THIS MONTH Day of the Outlaw and The Great Silence
Yee-haw! As Kevin Costner's two-part epic western Horizon: An American Saga gallops towards cinemas – and with temperatures hitting -4°C as I write this column in mid January – I find my mind returning to a pair of snowy oaters that aren't talked about nearly enough.
André De Toth's (1959) and Sergio Corbucci's (1968) are both, cattleman Blaise Starrett (Robert Ryan) is furious that homesteader Hal Crane (Alan Marshal) has fenced off land he wishes to drive his beasts over. Tensions are further cranked up by Hal being married to Blaise's former lover, Helen (Tina Louise). But their dispute suddenly seems small fry when a gang of outlaws led by one-time army captain Jack Bruhn (Burl Ives) ride into the isolated town of Bitters in the Oregan hills, intent on using it – and the four women among its tiny population – for R&R.
