Take a Hard Ride (1975)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Antonio Margheriti

Writers:

Eric Bercovici (screenplay) &
Jerrold L. Ludwig (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 October 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

It Rides With The Great Westerns

Plot Keywords:

Black Cowboy | African American | Spaghetti Western

Cast

Lee Van Cleef	...	Kiefer
Jim Brown	...	Pike
Fred Williamson	...	Tyree
Catherine Spaak	...	Catherine
Jim Kelly	...	Kashtok
Dana Andrews	...	Morgan
Barry Sullivan	...	Kane
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Dumper
Robert Donner	...	Skave
Charles McGregor	...	Cloyd
Leonard Smith	...	Cangey
Ronald Howard	...	Halsey
Ricardo Palacios	...	Calvera
Robin Levitt	...	Chico
Buddy Joe Hooker	...	Angel

Also Known As:

La lunga cavalcata
La parola di un fuorilegge... è legge! (Italy)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (video rating) | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Canary Islands, Spain

Company:

Bernsen-Ludwig-Bercovici Production

Trivia:

The final film of Ronald Howard.

Movie Connections:

Edited into 42nd Street Forever, Volume 2: The Deuce (2006) (V)

Okay, but could have been better

One of the last spaghetti westerns (though really, there was a good amount of American talent in front of and behind the camera), it does definitely have some novelty value - the cast, some good Canary Island scenery, a quick pace, and some good action sequences (best being the gunfight in the canyon). Still, there was clearly a bunch of potential wasted.

Brown is good, Williamson does okay, but the rest of the cast isn't actually given that much to do. Kelly's character could easily be written out, and Van Cleef's bad guy character isn't fully developed (for one thing, the movie doesn't seem to know what to do with him at the end.) And the script really isn't that much - it more or less consists of either the protagonists riding through the desert, or engaged in action.

Die-hard western fans (especially those who like spaghetti westerns) will probably find enough to enjoy about it, but this certainly won't convert anyone who normally avoids this genre.