Dio non paga il sabato

Larry Ward is toplined in this low budget Italian/Spanish oater for some reason; he has less screen time than the other male leads, except for Robert Mark, who disappears early on only to reappear toward the end. Ward was an American actor who had quite a few TV appearances, mostly in westerns, and appears suited to play the town storekeeper, or priest, or councilman, hardly a wandering adventurer. Mark has plenty of charisma as Randall, one of a quartet of killers who hole up in a wonderfully dilapidated ghost town, hiding out until they can escape over the border. Ben (Ward) and Judy, recently widowed, ride into town and are taken prisoner by the gang, who enjoy toying with them. Meanwhile the money has disappeared, Braddock (the fine Furio Meniconi), the leader, is growing agitated, and his lover Shelley is looking around for a better deal. This script was the blueprint for the later MATALO! which is virtually identical, with the addition of boomerangs. The remake is a little crazier, with the women dressing like hippies and wild camera-work, psychedelic music, and a Gothic atmosphere, but KILL THE WICKEDS is a good time for western buffs, available on a nice double feature from Wild East, teamed with KILL OR BE KILLED, also starring Robert Mark.