The Tough One (1966)
Not Rated 15 Dec 1966 • Adventure, Western • 1h 38m
Entertaining and amusing picture contains a silly plot , Western action , shootouts , twists , turns and bits of campy and refreshing humor in ironical style . It's an improbable blending of standard Zapata Western , comedy with tongue-in-cheek and holds a combination of humor , pathos , comic book style action , and political commentary about ¨Revolution¨. It deals with Dan Casey O'Hara (John Richardson) , an adventurer who arrives in a South American country , Guayanas , with dark purports and meantime he falls for two beautiful women (Gloria Milland , Evi Marandi) . Casey is a rogue thief who often uses loudspeakers and other electronic artifacts to deceive his enemies . Later on , Dan kills a henchman (Luis Induni) of the nasty tyrant called Villarda (Eduardo Fajardo) and he is incarcerated by an astute commissioner (Emilio Rodríguez) . In prison he meets the sympathetic prisoner , Lobo (Fernando Sancho), who is a revolutionary leader . Dan then escapes and after that , he and his followers get to free Lobo when he is about to be shot by a firing squad . Casey really attempts to find his father O'Hara who knows whereabouts some precious gems , emeralds , but he is imprisoned at the penitentiary of Santa Margarita located in the lush jungle . Dan along with a traitor revolutionary called Gus (Luis Gaspar , also film screenwriter) fly by helicopter and arrive at the state prison but things go wrong . This regular flick contains a story full of crosses as well as double-crosses , adventure , up and downs pace , thrills and ordinary direction . However , it results to be a very mediocre Chorizo-Maccaroni adventure realized in Spaghetti Western wake , being mostly produced by Spain and Italian secondary participation . Weak acting by main starring John Richardson , his big success was Don Chaffey's One million years B.C. (1966) with Raquel Welch and in which he met his wife Martine Beswick , produced by Hammer films . Later, following the steps of some other actors, he went on to appear in various Italian movies such as Torso (1972) , Frankenstein '80 , Umberto Lenzi's horror Eyeball (1975), Michele Soavi's La Chiesa (1989) and many others ; but his recent movies filmed in the 80s convinced him to quit acting completely and nowadays , he is a noteworthy photographer . The film packs action , shootouts , high body-count , revolutionary attacks and some touches of humor in charge of Fernando Sancho playing a comical rebel . Sancho , as usual , steals the show using his wits , breaking all the rules , overacting and kicking virtually every cliché in the pants , as he relentlessly deceives , kills and shoots . Here appears ordinary secondaries and familiar faces of Spaghetti/Paella Western such as : Eduardo Fajardo , Victor Israel , Roberto Rey , José María Caffarel , Luis Barboo , Xan Das Bolas , Rafael Hernández , Luis Induni , Tito García , Diana Sorel , Guillermo Méndez , Angel Ter , Emilio Rodríguez and many others . It contains an atmospheric cinematography by Federico G. Larraya shot in inappropriate outdoors from Málaga and Madrid . Evocative musical score including South American sounds and adding a catching leitmotif by Gianni Ferrio . The motion picture was middlingly directed and in traditional style by Joaquin Luis Romero Marchent (1921-2012) . Joaquin's direction is regularly crafted , here he's more cynical and humorous and less inclined toward violence and packs too much action . Marchent is an expert writer and director of good Western . Marchent films would set a new bold standard for on-screen Almeria Westerns and establish him as one of the most influential Spanish directors of the Paella/Spaghetti sub-genre and quickly became the more prolific filmmakers in the genre . His first film was ¨El Coyote¨ and the sequel titled ¨Revenge of Coyote¨ shot in Mexico . After that , he filmed ¨The shadow of Zorro¨ and ¨Revenge of Zorro¨. He went go directing Western as ¨ Riding to death ¨ , ¨Adventures in the West¨ , ¨Three good men¨, ¨Sabor Venganza ¨ , ¨Fedra West¨ and the most popular and violent ¨Condenados a Vivir¨ . Plus , he wrote for his brother Rafael Romero Marchent the following Westerns : ¨Manos Torpes¨, ¨Ocaso Un Pistolero¨ and ¨Garringo¨ and his greatest hit was "Cut-Throats Nine" or ¨Condenados a Vivir¨ that brought an entirely new level of stylization with the genre , this ultra-violent masterpiece not only signaled a move toward an even grittier and more nihilistic brand of Western . This ¨El Aventurero De Guaynas¨ (1966) or ¨The Adventurer of Iguana" (English title) or "The Tough One" (International title) is a riotous adventure spoof in which there's too much silly action , amusing comedy and enough excitement . Rating : So-so , though it has some entertaining moments .
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Language:
Italian, Spanish
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Spain, Italy
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