Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Wuchak Released in 1968-69, but not in the USA until 1971, "Find a Place to Die" is a Spaghetti Western starring Jeffrey Hunter as a dishonored ex-officer drinking his woes away in Mexico when a beautiful woman (Pascale Petit) hires him and several others to save her husband and their gold mine claim from a band of local bandits. Daniela Giordano is on hand as the beautiful Juanita at the cantina. The plot is obviously borrowed (or, more accurately, ripped off) from 1954's "Garden of Evil" and combines it with a pensive Spaghetti Western flavor, lacking the goofiness and moral hollowness of, say, 1966's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." The melancholy is heightened by a moving song Juanita sings at the cantina in the first act; the tune is reminiscent of Jerry Goldsmith's excellent acoustic piece for 1970's "Rio Lobo." Too bad Giordano (as Juanita) didn't have a bigger role, but it's big enough.There are several other things that propel "Find a Place to Die" above most Italo oaters: The group Lisa (Petit) compiles consists of a few interesting people, including an ex-con turned minister who seems to be sincere but is dubious at the same time. Secondly, their ordeal becomes almost a survival situation and I favor survival flicks. Thirdly, the story arc of the disgraced ex-Confederate (Hunter) is almost inspiring. Lisa says she's naturally drawn to him because she knows he's not like the other worthless cutthroats. The warmth of love slowly wakens the laconic loner out of his brooding stupor and draws the best in him out. Love is power and, when you find it, you need to plug into it if you want to live. Only a fool rejects it or, worse, abuses it. Lastly, being shot in Italy at some kind of ancient ruins, particularly the notable building of the cantina, the movie has a unique look for a Pasta Western, which of course were typically shot in Spain. The movie is lean at 89 minutes. GRADE: B

FightingWesterner When a man is partially buried in an avalanche, his younger wife rides to the nearest town, bringing back a handful of dubious characters to the couple's gold mine, which happens to be in the middle of land controlled by a very dangerous bandit known as Chato.No doubt inspired in part by Henry Hathaway's classic Garden Of Evil, Find A Place To Die stands apart from other Italian westerns in that it's dark and very atmospheric, without any of the flamboyant flourishes typical of the genre.Set south of the border, this looks great with lots of rugged mountainous terrain, thick wooded areas, and crumbling Spanish architecture. They all add a lot to the movie's afore mentioned atmosphere.Sadly, Jeffrey Hunter (who died the following year) is remembered by most people these days only as the predecessor to Captain Kirk in the original pilot episode of "Star Trek". Western fans though, know him as one of the great unsung anti-heroes in such films as The Proud Ones and The Searchers.

Poseidon-3 This entry into the spaghetti western genre of the 1960's could have used a little more sauce. A married pioneer couple who have struck gold in their mining endeavors, is attacked by bandits. When the husband is pinned under a wagon, the wife (Petit) must ride for help to a nearby settlement. (Oddly, though Petit will be gone for roughly four days, the husband only asks for a gun and a jug of whiskey to sustain him!) Arriving at the settlement, Petit comes across dour ex-Confederate soldier Hunter and a passel of shady types. After a scuffle, and for a fee, Hunter and a few other men agree to go back to rescue Petit's husband even though the territory is teeming with bandits. Along the way, naturally, one of the men makes a play for Petit while she's bathing. It all comes to a head in an abandoned (apparently real) ruin before settling on a moderately happy ending. Hunter, a gifted and handsome actor, is slumming here. He has the distinction of missing out on two of the most beloved and iconic TV shows of the 1960's. He starred in the pilot for "Star Trek", but his wife at the time made him demand a salary that took him out of the running for the series. She preferred to be married to a movie star versus a TV star (even if the movies were like this one??) He was later denied the chance to play Mike Brady on "The Brady Bunch" because the producers didn't believe an architect would be that handsome! So he wound up in some really sub-par features until an accident led to his eventual death. He is okay here, his glorious eyes still sparkling, but the film gives him little or nothing to work with. Petit, an actress with an extensive foreign resume, is adequate, but poorly dubbed. Her brief semi-nude scene is tame by today's standards. Lastretti has his screen debut heralded in the credits, though he provides no particular interest as a reverend of questionable virtue. He did go on to a dozen or so years of film work, however. It's one of dozens and dozens of spaghetti westerns and has very little of distinction to recommend it, save some occasionally interesting settings. The familiar (and grating) type of music score is quite distracting at times.

gris-4 Though somewhat standard "gang hunts for gold" spaghetti western fare, it is well-directed and has solid performances. The score is also well-done, one of the better non-Morricone ones I've heard. Fast-paced with several nice action scenes, with a couple of great, cold-blooded sudden shootings. The VCI DVD is ok, letterboxed but the transfer is soft and rather noisy throughout, with a lot of grain in dark scenes. The mono sound, though, is rich and well-recorded. The film is definitely worth a look for anyone looking for an entertaining, obscure western.