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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Got your "Terror Masks" ready?, 2 February 2000 Author: floyd-27 from Australia
Yep, terror masks. That's what they handed out to US audiences as a gimmick, when this ULTRA violent Espano Western hit their shores in 1970 or there abouts.This very good movie is about a bunch of sadistic convicts being transported to a penitentiary. They get ambushed and their carriage is destroyed in the event. They then take off on foot, with a rather angry Sargeant and his daughter having to guard this evil chain-gang on the journey.I won't say much more than this:Gore hounds and western fans, find this movie! It is supremely violent and makes Peckinpahs "Wild Bunch" seem quite tame in comparison. All others get your Terror Masks ready!!!
4 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Bleak, mean spirited and unpleasant , this film is quite good if you divorce yourself from the reputation, 6 November 2005 Author: dbborroughs from Glen Cove, New York
Billed as the goriest or most violent western ever made, Cut Throats Nine is certainly over hyped. I doubt that it is either the goriest or the most violent. I do think its one of the bleakest westerns I've ever seen and leaves you feeling rather depressed and uncertain at the end (which I think is the reason many people dislike it) The plot is simple. A band of really bad military prisoners are being transported to a new location. The wagon they are riding in is ambushed by people looking for gold, when they don't find any they destroy the wagon and leave the prisoners and their one surviving keeper (and his daughter) alone in wilderness with no way to get anywhere but walk.No one and nothing is as it seems. In a weird way there are no good guys, only bad people trying to survive and get out of a really bad situation. Your expectations of who is who and what is what shifts around during its running time, so rarely are you on solid ground about what is happening and who you can root for. Its a kick in the pants for anyone looking for a typical "heroic" western, spaghetti or otherwise.I don't think the film is perfect. It meanders a bit too much and on some level I think it thinks its more important than it is, but there is no denying that the film packs a wallop in the unremittingly ugly department.If you want to see a dog eat dog western with no good guys see this film. If you want a film with heroes or anti heroes stay away.
2 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Is this the goriest Western ever?, 13 July 2005 Author: bensonmum2 from Tennessee
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
- A group of soldiers is transporting seven prisoners in a wagon through the snow to a new prison. After an attack by a band of hijackers, most of the soldiers are dead and the wagon is destroyed. The only survivors - one soldier, his daughter, and seven murderous prisoners. Can the lone soldier get the prisoners to their destination on is own? - I do not claim to be a Euro-Western ( I don't know if I can call it a Spaghetti Western as it is a Spanish film) expert , but Cut-Throats Nine is the most violent, bloodiest, and most sadistic Euro-Western I've seen. The brutality and gore on display feel more like a horror movie. You've got bodies thrown in a fire, up-close shootings to the face, rape, and a stabbing that seems to pull the whole intestine out. Fulci would be proud.- Combine the brutality and violence with the desolate, snowy setting, and it creates a very bleak movie. There's very little to be happy about. The ending fits perfectly with the mood of the rest of the film. It's like a visualization of despair on screen. Powerful stuff.
3 out of 5 people found the following review useful: The Bad and the Ugly ...No good men here!, 11 January 2006 Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls
"Cut-Throats 9" is frequently named as the most violent euro-western ever made but, even though this is a righteous and well-deserved reputation, it shouldn't be the only reason why genre lovers have to see it! This film primarily tells an engaging story, which describes itself best as a variation on the 'survival of the strongest'-theme blend with Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians", and makes excellent use of its depressing filming locations. The film opens quite atmospherically, with the introduction of seven tough and feared convicts that are being escorted from one prison to another. After a clumsy hold-up, they have to continue their journey on foot; chained to each other and guided by only one remaining prison guard and his gorgeous daughter. Ingenious plot-twists follow pretty soon and, even though it's no real spoiler, I prefer not to mention them here already, because they're well worth checking out yourself! Don't immediately assume that "Cut-Throats 9" is a non-stop series of bloodshed and gratuitous violence, though. The murders are indeed shown very graphically and the nature of this violence is truly mean-spirited, yet director Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent (nice name, by the way) never at one point loses his focus on the compelling storyline. This is one of those very rare flicks in which really none of the characters can count on your sympathy, since even the supposed 'good guys' are greedy and egocentric bastards. Admittedly, there are a couple of tedious moments to struggle yourself through and the acting often comes across as rather amateurish. The music, however, is great and the abrupt, nihilistic ending excellently fits the overall disturbing tone of the movie. There's few to no sleaze, but the extreme and downright sick violence widely makes up for this. Definitely recommended, IF your stomach can take it…
Only The Most Ruthless Survives!, 23 November 2007 Author: Benjamin Gauss from Salzburg, Austria
Joaquín Romero Marchent's "Condenados A Vivir" aka. "Cut-Throats Nine" is a raw and uncompromising film about survival, hate and violence, that has the reputation of being the most violent Eurowestern. And for good reasons - The most violent or not, it certainly is the goriest Eurowestern out there (I'm not calling it a Spaghetti Western since the film is Spanish and Claudio Undari is the only Ialian actor involved in it), and the movie is full of entirely despicable characters and a constant atmosphere of hate, greed and brutality.Sgt. Brown (Claudio Undari) is to escort a bunch of dangerous criminals through a mountain wasteland in a cold winter. The Seargant's beautiful daughter (Emma Cohen) is also traveling with her father and the prisoners, who are chained together. Convinced that it transports gold, a gang ambushes the coach in the middle of nowhere, and the Seargant, his daughter and the seven murderous, blood-thirsty prisoners are forced to walk..."Cut-Throats Nine" is a gruesome Eurowestern that is, in some aspects, atypical for the Western genre. There is not too much gunplay, for example. Gore-fans will be pleased to hear that there is a lot of more explicit violence, such as cutting, burning and stabbing instead. The (well-deserved) reputation as the goriest Eurowestern is not the only reason to watch his film, that not only Spaghetti Western enthusiasts like myself should enjoy. Any fan of brutal, uncompromising, pessimistic cinema should be pleased by this hero-less movie, in which almost every character is a real bastard. The bleak winter mountain setting reminds of Sergio Corbucci's masterpiece "The Great Silence" of 1968, although the locations and photography are, of course, not nearly as impressive here."Condenados A Vivir" may not be everybody's taste, but it is definitely a film experience that one is not likely to forget. Uncompromising, brutal and not for the fainthearted, "Cut-Throats Nine" is highly recommended to any fan of Eurowesterns and Gore-flicks!
1 out of 2 people found the following review useful: CUT-THROATS NINE (Jose' Luis Romero Marchent, 1972) ***, 14 February 2008 Author: MARIO GAUCI (marrod@melita.com) from Naxxar, Malta
I knew this Spanish-made Spaghetti Western had some kind of notoriety in Euro-Cult circles but, since I was totally unfamiliar with its director, I didn't really expect a lot from it; as it turned out, it's one of the nastiest films of its kind – surpassing even DJANGO, KILL! (1967) in its bleakness, nihilism and graphic depiction of extreme violence! The plot itself is highly unusual: a cart-load of slimy, murdering convicts is being transported through dangerous terrain in the mountains by a cavalry officer and his daughter; the catch is that one of them was responsible for the brutal killing of the soldier's wife – and, ingeniously, their gold cargo (coveted by bandits) has been disguised as the length of chain shackling the prisoners together! Soon, they lose their transport, provisions and one of their number – and they're forced to continue the journey on foot; the already tenuous relationship within the party continues to deteriorate – as the sex-crazed men turn on the girl, leading the soldier to himself commit cold-blooded murder; then, half-way through the picture, the convicts get the upper hand and the soldier (ostensibly, the hero figure) is killed in gory fashion! Still, the girl has a surprising ally in one of the remaining prisoners…except that his tenderness is belied by the final revelation concerning the nature of his crimes (most of the characters' back-story is effectively retold in intermittent flashbacks heralded by freeze-framing)! The effective choral score (reminiscent of Gothic horror movies, no less) admirably evokes the danger and the savagery of the narrative; while most of the cast members were also unknown to me even when their faces looked vaguely familiar, I especially appreciated the contribution of a couple of Jess Franco alumni – namely Emma Cohen (from the startling if still little-known THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR [1973]) as the only female presence in the film of any stature and Alberto Dalbes (star of all three of the Spaniard's Universal horror pastiches) as the gambler leader of the chain gang.To get to the brutality, it comes in all varieties (including a shot to the back of a woman's head at point-blank range) – though, especially disturbing, is its propensity for severed limbs, charred corpses and, worst of all, gut-spilling!! I should mention here that the script (courtesy of renowned Euro-Cult scribe Santiago Moncada) also includes a sequence where one of the prisoners suffers a hallucination of the murdered soldier's corpse coming back to life to haunt him. The finale, then, sees no survivors – as the long-suffering girl decides to take the matter into her own fragile little hands with a single, definite explosive act.
1 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Has a reputation as the most graphically violent spaghetti western, which masks the fact its quite compelling, 20 June 2007 Author: TimothyFarrell from Worcester, MA
"Cut Throats Nine" is a film thats gained a cult reputation simply because of its status as the most graphically violent spaghetti western made. Thats a huge claim and I'm not sure if "Cut Throats Nine" quite lives up to its billing. There's more violence than many films of this nature sure, but its nothing desensitized gore hounds haven't encountered. Even hardened exploitation buffs will find it difficult to be shocked by this. Still, its a surprisingly well made western. It shouldn't be seen because of its reputation preceding it as being a bloodbath, it should be seen because its a quality film.For one, the character development here is much better than most spaghetti westerns. There aren't any actual heroes, because the supposed good guys often commit self-serving actions nearly as despicable as the villains. The only actually sympathetic character is the daughter (played by the absolutely gorgeous Emma Cohen). Even more interesting is the consistently grim tone. Maybe its the snowy landscape that gives it a cold, detached feel (I also noticed this in "The Great Silence"). It certainly has a downbeat world view thats only driven home by the nihilistic conclusion. The violence is shocking not only because of its graphic nature, but because of the lack of humanity on behalf of the characters. Maybe thats what lends this film it's reputation. The violence, as said earlier, is harsh but not anything exceedingly so. However, its the actions of the utterly unlikable characters that make it more impacting. The only flaw here is the occasionally inappropriate music, which seems like it would be more at home in a 40s Monogram murder mystery than a spaghetti western. Outside of that, this ranks with "The Great Silence" and "Django" as the best non-Leone examples of the gritty subgenre. (7/10)
1 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Well, Maybe Not THE Most Violent Western Ever... But This Ain't No Disney Flick, 1 July 2005 Author: hokeybutt from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
CUT-THROATS NINE (2+ outta 5 stars) A very interesting premise for a movie... seven hard-boiled prisoners are chained together and transported across mountainous terrain. A carriage accident leaves them stranded in the middle of nowhere with a revenge-minded soldier and his innocent young daughter. Complication #1: one of the men (we don't know which) savagely killed the soldier's wife. Complication #2: the chains linking the convicts together are made of camouflaged gold to sneak it past mountain bandits. Yes, it all sounds very promising... unfortunately the acting is mostly unimpressive. There are some gratuitous nudity and gore scenes but they look like they belong in a different movie. The identity of the killer isn't really a big surprise if you think about it but the way it was revealed packed a certain climatic punch. All in all, it's a passably entertaining semi-spaghetti western... but it doesn't really live up to its promise. I can definitely imagine Quentin Tarantino remaking this movie and turning it into something great.
2 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Corbucci-meets-Fulci in this bleak, violent western., 13 July 2008 Author: chaos-rampant from Greece
By 1972, the spaghetti western was already past its hay day and was looking for different ways, styles and themes to push the envelope. Cut-Throats Nine belongs to that small variety that brought horror sensibilities to the genre (like Sartana, Django the Bastard and others) but it also took it one step further. Whereas other westerns were content to be dark and brooding in an atmospheric kind of way, Cut-Throats is as violent and graphic as any Italian horror movie from the 70's.The plot is minimal but quite good. For better or for worse, the director doesn't go for the psychological angle between captor and captives like Anthony Mann's The Naked Spur did, but instead focuses on the violence and nihilism that is the logical conclusion when nine ugly, dangerous criminals chained to each other are transported through the barren, desolate terrain to a nearby fort.On the western front, Cut-Throats is as bleak and unforgiving as the gritty works of Sergio Corbucci minus the finesse and style of that great cinematician. The feeling is there though. The snowy, rocky landscape, the nihilistic, unredeemable characters, the grit and the violence. There are no heroes and cowboys with white hats here. If John Wayne were to set foot in the western universe Cut-Throats portrays, he would sooner pack his things and find a new hobby like sewing. Much like Hitchcock's Psycho, the person closer to what we could identify as the "hero" is burnt to a crisp 30 minutes in. That's where the movie ultimately succeeds. By being deprived of all certainty, you're left hanging there in the snow with a bunch of ugly cut-throats. Speaking of cutting throats, there's more: people get stabbed, intestines pour out, others are burnt alive, beaten mercilessly, nailed to hooks, get their brains blown out, corpses are burnt, legs are cut off. And with all the same graphic detail one would expect from a gruesome Italian horror from the likes of Fulci or Lenzi. Coupled with the general take-no-prisoners, mean-spirited air that permeates every minute, Cut-Throats is more likely to appeal to exploitation fans than the traditional western crowd.
2 out of 4 people found the following review useful: one of the more unique Eurowesterns, 28 November 2006 Author: spider89119 from United States
This is a really riveting film. I found it to be somewhat hit and miss, but it's good points definitely outweigh the bad points.The best part of the movie is the story itself. The plot is quite original. Although it involves both gold and revenge, it is not your typical quest for gold or revenge tale, and things don't happen the way you think they are going to. The movie really draws you in as the motivations, interactions and relationships between nine very violent individuals unfold as they make their perilous trek across the wintery landscape.I think the splatter aspect of this movie has been over-emphasized in descriptions of the film. It is quite violent, and it has some gore, but it's not The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by any means. Don't watch it expecting a horror movie, because it's really just a western with a gory violent streak. There is a really cool scene where one of the criminals thinks he sees a ghost. It would have been even better if they had made the ghost real instead of just a figment of his imagination.There is some really good camera work and interesting use of flashback scenes that add a touch of surrealism to the movie, although a couple of the flashback scenes involve the gambler murdering a woman from his past and have absolutely nothing to do with the story. Those particular scenes should have been left out because they only serve to confuse.The biggest disappointment here is the music score. I know this is a Spanish western, but I would have liked it to have a more spaghetti sounding score. Instead it sounds like a very good Hollywood style score, which puts it several notches below the average spaghetti western score in my book.This is still a great movie overall. It doesn't have as many stylistic touches as a lot of other Eurowesterns, but this incredible story will keep you glued to the edge of your seat.
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