TeenzTen An action-packed slog

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Yvonne Jodi Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Bob_Zerunkel I like this movie because it has lots of killing and none of the over-hyped Tarantino and/or Spaghetti Western crap. Find a target; shoot; move on.On the other hand, why does Silva cut out those mocassins using the same kind of carving knife found in my Exacto kit? Why does the screaming prostitute have nipples but Michelle Carey doesn't? Why does that guy take a crap with his longjohns on? (No back flap, in case you are wondering) Why can't the sheriff see the two riders who just shot his prisoner in the open desert? Why does Keenan Wynn have such a heavy beard and hairy chest, but a completely hairless neck? Why did the sheriff forget at the end of the movie that it was white guys who were the bad guys? Why is it that Chatto can't speak English, but can read "powder" on the side of a barrel? For that matter, the word "powder" is printed in large white letters; so why does Chatto even have to point it out to the schoolmarm? Lots of killing. A lot of it is the cool senseless kind.But in the end it is just another schoolteacher going postal.Seen it.Seven stars out of ten. One for the boobies that you see. One for the oddly missing nipples. Three stars for senseless rape, death and destruction. One star for not forcing the love story angle. One star for Keenan's laughing after he is separated from his Wally Wally.

Michael_Elliott Five Savage Men (1970) ** (out of 4) Michele Carey plays a school teacher heading out West who just happens to be on the same stagecoach as criminal Pudge (Keenan Wynn). Sure enough Pudge's four goons attack the coach to get him off and of course they take the teacher hostage. Later that day they all gang rape her and leave her for dead but she's nurses back to health thanks to an Apache Indian (Henry Silva). He also teaches her the Apache way and trains her to go kill her attackers. This Western is also known as THE ANIMALS and THE DESPERADOS but no matter what title you saw it under at the drive-in, the end results aren't as good as one would wish. I swear while watching the film I thought this was an Italian movie but apparently it was made in America, which struck me as strange because it's obvious that a lot of the dialogue has been dubbed. I'm not sure how on Earth dubbed Carey but her voice sounds horrible here and is way too high-pitched. It sounds as if someone wanted to play a teenage cheerleader and I'll apologize in advance if that is her real voice. The movie is pretty much a pre-clone of DEATH WISH but the screenplay doesn't give the teacher that much to do. She seems to get over her ordeal fairly quickly and we're never really explained anything she's doing. We never really get to understand why she wants this revenge or why she doesn't seem to have any effects of the rape. The screenplay also doesn't give the Apache too much to do as he pretty much just stands by doing his own thing and this includes at the start of the rape. Those expecting graphic violence are going to have to look elsewhere as none of the shootings are all that graphic and the rape scene isn't shocking either. The rape sequence was shot in an interesting way and it appears the director wanted it to be psychedelic with its strange visuals and zooms. Carey is just way too bland in the title role and Silva appears to be wishing he was somewhere else. Wynn, on the other hand, delivers a terrific, if over-the-top performance that at least keeps you watching. The ending is a pretty effective one and has a clear message through the rest of the film's short-comings but at least it does end on a strong note.

FightingWesterner Michele Carey, who was quite memorable shooting John Wayne and rolling in the hay with James Caan in El Dorado, plays a pretty schoolteacher abducted from her stagecoach, staked to the ground and raped by Keenan Wynn and his grungy band of desperadoes. Left to die, she's rescued by lone-wolf Apache Henry Silva. (who's great despite few lines) Eventually the two set out for revenge.This starts out okay, but after the first twenty minutes or so it begins to meander and becomes tiresome, leading to some of the worst and least satisfying revenge scenes ever filmed, with quick shots of Carey shooting her tormentors while Silva looks on.In the second half, Michele Carey wears the absolute silliest and fake looking Indian costume ever in a western. The guy from The Village People looks more authentic!Equally silly is Rupert (Mr. Pina Colata Song) Holmes' mostly inappropriate and dated musical score!

JHC3 Schoolteacher Alice McAndew (Carey) has the misfortune of sharing a stagecoach with prisoner Pudge Elliott (Wynn). When Pudge's friends arrive to rescue him, they don't stop at simply robbing the stage. All aboard are killed except Alice. Her intended fate is far worse. She is hauled into the desert to be repeatedly and brutally raped and left for dead.The outlaws' plan goes awry when an Apache (Silva) saves Alice from a cruel death from shock and dehydration. He nurses the young woman back to health. Before long, the two start hunting down the killers.By 1970 standards, this is a fairly extreme western. The rape scene is not lingered on, but is filmed in such a way as to instill shock in the viewer. The film has a few rare humorous elements, but is otherwise a deadly serious tale of revenge. Henry Silva's character has little dialogue and virtually no knowledge of English. The filmmakers rely instead on imagery and expressions to tell the story more than the spoken language.For me, the film was passable. I personally couldn't find much to fault in the approach taken. Some plot elements are strong, but cannot be stated here without becoming spoilers. The cast is good and consists largely of veterans of the western genre. The minimal dialogue was a good choice. The rape scene is not exploitative. Perhaps it is because this vengeance theme has been done so much that I couldn't really get into the film. For western traditionalists, this might be one to avoid.