The anti-hero trope is much more common in the spaghetti western genre than I had first expected. Lee van Cleef is certainly the master of such a role, and for the majority of his solo ventures in this genre, he always provides an up and coming protagonist with the drive necessary to overcome all odds and take the antagonists head-on. He does so, I assume, because it’s what he’s best at. He doesn’t have the style for an unabashed heroic character, he always needs that tinge of conniving energy to him. Death Rides a Horse follows that narrative trend rather close to the letter as it details a plot of revenge, double-crossing and more in a rather predictable piece starring John Phillip Law.
For something considered one of the best westerns of all time, Death Rides a Horse really is a tad underwhelming. A poor score that throws in all the expected notes of the late Ennio Morricone, but a tremendous step down from that of his work on other projects like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and My Name is Nobody. It still paints a picture rather well, a few highs but considering the talent Morricone had for scoring westerns, it feels like a step in the wrong direction. But the film feels like that overall, a step down in quality for Lee Van Cleef, who plays yet another anti-hero in a rather seamless, glazed over fashion.
There are sparks of ingenuity throughout, as is the case for many lesser westerns. Giulio Petroni’s direction holds within it some reliable camera work. There’s nothing achingly beautiful to it or anything all that memorable, but it’s conventional for its time and pools together the expected tropes under one roof. My biggest issue is probably that the film doesn’t aim to push any boundaries or offer up anything wholly interesting. It coasts off of the big-name success of its leading men, but the scenes they share with one another are ultimately futile, predictable and a stark reminder that there’s more to a performance than star power alone.
Death Rides a Horse may utilise some more predictable narrative conventions, but that doesn’t stop this Lee Van Cleef led picture from being thoroughly enjoyable. A bleak tale of revenge, and they’re ten a penny in this genre. Mildly disappointing and underwhelming more than anything else, Death Rides a Horse has pangs of interest and a few good scenes to it, but feels bloated, a bit aimless and even a bit boring from time to time. Cleef doesn’t manage to save the day, with his presence usually being more than enough to salvage even the dreariest of projects. Still, not the worst waste of time or even the lowest offering the genre has for us, it merely toils in mediocrity from start to finish, without much interest on display.
