Day of Anger

Having served as the second unit director on For a Few Dollars More, Tonino Valerii stepped out of the shadow of genre maestro Sergio Leone with this notable spaghetti western, which proved to be a huge box-office hit in Italy. Pairing the fresh-faced Giuliano Gemma (A Pistol for Ringo) with hawk-like Dollars star Lee Van Cleef, it tells the story of a young outcast who goes from being the town dogsbody to a feared gunman under the tutelage of an ageing outlaw - a man with his own scores to settle. There are some memorable action scenes (including a rifle duel at full gallop and Van Cleef being tortured and dragged behind three horses), but this slow-burning, often pessimistic tale also invests time in its characters. Van Cleef is particularly effective as the calculating Frank Talby, who, realising his trigger days are coming to an end, sets about blackmailing the corrupt elders of the town in order to set himself up for retirement. Of the various versions of Valerii's film, seek out the longer Italian cut, which runs nearly half an hour longer than the 86-minute "international" release; vital plot elements are restored, and it better demonstrates the director's control over the story's rhythm and pacing.