Robert Hossein (1927–2020)

Co-writer and director Robert Hossein also stars as Manuel, a melancholic black-gloved fast-gun, who is persuaded by widower Maria (Michèle Mercier) to help her get revenge on the powerful Rogers family who killed her husband and burnt their homestead to the ground. Manuel formulates a plan to kidnap Diana (Anne-Marie Balin) the beloved daughter of the Rodgers vicious patriarch, Will (Daniele Vargas). "Une Corde, un Colt..." features a cynical script co-written by Dario Argento that has touches of the gothic, splashes of the surreal and subtle noir undertones as well as the classic Spaghetti Western feel. There are lapses and leaps within the script that leaves the viewer to fill in the blanks, but there is a tragic, downbeat inevitability as to how the whole scenario will play out. The tone is downbeat and the pace is deliberately slow with limited uses of dialogue that gives the film a slightly detached atmosphere. Robert Hossien provides a great look for Manuel and some iconic moments as he slides on his single black glove. The two leading ladies are excellent, particularly Michele Mercier as the vengeful widow and Anne-Marie Balin as the angelic-looking daughter who proves to be anything but. In summary "Une Corde, un Colt..." is a classy and elegantly staged Spaghetti Western with some great performances, a sparse feel and a wonderful ambiguity in the storyline. To top it all off André Hossein overlays everything with a brilliant, archetypal Spaghetti score.… (meer)