Kill Them All and Come Back Alone

Trailer—Kill Them All and Come Back Alone

I always reckoned Chuck Connors just came along ten years too late to be a "Tarzan". He has precious little acting ability but would have been great rolling around in a loin cloth, or swinging through the trees with a knife between his teeth. Well, to be fair to that image - it's sort of what he ends up doing here in this very routine spaghetti western. He is "Clyde" who is charged with pinching an huge gold consignment being held by the Yankee army during the American civil war. Allied with half a dozen pretty disparate cutthroats and an even more duplicitous union captain "Lynch" (Frank Wolff) we now follow their escapades as betrayal begets betrayal and killings become routine as they search for the loot. It's all very cheap, cheerful and predictable - and Connors must have a jaw made of wrought iron. Francesco De Masi is no Ennio Morricone so we haven't even a quirky or original score to rely on to help this as it limps along to a denouement that matters not. The production - especially the editing - is really basic, but it might have worked better had the cast, dialogue and story been a bit more robust. As it is, though, well it just passes the time, that's all.

In 1864, mercenary Clyde McKay leads a squad of determined daredevils tasked with a dangerous mission by Captain Lynch of the Confederate high command: to infiltrate and raid a Unionist army fortress where a million dollars in gold has been hidden in boxes of dynamite. A single Colt bullet could send the whole treasure sky high but for these scoundrels - Lynch the killer, Deker the dynamite specialist, Hoagy the hit man, Blade the knife expert, the vicious Kid and Bogard with his brute strength - nothing is impossible. Only madmen could pull off such a job, piercing the enemy lines at the only river crossing and creating a diversion for the garrison where the arsenal is situated. But before long the betrayals begin as the men attempt to double cross each other in order to take the money for themselves in this bloodthirsty Civil War tale of revenge. The plot and characters are straightforward and simple to the point of being cartoonish - which it is meant to be. A hard-boiled collection of scoundrels, each with their own lethal skill, plan a daring heist of a hoard of gold from a desert fortress during the Civil War. And as expected, Double crosses crop up, well they captured and learn that the mastermind backing the heist is playing both ends against the middle. There's not much depth in the story nor has it any subtlety or suspense - it's just non-stop action, stunts, gunplay, combat, heroic last stands and betrayal. The stunt work is amazing, the action set pieces are well thought out and the terrain of Almeria in Spain are as cruel as the double crosses. Chuck Connors fits the SW mould really well - pity he didn't do much more. The rest of the cast is good. Having said that, the morally bankrupt and greedy characters can be shallow, nihilistic, and there's no one to root for, unlike in traditional westerns of the 40's and 50's.

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.

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!

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.

Chuck Connors stars in KILL THEM ALL AND COME BACK ALONE!, not to be confused with GO KILL AND COME BACK by the same director. He's assigned, along with his hand-picked team, to make off with a huge sum of Yankee dollars from an impregnable fort, to thwart the Union buying weapons to defeat the south, Connors' employers. Among his team, the usual: a knife thrower, dynamite expert, the Kid, the strongman. Along for the ride is the Captain (Frank Wolff) who dreamed up the whole scheme. The expected treachery occurs and when the dust settles not too many of the characters are still around to divvy up the loot. Connors is very good in this, although he's not, as one of the prints in the poster gallery boast THE SUPREME American ACTION STAR! Most of the team is played by stuntmen like Ken Wood and Alberto Dell'Acqua and seeing them leap and tumble is part of the fun. Nicely produced, with sweeping panoramas of the Spanish countryside, and with a great score by Francesco de Masi, this one is a lot of fun. The Wild East version is widescreen and in English for the first time, and has an interview with Ken Wood that reveals many interesting facts about the Italian cinema of the 60s and 70s.

Confederate secret-agent Chuck Conners assembles a group of master thieves and cutthroats in order to steal a large shipment of Union gold. His orders are then to kill them all and come back alone with the gold, a task that isn't so easy for him to do. Typical of director Enzo G. Castellari, Kill Them All And Come Back Alone is pretty light-hearted, with tons of humorous moments and wall-to-wall action, staying true to the winning formula he's perfected over his career and across genres. (Watch the real Inglorious Bastards.) The ever smooth Chuck Conners is also in fine form here, his first of only a few spaghetti western appearances. He should have stuck around a little longer and made a few more! Helping Chuck out is a great cast of familiar European faces, including Spanish actor Leo Anchóriz, who was also quite memorable opposite George Hilton in A Bullet For Sandoval. More people should definitely check this out!