spaghetti killed the cowboy star [december 01, 2004]

Of the numerous cheap DVD sets I dug out of the discount bins at Wal*Mart is a 2-DVD 4-movie set that has a Lee Van Cleef double bill. The first one is called Beyond the Law. Spaghetti to the core (complete with vertical-deviant aspect ratio conversions and bad dubbing), this one boasts a score by Riz Ortolani (one of the many spaghetti composers who got their share of mainstream-cult limelight thanks to QT's Bill duet). The second one, which was the reason I picked up this set, is another Lee Van Cleef starrer (duh! it's a double bill) called Death Rides a Horse. Famous for the infamous Morricone track that did not make it to the official KB Vol I soundtrack, this flick has other nuggets to boast:

* The strong similarities to the plot of Joshilay, that aborted Shekhar Kapur project that was helmed to the finish line by Sibte Hasan Rizvi

* Lee Van Cleef paraphrases the quote about revenge being a dish best served cold

* Small identifying marks for each of the dudes that John Philip Law's character is seeking out for revenge (a tattoo of four aces on a chest; a spur/earring; a facial scar)

* A piano player is asked to hit a note three times to count down to a shoot out

* A golden bit of dialogue from LVC: I have 5 words for you: fifteen thousand plus fifteen thousand