China 9, Liberty 37

1978 "The deadliest crossroad."
6| 1h45m| R| en| More Info
Released: 22 January 1979 Released
Producted By: Aspa
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Gunslinger Clayton Drumm is about to be hanged when he is given a chance to live if he will agree to murder Matthew (Oates), a miner who has steadfastly refused to sell his land to the railroad company. Matthew’s refusal is a major obstacle to the railroad’s plans for expansion.

Genre

Action, Western

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Director

Monte Hellman

Production Companies

Aspa

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China 9, Liberty 37 Audience Reviews

CheerupSilver Very Cool!!!
Evengyny Thanks for the memories!
Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
classicsoncall I always enjoy reading the reviews on this site because I learn so much about films like this, the genre they represent and the impact they might have had on other movies, actors and directors. For my part, I've seen a fair number of spaghetti Westerns but I'm no expert. All I know is, once a midget shows up, there's a circus usually not far behind, followed by impossibly choreographed acrobatics that mesh into some kind of fight scene. Surprisingly, that wasn't the case here. Sure the midget and the circus made an appearance, but what knocked me out of my chair were those strategically placed love scenes; three of those must be some kind of record. Jenny Agutter in the nude was not what I was expecting on the Encore Western Channel in prime time, and I don't know whether to be shocked or surprised by that. But it does hold one's interest.Some advice if I may for those reviewers who had a hard time following the dialog. I had no trouble, even with Fabio Testi's accent, once I enabled the sub-titles option on my TV. I do that now as a general precaution for just such an eventuality. Surprising what a good job some captioners do, providing dialog you don't even hear at all sometimes.Always great to see Warren Oates in one of his classic TV Western appearances, so catching him here in a lead role was twice the treat. That was a cool move showing Clayton Drumm (Testi) how fast he was with a gun in that early set up. Made you wonder what would happen once the real thing came around. Worth the wait I would say.Where the movie takes a refreshing break from the hero getting the girl occurs at the finale here when Drumm simply rides off into the sunset - alone! What a heel! But at least he stayed true to character instead of wimping out for the traditional 'settle down and let's have kids' happy ending. I wonder if that midget made out any better.
kevin olzak This 1978 Italian-Spanish Western was directed by the enigmatic American Monte Hellman, who has made few features during his 50-year career. Its recent airing on the Western Channel confirmed its cult status, as it stars Warren Oates, that fine underrated actor frequently used by Hellman, this being their final collaboration before Oates' untimely death at age 53 in 1982. Not having seen it since the early 1980s, and perusing the other 11 reviews on IMDb, I can attest that this is the full, uncut 102 minute version, with all the nudity and some of the most frank, shocking lines you're likely to hear in a Western. The other comments gripe about the poor quality of all available prints, and the accent of leading man Fabio Testi. I have two major complaints myself, in that the film seems much longer due to its meandering script, but what is unforgivable is that the soundtrack, from the footsteps to the chickens, even the music, simply drowns out much of the dialogue. The photography is excellent, the acting is good, and Hellman works wonders with his material, I just couldn't recommend it to anyone hard of hearing. The frustration is eased by Warren Oates, who manages to gain sympathy as the wronged husband, and the lovely Jenny Agutter, who supplies the film's bold nude scenes as the supposedly shy wife who becomes a whore. As the gunman who falls in love, Fabio Testi's accent makes his line readings a real chore to decipher, while small cameos are provided by Sidney Lassick and Sam Peckinpah, the latter playing a wealthy author manufacturing tales of the Old West. There is also an extremely brief appearance by European cult beauty Helga Line as a hotel proprietor. The 15-year heyday of the Spaghetti Western (1964-1979) was nearing its end, and this frank and occasionally bloody example continues to wallow in obscurity, but isn't that a typical fate for any movie directed by Monte Hellman? My favorite Hellman feature remains his first, "Beast from Haunted Cave," a 1959 collaboration with Gene and Roger Corman.
JasparLamarCrabb An interesting, if a bit lethargic, western. A railroad baron saves gunslinger Fabio Testi from a hanging so he can kill Warren Oates, who won't give up his land. Testi gets more than he bargained for when Oates's sex starved wife Jenny Agutter turns on the charm. Soon, they're both on the run pursued by Oates and his ruthless brothers. Monte Hellman's film is not in the same league as his existential masterpieces (THE SHOOTING & RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND), but it's also not a run of the mill spaghetti western, despite it's Italian backing. Hellman is too inventive a director to make anything resembling a standard movie and although it's a bit slow going, this a very worthwhile film. Oates is exceptional as is Agutter. Testi is dynamite. Sam Peckinpah has a sublime cameo as a dime store novelist. Try to find an unedited cut of this as various chopped up versions are out there. It's really sad that Hellman's directing career never went any further.
helpless_dancer A rancher standing in the way of the railroad getting his property is slated for killing by a convict who will escape the hangman's noose if he does the job. Instead of doing the hit, the con takes off with the rancher's wife, creating a big manhunt and many deaths. There was a big shoot-out at the end of the picture and a few high points along the way, but overall this film was a loser. Too many pointless sex and nudity scenes, not enough action. Slow and dull.