Kill the Wicked! (1967)
This western is extremely minimalistic. It is a very simple script stretched out to a full length movie, and it shows in place. Simple scenes are dragged out, long periods with no dialogue and when they actually speak, it isn’t that important. It is easy not to follow what is going on anyways. It is clearly a low budget that has to go a long way, but I actually think Tanio Boccia mostly makes good use of what he has. The locations are put to good use, the score and some creative camerawork keeps things a little more interesting. The bare bones elements adds to the rather desolate atmosphere, with no other people in sight than these bandits and their hostages.
While the simplicity does gets in the way of the pacing some times, especially with several violent scenes that are just dragged out to fill the time, it does have something a bit unique to offer for the genre. Notably the femme fatale that are more than just pretty to look at, but an equally ruthless member of the gang. The ghost town setting makes for an almost horror like atmosphere at times, really underlining a feeling of hopelessness and total lack of trust and empathy between the characters. Not exactly an overlooked gem, but I did enjoy stumbling upon this obscure old movie.
Rating: 3