy lines to steal a bunch of gold, with at least one traitor in their midst? That sounds like Five For Hell, or one of those other films they show all the time on the telly! This is a Western however -someone's cheating! Enzo's no fool, however. He knows his film is about as in tune with reality as a plastic kangaroo doing Hamlet, so he does what he does best: fills the film with wall-to-wall action and forgets about supper! And it works! Chuck Connors is the cheeseball leader of our crew who has to infiltrate Yankee territory and steal gold that is mixed with dynamite. Frank Wolff is the snidey Confederate Captain who wants the gold for himself (and also seems to be a Yankee Captain as well?). Plus, Connors has about half a dozen men who seems loyal but most of which try to rip him off too.When not trying to kill or rip off each other these guys are taking on the USA army, and winning! One of them is a strong man, another has a freakin rocket launcher! Will any of them remain loyal or will the drink cause us to pass out before we find out the truth? Filled with Enzo's hyperactive camera work, ridiculous POV work, and constant explosions, this is another worthy Enzo film for your collection! I'm drunk!

KILL THEM ALL AND COME BACK ALONE is a lively spaghetti western made in 1968 by famed action director Enzo G. Castellari. It's one of his earlier productions, lacking the kind of super slow motion he added to his later crime thrillers, but nonetheless a well-paced and engaging western story with plenty going on.The film is headlined by imported American star Chuck Connors, making good of his role. He's tasked with leading a group of undesirables (shades of THE DIRTY DOZEN) to get hold of a gold shipment, but as in virtually any film or genre involving gold, there's plenty of double crossing and scenes of thieves falling out.This film has near constant action to enjoy and all of it is above average. Ken Wood plays a half-Indian guy who does all kind of acrobatics and throws knives around with deadly precision. Connors is a master gunfighter and slightly amoral, which makes his character interesting. The sun-drenched locations and supporting cast add to the experience; you can feel the grime and the desperation to get rich. Castellari once again delivers the goods with aplomb.

Although he penned both "Any Gun Can Play" and "Payment in Blood," scenarist Tito Carpi doesn't provide any back story for either the heroes or the villains in Italian director Enzo G. Castellari's "Kill Them All and Come Back Alone," a snappy, straightforward, but shallow spaghetti western set behind enemy lines during the American Civil War that partially resembles Robert Aldrich's "The Dirty Dozen." Carpi co-wrote the screenplay with Castellari, Francesco Scardamaglia of "Johnny Hamlet," and Joaquín Romero Hernández of "Zorro the Avenger." Chuck Connors of "The Rifleman" leads a gang of amoral low-lifers in the service of the Confederate Army on a secret mission behind enemy lines to steal a fortune in Union gold. This colorful horse opera comes packed with lots of explosions, shoot-outs, and double-crosses as well as a surprise or two. Frank Wolff of "Once Upon A Time in the West" and "A Stranger in Town" co-stars as a Confederate Intelligence officer who utters the immortal line when he tells Connors the objective of the mission: "Kill them all and come back alone." This Castellari western isn't the blast that "Any Gun Can Play" and "Payment in Blood" were, and it lacks any women with speaking roles. Clyde MacKay (Chuck Connors) and his five mercenaries infiltrate a Confederate army camp. Systematically, they eliminate any opposition without actually killing anybody. Stealthily, they converge on the post headquarters and surround the impressed Southern General Hood and his Counter-Intelligence Office, Captain Lynch (Frank Wolff) who had earlier doubled the guard for just such a contingency. This opening sequence resembles a similar scene from "The Dirty Dozen" where Lee Marvin's criminal misfits proved their value by capturing Robert Ryan's U.S. Army Command post during a crucial war games exercise. Nevertheless, Captain Lynch expresses his doubts about MacKay's men: "What is it makes you think we can trust such a band of bandits, killers, and convicts." MacKay retorts: "Isn't that just what you need? Don't underestimate them." MacKay's misfits include an expert with dynamite, Deker (Leo Anchóriz of "Seven Guns for the MacGregors") who is the smartest of the bunch; Blade (Giovanni Cianfriglia, a.k.a., Ken Wood of "Superago and the Faceless Giants") a half-breed who hurl s knives like a wizard casts spells; lightning fast gunman Hoagy (Franco Citti of "The Godfather"); muscle bound Bogart (Hércules Cortés of "Spy Today, Die Tomorrow") who "is strong enough to break a man in two"; Kid (Alberto Dell'Acqua of "Son of Zorro"), will kill at the drop of a hat.This cut and dried low-budget horse opera features plenty of fast action, with a couple of surprises and revelations. Rugged Spanish location substitutes as always for the arid American southwest and the actors look like they were really perspiring in the sun. If you prefer your westerns with a lot of grit, violence, and no nonsense double-crosses, you'll get a kick out of "Kill Them All and Come Back Alone." Connors makes an effective hero.

This is a Testosterone driven movie, if I ever saw one. Normally in westerns, the hero would have a love interest or at least a few saloon dancers will appear to provide a bit of eye candy. "Ammazzali tutti e torna solo", though, has absolutely no female person in the cast. It is just a bunch of rogues fighting for a few boxes of gold, and that's all there is of a story. Constant action and violence keeps you on the edge of your seat, it's a tremendous roller-coaster ride. Tall Chuck Connors walks through this happy massacre with a broad smile to show white teeth, while Frank Wolff plays his most dangerous opponent and a bunch of familiar genre actors like Ken Wood, Leo Anchoriz and Alberto dell'Acqua take care of guns, dynamite, knives and anything else that makes holes in people. Kind of fun, but on the other hand not all movies need to be like this for my taste.