Cheap Days of Wrath (Video) (Tonino Valerii) Price

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Customer Reviews of Days of Wrath

Now called Day of Anger on DVD
The plot of this movie has already been described in another review, however a few more points follow. One: first of all this movie has an absolutely brilliant musical score that adds a great deal to the enjoyment of the film, in fact the music is so good it has prompted me to pick up a guitar again for the first time in years. Second: this movie has been beautifully restored in the DVD version and on a progressive scan DVD and widescreen you will think you are in a movie theatre. Third: while it is true that Valerii is not as talented as Leone, Valerii does show flashes of brilliance, and one of the opening scenes is an absolute winner [where Scott first meets Talby and also with Scott in the saloon] . Another great scene is the sequence with Wild Jack in the cantina and also when Talby finds Farrow hanging in the kitchen. In fact this movie would be brilliant if the ending were better and structured more carefully. In the end Scott turns against Talby for a ridiculous reason that you will only see in a spaghetti western, but I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone even as lame as it is. If you can ognore the ending then I think this is one of Tonino Valerii's best movies. Four: This movie has been re-released as Day of Anger which is closer to the original Italian title I believe.

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Lee Van Cleef in top form
Tonino Valerii's direction is at times pedestrian, but Lee Van Cleef is in top form as Frank Talby, a heartless middle-aged gunslinger looking for his last chance at a life of power and privilege. Giuliano Gemma provides stark contrast as Scott "Mary," the local stable-boy and untouchable... who yearns for a surrogate father. (In their great opening exchange, when Gemma complains that people would laugh at him if he called himself Scott "Mary"--his call-girl mother's first name--Van Cleef snorts "Who cares?") In turn, Talby sees a potential young gun and (if need be) expendable assistant on his quest for wealth and revenge. What could easily have been a simple exercise in violent excess gets some nice touches: Talby's exploitation of Scott is never absolute and the townspeople's attempts to wean Scott away from the "way of the gun" are themselves never without selfish motivation. And Walter Rilla's portrayal of Murph, Scott's second (and thus "good") surrogate father (an ex-lawman who now serves as a stable hand), slowly develops into a story of its own-- yet another "way" for Scott to travel.

As noted, Valerii's direction is often non-descript (he's nowhere near as gifted as his mentor, Sergio Leone, but who is?), but the film's sense of (near tragic) inevitability, and the three excellent lead performances, make it worth the viewing for spaghetti western (or Lee Van Cleef) enthusiasts.

A note on the tape: the widescreen is appreciated, but the print is somewhat deteriorated, with some obvious reel splicing-- a shame, because the excellent photography deserves a better format. A limited edition DVD does exist but is hard to come by--but if you can find it, the expenditure is well-paid! (The "restored" DVD edition not only cleans up most of the audio and visual imperfections, but restores the powerful opening 7 minutes of the film that not only describe the basic dynamics of Scott's hometown, but also show the extent of his anger and degradation at the hypocritical townspeople's hands.)

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Lee van Cleef and Gemma at their best
Again Lee van Cleef and Giulianno Gemma give what it is the best in entertainment. This is one of the best Spaghetti western ever produced. Where is the DVD version of this classic??