Fantastic!

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

PLOT: Rancher Mike Sturges (Steve Reeves, the late body builder best remembered for starting the sword & sandal craze by starring in "Hercules" and "Hercules Unchained") and his younger brother Roy are framed for a train robbery they didn't commit and sent the brutal Yuma prison without a trial. There, Roy is tortured and eventually beaten to death by a sadistic guard (are there any other kind in movies like this?). Enraged, Mike escapes during a prison break out, kills the guard who killed his brother and sets out to exact a similar revenge on the criminals who tore his life apart. An accomplished horse rider, Steve Reeves had always liked westerns - as most people of his generation no doubt did - and when he got into the movie business he naturally wanted to make one (legend has it he was offered the role of The Man With No Name in "A Fistful of Dollars", which helped make a cinematic icon out of then TV star Clint Eastwood - but turned it down because he found the script too violent and was skeptical of Italian knowledge of America's "Old West"), and finally did with this, his last film, which he also co-wrote. Though only in his early 40s, meaning he could have hung around and made more spaghetti westerns as his pal and fellow athlete the late Gordon Scott did, Reeves had injured his shoulder during a chariot accident on a previous film and stunt work in between that accident and "A Long Ride From Hell" only aggravated it and would cause him problems later in life regarding his work out regime (Reeves did his own stunts since there were no Italian stunt men big enough to double for him). Since the injury made being an action star, even a B-movie action star, impractical, Reeves opted to bow out from the game and spent the remainder of his life living quietly in California, where he managed a horse ranch. As for the film itself, it's a fairly grim, gritty and dark story, in contrast to the mythological fantasy adventure films Reeves was best known for. You wouldn't think Reeves was suffering from a bad shoulder watching him in the film though, as he batters his way through villains and proved himself to be surprisingly nimble for a guy who stood 6'1" and weighed over 200 lbs of solid muscle. Though dubbed again, Reeves dominates every scene he's in by sheer virtue of his physical presence and steely blue eyes.All in all, a must for fans of Reeves and spaghetti westerns in general.

Peplum bodybuilding sensation Steve Reeves of "Hercules" fame concluded his cinematic career with "Suicide Commandos" director Camilla Bazzoni's "A Long Ride From Hell," a thoroughly conventional but wholly cynical Spaghetti western penned by Reeves and co-scenarist Roberto Natale of "Kill, Baby... Kill!" from veteran American western novelist Gordon D. Shirreffs' book "The Judas Gun." Lensed on location in Spain by future "Trinity" helmer Enzo Barboni, "A Long Ride from Hell" is a visual treat, especially the nocturnal scenes. Unfortunately, Bazzoni lacks an eye for pictorial detail and composition. This low-budget oater looks like it was shot very quickly and the writers eliminated certain scenes, like a courthouse scene, to accelerate the pace. Bazzoni doesn't stage the shoot-outs with any sense of verve like either Sergio Leone or Gianfranco Parolini. Carlo Savina's music sounds like a left-over score from his sword and sandal features, but the theme song is rather catchy. Mind you, Steve Reeves looks like he was born to wear a six-gun and Stetson, but clean-shaven as he remains throughout the film, he never looks like a traditional Spaghetti western protagonist. Meanwhile, mustached Wade Preston makes an evil adversary, with Spaghetti western stalwart Aldo Sambrell of "Navajo Joe" fleshing out the cast of this 85 minute horse opera.Cast as rancher Mike Sturges, Steve Reeves learns that his herd of horses have been stolen and most of his riders killed. Tracy survives the ambush and makes it back to alert Mike about the theft of horseflesh. Mike rides out with his kid brother Roy (Franco Fantasia of "Hercules, Samson & Ulysses," and their ranch hand Bobcat Bates (Mario Maranzana of "The Nephews of Zorro") to recover the stolen horses because they have their fortune tied up in them. They ride to the farthest water hole at Dragoon Springs and camp. During the night, a stranger enters their camp. Mike recognizes Marlin Mayner (Wade Preston of "A Man Called Sledge") and Marlin warns them that they are sleeping on the right of way of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Marlin lies that he serves as a Southern Pacific investigator. He explains to Mike that the railroad is uneasy with drifters encroaching on it land since several robberies have occurred. Moreover, he points out to Mike that the ex-convict turn ranch hand Bobcat Bates would arose the suspicions of any lawman. As it turns out, Marlin was the dastard that arranged the ambush of Mike's horse herd, but Mike doesn't know this at this point. After Marlin leaves, Mike rides out to investigate. An unknown assailants floats a lariat over Mike's head, pulls him off his horse, and shoots him in the leg.Meanwhile, the Southern Pacific train pulls up the water tower at night to replenish the boiler of the locomotive. Marlin's outlaws open fire and pour a barrage of lead into the train. They wipe out all the guards and then dynamite the boxcar containing the loot. They make off with $80-thousand in gold coin. The authorities, Sheriff Max Freeman (Mimmo Palmara of "Bullets Don't Argue") arrive not long afterward and question Mike about the robbery. Savagely, he tries to beat any information out of Mike. As it turns out, the evidence is incriminating because Bobcat's dead body has been found near the railroad tracks. Later, despite a courtroom scene that was never shot, Mike and his brother Roy wind up in the infamous Yuma Prison. The scenes showing Mike smashing rocks in a quarry is the first time that Reeves bares his Mr. Universe chest. An evil Prison supervisor tortures Roy and kills him. Mike takes advantage of a prison riot to break out of Yuma. Eventually, he tracks down the villains, wipes them out and returns the $80-thousand that Marlin had buried in a safe place."A Long Ride from Hell" is nothing special and only the combined star power of Reeves and Preston make it worth watching.

While this is one of the better "spaghetti westerns" from the 1960s, it is little known in this country despite the presence of Steve Reeves in the starring role. Reeves' looks and presence here indicate that he could have had a post-Hercules career in the movies and it's both sad and puzzling that this career never evolved.The movie itself lacks the flamboyant, even operatic style one often associates with these westerns, but unlike some of its competitors, this has a solid, well-constructed script which effectively uses the "revenge" theme without any digressions or detours. By some standards, this movie might even be labeled "minimalist!"There is one missed opportunity, however. Reeves spends an entire reel laboring on a rock pile in one of those primitive, scorching-hot desert prisons manned by sadistic guards who are quick to dish out brutal punishments. (One is reminded of "Hellgate" or "There Was a Crooked Man.") He sometimes works with his shirt off -- giving us a look at that glorious, suntanned, sweat-streaked torso -- and he's sometimes given a punch or a kick or a shove. However, there's no scene of Reeves being tied to a post and given a savage flogging across his bare back. Since Reeves had one of those born-to-be-whipped bodies, it's unfortunate the makers of this movie didn't take advantage of this resource.

Great movie that's been down played and over looked for years. Reeves was born to make Westerns. If you loved his "Sword and Sandal" films this one won't let you down. Cool action, great shoot outs and that classic build that put's his contemporaries to shame. On the other hand, if you like the Westerns that were coming out of Italy at the time, you've got to check this one out. Not going to go so far as to say he rivals Eastwood but Reeves is heads above most of the guys who tried their hands in the genre. Best of all it shows off Revee's horse riding skills that were only hinted to in the "Hercules" type films. Very hard to find on tape but well worth the effort once you get your hands on a copy.