Lee Van Cleef Double Feature

[trekgeezer]

These two both star not only Lee, but 70's 'tween heart throb Leif Garrett. They were produced by Golan & Globus (anybody remember all those bad Chuck Norris movies from Cannon Pictures and don't get me started about what they did to Superman).

Both films were shot in Israel.

God's Gun (1976) - This one also stars Jack Palance, Sybil Danning, and Richard Boone. Sam Clayton's (Palance) is a rough bunch running from town to town robbing, killing, and raping. They happen into a town founded by Father John (Van Cleef) and commit a murder. The cowardly, drunken Sheriff (Boone) refuses to go after them, so Father John borrows a horse and goes out and steals the gang's guns while they are sleeping and brings in the guilty gang member.

It's not long until the Clayton's have the run of the town and kill Father John. His young altar boy Johnny (Garrett) then goes to Mexico to find the priest's brother Lewis.

Lewis returns and get's his vengeance by pretending to be the ghost of his twin brother.

This movie has some of the worst dub work I've heard. The guy doing Boone's voice sounded nothing like him and it was really strange watching him with this other voice coming out of his mouth. Thank goodness, he only had about three scenes.

Kid Vengeance (1977) - This one features ex jock Jim Brown.  The movie starts with some idylic father-son bonding as Tom (Garrett) and his father hunt rabbit. We are treated to a rabbit actually being shot with an arrow and then clonked on the head with a rock (we usually smacked them against  a tree). Tom and his family are traveling in a covered wagon.

Cut to town as Lee's gang shows up causing mayhem. Isaac (Brown) comes to the assayer office to cash in some gold nuggets where he is assaulted by the local thugs. He gets away but not before Lee's right hand man sees what went down. They then pursue Isaac.

Isaac runs across Tom and his family and has some coffee with them before going on his way. Tom goes off hunting alone, not knowing that Lee and his gang have arrived and started terrorizing his family. Dad had the foresight to hide the sister in the wagon.

When Tom hears shooting he returns to witness his mother being raped by Lee and then his father being shot. The bad guys take off with wagon not knowing the sister is inside.

Tom follows the gang and takes out several of them by himself before hooking up with Isaac to finish the job.

Yes, Leif Garrett is Kid Vengeance.

[Scott]

GODS GUN - Was rough viewing during my early Spaghetti Western days, but now I wish I didn't trade that DVD with Palance, Van Cleef, and Boone all in one film. The whole twin Van Cleef thing bothers me and it always bothers me when one actor plays two different parts as twins. :) Saw parts of it on Encore Western Channel which had a much better print of the film. Looked a lot better than my DVD at the time. (tu)(td) (some good points and some bad)

KID VENGEANCE - Have it on my shelve Trek Geezer and you beat me to the draw. Since you have just viewed it I'll try to watch it this November and let you know what I think of the film.

Interesting that both films were shot in Israel.

[Bmeansgood]

Long live Lee Van Cleef!  I don't know why, but I am a sucker for his westerns.  Of course these movies are both stinkers, but they are still watchable just because he is in them.  Gods Gun would have been a much better movie had he turned his gun on Leif Garret.  What a whiny little turd.

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

"better...had he turned his gun on Leif Garret"
That sums things up nicely, where most teen heartthrobs are concerned no matter what the project.

-Ed

[Yaddo 42]

I have this but have only watched God's Gun from another set I have. What a weak film, plus Lee with so much hair is just strange, maybe the length in the back is his but the stuff on top just doesn't go with the balding head we all know and love.

Didn't even recognize Sybil Danning at first, She's usually blonder and bigger so to speak.

Is Boone wearing the same wardrobe he wore in The Shootist? It sure looks like it. The voice dubbing may have been a necessary evil, on the extras for the movie Winter Kills the director says that at this point in his life, Boone's drinking was so severe that he was only good for a few takes on camera before he forgot dialogue, lost his focus or got cranky and hard to deal with. Maybe the takes they used had problems but were the best/only ones they had of him and they had to keep his voice consistent. Maybe he refused to do any post-production dubbing, wanting more money of something. But it is distracting and he has so little presence and none of that oily charm he brought to so many roles.

At least they didn't let Leif sing a song or two since he was a pop star for a brief time as well.

[trekgeezer]

In Kid Vengeance the funniest part was watching Leif wail away at his first victim with a shovel.

I didn't think about before, but I think Boone was wearing the same wardrobe from The Shootist.