God's Gun (1977)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Released in 1976-77, "God's Gun" is a Matzo Ball Western about a preacher (Lee Van Cleef) who chases down a band of outlaws (led by Jack Palance) to apprehend a murderer. After the thugs get revenge the preacher's spiritual son (Leif Garrett) teams-up with the one person who can set things aright. Sybil Danning co-stars as a saloon girl and Richard Boone has a minor role.This Hebraic Western is stylized with a Spaghetti flavor, but is badly executed. I could never get a grip on the tone the filmmakers were shooting for. Is it semi-camp? Semi-parody? It's obviously not something to take too seriously, but sometimes the viewer's evidently supposed to. Since you can't take the story seriously it prevents you from caring about the events of the story and thus it's boring.Thankfully, there are some highlights. For one, it was shot in Israel, which is unique for a Western. Secondly, there are a few stunning women, including Sybil Danning when she was around 23 and an uncredited saloon babe named Jessie. Thirdly, it's got Jack Palance and Lee Van Cleef; two Western icons. And, fourthly, Leif Garrett is surprisingly good at around 13 years-old.But the confused tone and relative dullness do it in.The film runs 94 minutes.GRADE: Borderline D+/C- (3.5/10 Stars)

Steely-eyed clergyman Lee Van Cleef (as as Father John) lords over the peaceful, law-abiding and Christian town of "Juno City" with open-shirted boy pal Leif Garrett (as Johnny) as his sidekick. The respectable town gets roughed-up when smirking Jack Palance (as Sam Clayton) and his gang of cutthroats stop by for some booze and broads. Handsome brother Robert Lipton (as Jess Clayton) starts a chain reaction of big trouble. Young Garrett takes care of business by very quietly finding Mr. Van Cleef's twin brother in Mexico, to help settle the score. A startling secret involving beautifully-figured Sybil Danning (as Jenny) thickens the plot. "God's Gun" is a misfire, but does have an attractive cast and bawdy quality.**** God's Gun (3/7/75) Gianfranco Parolini ~ Lee Van Cleef, Leif Garrett, Jack Palance, Robert Lipton

Priest Lee Van Cleef stands up to Jack Palance and his vicious outlaw gang, only to be promptly murdered. This sends young Leif Garrett on a search to find the father's twin (also Van Cleef) who puts on his brother's collar and proceeds to give the outlaws a serious case of the willies!A low-budget Isreali backed spaghetti western, this re-teaming of Van Cleef with his Sabata director "Frank Kramer" is pretty good fun despite the derision of others who snicker at the casting of Leif Garrett. He was actually a decent kid actor before the silly overblown teen-idol hoopla.Van Cleef, Palance, and the ravishing Sybil Danning are all great and keep things pretty lively throughout, even if things get a bit amateurish and corny at times.However, Richard Boone is sadly wasted on a half-formed sheriff character, dubbed by another actor!

Once I saw this was a Golan and Globus production, I knew I was in for some real action. I didn't even know they did westerns, and I was initially thrown off by director Gianfranco Parolini's pseudonym of Frank Kramer. But closer inspection reveled this to be a spaghetti western done with Italian and Israeli casts and crews. What was I in for? The cast was the main attraction: First, there was two-time Oscar nominee and Oscar winner (City Slickers) Jack Palance. Now I know there is going to be some major league craziness here, and I wasn't disappointed. he was off the charts with his comic gunslinger. Then, we have Lee Van Cleef (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) playing a duel role. You might have even thought this a zombie western - the bad guys certainly did.We mustn't overlook Sybil Danning (Chained Heat) who managed to give us a peak at her right breast as she was recalling a rape that produced her son (Leif Garrett). There was some real excitement as we wondered if Johnny would find out who his father was.Richard Boone ("Have Gun Will Travel") was a drunken sheriff, and Pnina Rosenblum was a strange dance hall girl named Chesty, who provided some adult conversation. I say strange as she was a Member of Knesset in Israel until a couple of years ago. Do they know her past? It doesn't have a great script and the production values are typical of spaghetti westerns, but it was an interesting story and we just don't see too many adult westerns.