Rocco - I'll kill you

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Movie
German title Rocco - I'll kill you
Original title L'ultimo killer
Country of production Italy
original language Italian
Publishing year 1967
length 88 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Giuseppe Vari
(as Joseph Warren )
script Augusto Caminito
production Sergio Garrone
music Roberto Pregadio
camera Angelo Filippini
cut Giuseppe Vari
occupation

Rocco - I kill you (original title: L'ultimo killer ) is a spaghetti western by the director Giuseppe Vari . The film premiered in Italy on August 10, 1967 and opened in German cinemas on February 23, 1968. The protagonist of the film is the Mexican Ramón, played by Luigi Montefiori , who learned to kill in order to avenge the murder of his family. His teacher is the aging killer Rocco, played by Dragomir "Gidra" Bojanic .

action

The unscrupulous rancher John Barrett tries every means possible to take possession of the land of the ranchers in the area. In doing so, he relies on the strategy of lending the settlers money that they cannot repay, which ultimately leads to the ownership of the land. His partner Burt, on the other hand, tries to spread fear and terror among the farmers through violent robberies and in this way to force them to sell.

The family of the protagonist Ramón has also borrowed money from Barrett; however, she managed to save the amount in order to be able to repay it. When Ramón is about to ride to Barrett's to pay the debt, he is ambushed and the money is stolen, which is why he goes to the cattle baron's estate to ask for an extension of the deadline. Only then does he realize that it was Barrett's men who attacked him. Since he finally also accuses them, he is beaten up by them. Meanwhile, news arrives that the settlers have violently revolted against Barrett, which is why his men immediately set off to retaliate.

When Ramón returns to his family's farm, he realizes that his father was killed and the house burned down in the same act of retaliation, which is why he decides to take revenge on those responsible. In the meantime, Barrett hires the killer Rocco to murder his partner Burt because his methods have become too radical for him. Although Rocco manages to provoke Burt in the saloon and thus kill him in self-defense, his henchman Slim follows him unnoticed onto the street. Ramón is waiting there with his father's rifle. Slim reacts quickly and can shoot Ramón, but Rocco has now noticed Slim so that he can shoot Slim. Assuming that Slim was actually after him, he takes the seriously injured Ramón, to whom he owes his survival, to his hut in the mountains, where he nurses him back to health. At Ramón's request, he not only teaches him how to shoot, but various other things in order to become a perfect killer.

After Ramón's training is finished, Rocco takes one last assignment from Barrett and shoots Steven, the leader of the settlers. When he meets with Barrett to collect his wages, Ramón has already shot four men from Barrett, who persuades Rocco, who was actually planning to retire, to kill Ramón for an enormous sum. Rocco accepts the assignment.

On Ramón's farm there is a duel between student and master. By dazzling Rocco with a mirror, Ramón manages to kill his mentor. However, he is also shot. Seriously injured, he drags himself into town, where he finally also shoots Barrett.

Reviews

“A very tough Italian design; philosophical considerations and wise sayings about the killer "profession" unnecessarily bath this dirty job in a fluffy romantic light. [...] A little less brutality could help this ripper. "

- Ernst Bohlius, in Filmecho / Filmwoche .

“With a false pathos of tragedy, something like a masculine tearful shred spreads. Tear-swallowing sentimentality alternates with barbaric coldness. Misunderstood masculinity with murderous consequences is twisted into an unsympathetic halo. The fairness in front of friends and opponents, the characteristic of the ›classic‹ western hero, is exchanged for the sneaky, risk-free shooting resulting from greed for profit or emotional distress. This change in the way of fighting fits in perfectly with the mystification of the egocentric, uncompromising adventurer that spaghetti westerns pursue; and also fits in with the Mafia views that can often be read from him. Here they bring about a glorification of vigilante justice, which is once again evident in images of that external brutality, which the Italian western makers proudly consider a 'gain' for the western genre. "

- film service .

The Evangelische Film-Beobachter complains that the film is only “suitable for adults” because of its “considerable hardness and the cold drawing of an amoral world of people”, but praises that it is “well thought out in terms of content and form” and “has some aesthetic appeal " be.

background

Almost all of the outdoor photos were taken in Sardinia . Only the interior shots and the scene in the western town were recorded in film studios in Rome.

Numerous participants used pseudonyms in the opening credits . So director Giuseppe Vari appears there as Joseph Warren. Several actors also used English-sounding names for the opening credits.

In the German version, the name of one of the main characters has even been changed. In the Italian version the killer is called Rezza. In the German version it became Rocco. Presumably it was planned to establish a new brand name with it - similar to the Django and Ringo films. Ballata per un pistolero had previously appeared in Germany as Rocco - the loner from Alamo (in which Dragomir "Gidra" Bojanic also played). Other spaghetti westerns were also marketed with the name Rocco in the title, although this was never used in an Italian original version. In the US version, Rezza was also renamed. As with many other spaghetti westerns, the name Django was used here.

As Luigi Montefiori explained in an interview, he thought the role of Ramón was rather unsuitable for himself, among other things because he felt too tall with his height of over two meters to be able to play the character credibly, which is why he tried to film the film to make yourself as small as possible. However, he also stated that the film was one of the few that he tried to act well. According to his own statements, he orientated himself on the style of Tomás Milián , which, in his opinion, was not very successful.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ulrich P. Bruckner: For a few more corpses . Berlin 2002, p. 120.
  2. ↑ a b Ulrich P. Bruckner: For a few more corpses , Berlin 2002, p. 121.
  3. ↑ Evangelischer Presseverband München, Review No. 122/1968
  4. ↑ a b Featurette: A pistol for Rocco, interview with Antonio Bruschini and Luigi Montefiori, included on the Koch Media DVD.
  5. ↑ Steffen Wulf: Film analysis on the DVD case of the Koch Media Western Collection No. 21