Jeffrey Hunter is best known as Captain
Christopher Pike, the lead character (and precursor to William Shatner’s
Captain Kirk) on the pilot episode of STAR TREK. Most people don’t
realize that Hunter had a successful career in Hollywood and abroad in
various B movies. He appeared in numerous Westerns over the years
including CUSTER OF THE WEST (1967), THE MAN FROM GALVESTON (1964), and
THE STORY OF JESSIE JAMES (1958). Jeffrey Hunter traveled to Europe in
1968 to star in Giuliani Carnimeo’s JOE! CERCATI UN POSTO PER MORIRE
(FIND A PLACE TO DIE!). Giuliani Carnimeo directed numerous Spaghetti
Westerns, such as SARTANA THE GRAVE DIGGER (1969), THE CRAZY BUNCH
(1974), and A FISTFULL OF LEAD (1972), under his English pseudonym,
Anthony Alcove. Giuliani Carnimeo also directed such Eurocult favorites
as the giallo EROTIC BLUE (1972), SECRETS OF A CALL GIRL (1974), and
EXTERMINATORS OF THE YEAR 3000 (1983). Sadly, FIND A PLACE TO DIE was
one of the last films of Jeffrey Hunter. While on the set of his last
film, THE MAFIA MOB (1969), Hunter suffered a serious injury during a
stunt gone wrong which led to his death. This makes the film all that
more endearing knowing that FIND A PLACE TO DIE was his last Western.
You can thank the newly rejuvenated VCI Entertainment for releasing this
obscure effort on their VCI Classics Spaghetti Western
collection.
Jeffrey Hunter is dishonored Confederate soldier
Joe Collins, who was set up for a crime he didn’t commit. The Texas
Rangers were swift to track Joe down, which led him to head south into
Mexico where he makes a living selling guns to bandits. While at a bar
one day, a young woman Lisa (Pascale Petit) comes in offering gold to
those men brave enough to save her husband who is buried under a
landslide. Lisa and her husband got into their predicament defending
their goldmine from bandits. Joe reluctantly agrees to help her and
assembles his own gang of Mexican gunfighters go to against the gang of
Chato, a powerful bandit leader who controls all of Mexico. Joe and his
gang attempt to traverse the hostile Mexican territory in order to save
Lisa’s husband and retain the gold. However, he can’t even trust his
own men, who’d sooner slit his throat when he’s asleep. Everyone
must work together, however, if they are to survive the constant attacks
of Chato and his bandit army!
FIND A PLACE TO DIE is one of Giuliani Carnimeo’s
first films, and the sloppy direction definitely holds back the movie’s
potential. Despite a surprisingly multi-layered script with an abundance
of characters, Carnimeo can not get the job done. The script maintains
that Joe and his gang do not trust each other. This makes for some
potentially tense and paranoid scenes. But the director fails to
generate any suspense out of these situations. To his credit, the action
sequences are well staged. Carnimeo eventually became a superior
Spaghetti Western director, but FIND A PLACE TO DIE lacks the skill and
polish of his later productions. Hunter is a little out of place here in
such a physical role, and his performance and look is clearly based on
that of Franco Nero. The cinematography, usually a selling point of
these movies, is surprisingly lame. The movie is loaded with some
wonderfully ugly visuals, including Chato and his band of toothless
outlaws. FIND A PLACE TO DIE is highlighted by a wonderful score
courtesy of Gianni Ferrio. The music is more emotional than expected of
the genre, and certainly elevates the movie higher than it deserves to
be.
VCI presents FIND A PLACE TO DIE in the original
widescreen ratio of 2.35.1 (no 16x9 enhancement). The print is free from
damage and wear; yet it is extremely dark. The color and clarity are
muted. The image is extremely grainy to the point of distraction. This
transfer is not the same class as the excellent Anchor Bay Spaghetti
Western discs like TEXAS ADIOS, THE COMPANEROES, or KEOMA. The sound is
relatively free from hiss and distortion, with relatively little
background noise. The English dubbing is provided by Peter Hernandez’s
Titra Corp, the same outfit that did voices for SPEED RACER, and
hundreds of Asian and Euro-cult films. FIND A PLACE TO DIE contains a
magnificent score sure to please those who appreciate Spaghetti Western
motifs. VCI’s Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 won’t overpower you with its
clarity or wide frequency ranges, but it delivers the dialog, music, and
sound effects in a capable manner. Except for two Ronald Reagan Western
trailers (?!), CATTLE QUEEN OF MONTANA and TENNESEE’S PARTNER, there
are no other extras to speak of.
FIND A PLACE TO DIE is a second-rate Spaghetti
Western that doesn’t achieve the heights of the genre, or even
Giuliani Carnimeo later efforts. However, it’s worth a look as the one
of the final films of Jeffrey Hunter. At the very least a Spaghetti
Western is worthwhile for it’s ambiance and visuals, yet this picture
doesn’t even show any interesting desert cinematography. It’s
satisfying to see this in widescreen, but VCI could’ve spent some time
and effort to deliver a better transfer. And what’s with those Ron
Reagan trailers?
FIND
A PLACE TO DIE is available from DVDEmpire.com
