Catlow (1971) I thought I'd tracked down every oddball international co-production (a genre I feasted on throughout the 60's)......but there's always another one (God bless 'em) that comes crawling out of obscurity, perfect blog-fodder for the BQ.....
These wild hybrids (a melting pot mixture of American and European actors and filmmakers) were at last heading for the tar pits by the time the 70's rolled around, so it was especially fun to catch up with this one. "Catlow" would've made a perfect double feature with "Hannie Caulder" - also released in 1971 and also a western filmed in Spain as a U.S.A.-British-Spanish co-production. (See BQ's 10/13/22 on "Hannie")
Usually all European filmed westerns, no matter who produced them, followed the standard Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western playbook.......grim, nihilistic and heavily seasoned with an extra high body count.
"Catlow" fills the body count requirement, thank you very much, but its tone wanders all over the place.......actually veering into rollicking semi-jokey, lighthearted frenemy banter between its two main players......U.S. Marshall Cowan (Richard Crenna) and his lifelong pal and sometime nemesis Catlow (Yul Brynner) a cheerful rogue with his own bunch 'o bandidos.
At times the film starts to vaguely resemble Robert Aldrich's classic 1954 western "Vera Cruz" which featured Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster facing off in a similar, unlikely alliance of a good guy and bad guy.
Crenna and Brynner spend the film constantly running afoul of each other as Brynner and his cohorts go about their business of rustling cattle and planning a huge heist of lost gold left over from the Civil War. Interrupting everyone's agenda comes the unwanted interference of a vicious, snarling bounty hunter (Leonard Nimoy, returning to his career origins, when he used to toil through roles of minor villains in 1950's TV westerns)
While 'Catlow' never amounts to much of a memorable movie, I still found a few odds 'n ends of stuff to like....For a change, Brynner forgoes his usual distracted monotone performance and seems amused and engaged.....and I appreciate the moment where he gives a more realistic account of what it's like to get kicked in the balls....
The ball kicker, by the way, is well played by the ever luscious Euro-Babe Dahlia Lavi, having a fine time as Brynner's tempestuous south-of-the-border spitfire.
And a few special nods to Roy Budd's rip-roarin' western score, far more enthusiastic than anything in the movie itself.....and to the robust action sequences orchestrated by the Bond films' stuntmaster Bob Simmons.
Beyond those contributions mentioned, I realize a minor film like this isn't worth everybody's time. But if you're a fan of any of the actors involved, or of European westerns or of wacky co-productions the likes of which you'll never see again...the 3 star "Catlow" checks off all the boxes......consider this post as a Yul-tide greeting...(sorry, couldn't resist....)
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