Professionals for a Massacre (1967)

Great Film overall

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

After being captured for robbing a bank in Arizona and trying to desert from the Confederate army, 3 outlaws named "Chattanooga Jim" (Edd Byrnes), "Fidel Ramirez" (George Martin) and "Steel Downey" (George Hilton) are given a choice of either facing a firing squad or helping to recover a wagon full of gold that was stolen by a fellow Confederate officer named "Major Lloyd" (Gerard Herter) and his men. Naturally, they decide to cooperate and along with another Confederate officer named ""Lieutenant Logan" (Milo Quesada) they ride out to catch the gold thieves before they can cross into Mexico. Along the way, however, they encounter other obstacles which they must overcome—or die trying. Now, rather than reveal any more of the story I will just say that as far as "Spaghetti Westerns" are concerned this particular movie didn't quite measure up with some of the great ones out there. For starters, the characters lacked depth and some of the scenes seemed a bit outlandish even for the sub-genre mentioned. In essence then, I think most Spaghetti Western fans will probably like it but general audiences may or may not. Slightly below average.

Average Chorizo/ S.W. about a relentless and exciting dangerous mission that a motley trio pulls off in Mexican territory and set against spectacular and ordinary scenery of Almeria . The risked assignment is set against strong environment , violent attacks by Mexican bands , double-crosses and hazardous trails . It will be a long and dangerous pursuit with continuous risks , killings , shootouts and silly fights . This typical Western displays stirring adventures , shootouts , humor with tongue-in-cheek , riding pursuits and is pretty amusing . It deals with a misfit group in search of millions of dollars in gold that have been stolen during American Civil War . A group of conscripted convicts formed by three condemned , already destined for death row, are drafted to go on a risked mission and attempt to recapture a rebel Major called Lloyd (Gerard Herter of The Big Gundown) . They must carry out the objective to take a wagon-load of gold and with the understanding that if the Confederate don't murder them, the Union Army won't, either . A two-fisted Confederate Lieutenant named Logan (Milo Quesada of Django kill) and the ambitious drifters , join forces to retrieve an impressive lot of dollars in gold bars taken from Union banks and destined to buy weapons to Mexican Army for Confederation . In the hands of hardboiled director Nando Cicero and a tough-as-leather cast , that's all the plot that's needed to make one rip-roaring Spaghetti Western flick . The story is displayed in ¨Dirty dozen ¨ style with usual crime-minded characters including a rustler named Fidel Ramirez (Jorge Martin) , a troublesome ex-priest with penchant dynamite named Steele Downey (George Hilton) and a Bank-robber named Chattanooga Jim (Edd Byrnes) . The first half of the film allows the colorful cast of character actors to have their fun as they get their tails whipped into shape and develop shaky relationship . The final part is all action , as the trio wreck havoc and then run for their lives and pursued by the band of Alacran (Jose Bodalo of Django) who robs the gold for his strange Mexican family . The message here isn't that war is hell , rather, it seems to be : war can be a hell of a good time if you've got nothing to lose . It's an exciting SW with breathtaking showdown between the protagonists and their enemies full of explosions , machine gun , deaths and fights in Terence Hill-Bud Spencer style . The picture blends violence , humor , struggles , high body-count and is quite entertaining . There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing a shootout or stunt every few minutes . The film is starred by a Spaghetti all-star-cast as the Spanish George (Jorge) Martin who worked much for Alfonso Balcazar's factory such as ¨Clint the strange¨, ¨The return the Clint¨, ¨Oeste Nevada Joe¨, Thompson 1880¨ , ¨Taste of killing¨, ¨A pistol for Ringo and ¨¨The return of Ringo¨ ; the Uruguay-born George Hilton who was a Spaghetti first-star such as ¨ Sartana no perdone¨ , ¨Go kill and come back¨ , ¨Kitosch¨ , ¨They call me Alleluja¨ , ¨Ruthless four¨ , ¨Alleluja for Django¨ , and also played successful Giallio as ¨The strange vice of Mrs Wardh¨ , ¨The scorpion's tale¨, ¨All colors of the dark¨ , ¨My deal Killer¨ ; and Edd Byrnes , Kookie , who starred two Spaghetti for Enzo G Castell as ¨Seven Winchester for a massacre¨ and ¨Go kill and come back¨ with George Hilton . Gerard Herter as a cruelly baddie role as confederate officer is terrific , subsequently the would play similar roles in other Spaghettis . There are many good technicians and nice assistant direction and acceptable production design with an atmospheric scenario plenty of barren outdoors , dirty and rocky landscapes and a fine set on the final scenes . The musician Carlos Pes composes a nice Spaghetti soundtrack and well conducted ; it's full of enjoyable sounds and emotive score with perdurable leitmotif . The film is well shot in 'Splugas city' (Splugas De Llobregat , Barcelona) , a location built by Alfonso Balcazar where were filmed a lot of ¨Butifarra Western¨ and of course , Almeria, Spain and Roman studios called Elios . Mediocre cinematography by habitual Francisco Marin who photographed loads of 'Gazpacho' Westerns , it's urgent and necessary a correct remastering because of the film-copy is washed-up . Fernando Cicero's so-so direction is regularly crafted , here he's cynical and humorous and inclined toward violence as well as too much action especially on its ending part .

Dynamite-loving ex-priest George Hilton, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, and Mexican horse thief/whisperer George Martin both fight for and steal from the Confederacy. About to be executed for their thieving ways, they're given a reprieve in order to track down a renegade officer who killed some of his fellow soldiers and made off with a wagon full of gold and a Gattling gun.A fast-paced, rowdy adventure, this above average Italian western is a load of fun, especially George Hilton's character, who gleefully mixes piousness with his passion for blowing things (and people!) up. Hilton is truly a spaghetti western treasure!Things stay pretty light-hearted throughout, with a good mixture of tongue-in-cheek comedy, plot-twists, and great action sequences. I don't know about everyone else, but I thought it was pretty cool!It is claimed that one of the producers on this was a young Sylvester Stallone, a claim that seems a bit fishy. You never can tell though. If he did, he should have acted in it too. It sure would have been neat to see him before he was a star, shooting a six-gun in the Spanish desert!

Despite the title, this is an easy-going Spaghetti Western with tongue firmly in cheek; plot-wise, it’s basically THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967) out West and with the Civil War for backdrop – as a trio of adventurers (George Hilton, George Martin and Edd Byrnes) are saved from the gallows, so that they can retrieve gold stolen from the Confederates by a renegade band of soldiers led by Gerard Herter (from Sergio Sollima’s marvelous THE BIG GUNDOWN [1966]). Along the way, they also have to deal with a band of Mexican outlaws (who, naturally, covet the gold): interestingly, this is presented as a family unit (albeit a loutish and ugly-looking bunch) controlled by an old woman who all she seems to do is stuff herself with food! The heroes, then, all have their characteristics: Martin is himself a Mexican horse-thief, Hilton a defrocked priest with a penchant for explosives(!) – this combination of sardonic piety and ecstatic outbursts results in an occasionally hammy performance, while Byrnes is the requisite renegade American (amusingly called “Chattanooga Jim”); for the record, Hilton and Byrnes would re-unite soon after for the similarly lightweight ANY GUN CAN PLAY (1967). Given that they’re technically prisoners till the accomplishment of the mission, their movements are overseen by an officer; however, half-way through, the latter leaves with a girl they come across at an isolated house (whose other inhabitants had all been murdered by Herter & Co.) in order to drum up support for the inevitable confrontation between prisoners, soldiers and outlaws…except that the Cavalry that charges to the ‘rescue’ is from the opposite side, the Unionists, since the officer turns out to have been a spy all along! Anyway, being a generally light-hearted entertainment, the heroes still end up in possession of the gold – amid brawling, double-crosses and shoot-outs galore! Incidentally, director Cicero would spend most of his later career helming low-brow sex comedies featuring Edwige Fenech and the like. The film under review does provide a typically pleasant score courtesy of one Carlo Pes.