Why Go on Killing? Review (Scherpschutter)
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Why Go on Killing? (Perché Uccidi Ancora?)
With a straightforward script about revenge, revenge and revenge, this early genre outing sounds like a routine affair of no special interest. But it's the first spaghetti western of the genre's unsung hero par excellence Antonio di Teffé, known by many as Anthony Steffen, loved by few for his rollovers, wooden acting style and small hats. It's also the first collaboration of the duo Edoardo Mulargia and Vincenzo Musolino, as well as the first spaghetti western appearance by actor Aldo Berti, who already shows his strange habit of beating up women in gruesome fashion.
Anthony Steffen plays a young man, Steve MacDougal, who must become a deserter in order to revenge his father's death. Old MacDougal (who had a farm) was killed in his absence by his neighbor and arch enemy Lopez. The killing was already an act of retaliation: Steve's father had crippled Lopez - now riding a wheelchair - years ago. The theme of never-ending revenge is at the heart of the narrative, with Steve's sister Judy asking her vindictive brother why he would go on killing, knowing that one bloody revenge will inevitably lead to another... But of course Steve won't listen: he first kills Lopez' beloved son Manuel, then kills a few others, among them the brother of a fierce bandit called Gringo who now wants to kill Steve and wipe out the entire MacDougal family ...
The movie was (nearly?) entirely shot on Spanish soil and therefore credited to José Antonio de La Loma, a jack of all trades of the Balcazar Studios, but according to some people involved in the production (1), Mulargia was at the helm of it. Unlike most early Spanish-Italian co-productions, the movie is typically Italian in style and content (that is: not relying on Hollywood examples), so it's my guess that the man in the directional chair was Italian. Most sources now mention both names, but it has been suggested that De Loma's name was only used for commercial reasons.
Mulargia and Musolino were both from the Deep South (Mulargia from Sicily, Musolino from Reggio Calabria), a region in which a person's loyalty is in the first place towards family and clan. The conflict between the MacDougal and Lopez family, is one of those long-running feuds that could drag several generations into a maelstrom of rancor and vendetta. For the occasion the story has been transferred to the usual setting for spaghetti westerns, the American-Mexican border, opposing two families with a different background, one Mexican, one North-American, but there are no hints at racial prejudices, the two families are arch enemies and the thing has started somewhere in a distant past, for a reason most people involved probably don't even remember.
The script (from an original story by Musolino) is vivid, with a few twists and turns, but it still feels a bit thin. There's a lot of riding around to extend the movie to passable length (most version still have a running time of no more than 75-83 minutes); on the other hand it has a lot of action and even some style to spare. The best scenes are clearly influenced by A Fistful of Dollars, with some of Sergio Leone's distinctive close-ups and low-angle shots nicely copied (2). There's also a Peripero like gravedigger (played by Franco Pesce) commenting, in semi-comical style, on the action. The town and indoor scenes, shot in the Balcazar studios, look quite good, but the outdoor scenes (mainly shot in the Fraga area) have a poor, very casual look; the chase scenes on horseback have also been sped-up, making them look a little ridiculous.
It's reckoned among the most brutally violent spaghetti westerns in history, but most available versions are cut. The opening scene, with wheelchair man Lopez ordering his men to shoot his nemesis McDougal (almost literally) to pieces, is quite powerful and must have shocked contemporary viewers (and censors). The scene in which mad man Berti beats the living daylights out of Ida Galli, is called una grande scene di pestaggio (a great beating-up scene) by Marco Giusti, but we only get a brief glimpse at the bloody results. The scene is shocking nonetheless, announcing Berti's infamous head-butt in Mulargia's El Puro.
In his first spaghetti, Steffen is wearing a small hat, making his rollovers and not doing anything out of the ordinary, but his appearance fits the pessimistic, mournful story. As a result, it's one of his better spaghetti western performances and the movie one of his better spaghetti westerns: flawed, devoid of any true greatness, but mean, nasty and overall entertaining. Calvo turns in a fine, determined performance as the embittered wheelchair man. The score, by Felice di Stefano, is quite good (if a little repetitive), a catchy tune making even those endless riding scenes a pleasure to watch (with eyes closed).
Notes:
- (1) Marco Giusti, Dizionario del western all'italiano
- (2) To me another indication that Mulargia directed it. The movie was most probably shot in the summer or autumn months of 1965. A Fistful of Dollars was only released in Spain in September 1965. The release of Why go on Killing was also postponed in Spain (it was only released in 1968), while it premiered in Italy in December 1966. Apparently what had been started as a primarily Spanish production, had been taken over by the Italians. Note that Musolino is listed as the movie's major producer (the credit sequence doesn't even mention Alfonso Balcazar in this aspect).
--By Scherpschutter
