Really Surprised!

Amateur movie with Big budget

Absolutely the worst movie.

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

Good Gazpacho Western well realized by the best Paella Western director , Joaquin Romero Marchent , under pseudonym Paul Marchenti . Typical S.W. with itinerary's structure in which step by step are dieing various cutthroats . Since a gold mine until Fort Green , a wagon load of convicts formed by an assortment of seven sadistic , murderous prisoners (Manuel Tejada , Antonio Iranzo, Ricardo Diaz , Alberto Dalbes , Rafael Hernandez , Jose Manuel Martin and Carlos Romero Marchent , director's brother) condemned to death row on their way to jail is being escorted through the mountains by a cavalry sergeant (Robert Hundar) and troopers . But it results to be a trick to deceive some bandits who attempt to rob the wagon . They then are attacked by a nefarious gang led by Woody (Xan Das Bolas) along with his hoodlums (Dan Van Husen) , and only survive 7 convicts and the sergeant , his beautiful young daughter named Kathy (Emma Cohen) whose wife (Mabel Karr) and mother has been killed by one of them . The survivors are left without horses or a wagon and the chained gang flees throughout snowy and dangerous landscapes . The sergeant must find a way to get his prisoners to their destination while protecting his daughter , watching out for the still chasing outlaws and attempting to determine which one of the cutthroats was the man who raped and killed his spouse.This exciting picture contains thrills , chills , good dramatic pace , slick direction , graphic violence , action-filled with fierce fights and loads of gore and guts . Director Marchent achieved in "Nine cutthroats" possibly his best work of a modest career , with some memorable scenes , shockingly violent ,and good camera movement , as he creates a strange Western that manages to be both scary , tragic and skilfully made . This in a 1972 Spanish Western whose brutality and gore quotient led it to be marketed as a horror film during its original U.S. release with "terror masks" given out to ticket buyers . It turns out to be a rare spaghetti Western , as you can bone up on the bloodier side of that genre ; including rape , bloody killing , cannibalism , nightmares with zombie-alike and many other things . It relies heavily on a complex narrative , modern narration full of flashbacks , stop-frames and an uneven screenplay written by both , Santiago Moncada and the same director Joaqin Romero Marchent . The creepy images of wide range from the genuinely horrifying to the bizarre along with eerie and amazing frames . It packs a high body-count , it is sometimes slow moving and claustrophobic , in spite of setting on outdoors . It's a thrilling western with spectacular scenarios and breathtaking confrontation among protagonists . This interesting but depressing film contains nasty characters , ambition , human drama , passion , tragical events , complemented with a colorful cinematography and moving musical score . These elements provide the setting for this piece of dramatic deeds , giving it its own special quality and ambient ; making a strong description about a drama of survival and greedy . The musician Carmelo Bernaola composes a nice soundtrack , well conducted , this turns out to be one of the most memorable parts of the movie; as it's full of thrilling sounds and haunting musical background . Nice cinematography , though being necessary a right remastering , photography in Panoramic and Eastmancolor filmed by excellent cameraman Luis Cuadrado on locations in Spanish Pyrenees from Huesca , including gorgeous snowy outdoors ; good sets by Cubero and Jose Luis Galicia who carried out most production design on Western shot in Spain.The motion picture was compellingly directed and in personal style by Joaquin Luis Romero Marchent at his best . He began directing two films for producer Ignacio F. Iquino such as ¨Juzgado Permanente¨ and ¨Sor Anqelica¨ . Marchent replaced Mexican director Fernando Soler filming ¨El Coyote¨ and the sequel titled ¨Revenge of Coyote¨ , both of them shot in Mexico . These successes along with ¨The shadow of Zorro¨ and ¨Revenge of Zorro¨ became a notorious writer and director of good Western . He went go directing Paella Western as ¨ Riding to death ¨ , ¨Adventures in the West¨ , ¨Three good men¨, ¨Sabor Venganza ¨ , ¨Fedra West¨ and of course ¨Condenados a Vivir¨ . Plus , he wrote for his brother Rafael Romero Marchent the followings Western : ¨Manos Torpes¨, ¨Ocaso Un Pistolero¨ and ¨Garringo¨ . Although he also made Neo-realist comedy such as ¨Fulano Y Mengano¨ , Hombre Viajaba Despacito , and ¨Hombre De Paraguas Blanco¨. ¨9 Cutthroats¨ rating : Better than average , this is his most popular and violent Western . Worthwhile watching .

Somewhere in the original 1972 "Cut Throats Nine" , is a decent story waiting to be told. Unfortunately it is so muddled with flashbacks, little character development, and gratuitous sadism, that it loses most of it's momentum. A sergeant seeking revenge for his wife's murder, escorts a wagon full of prisoners toward a fort stockade, not knowing which one stabbed his wife. Complicating things,for whatever reason, his daughter comes along. The whole plot hinges on the not likely belief that the eight chained men could not at some point overpower one man and a girl. Men die, horses die, and what seems like an endless hike in the snow ensues. Hopefully the 2011 remake will clear up some of the issues that drag on the original. - MERK

I knew this Spanish-made Spaghetti Western had some kind of notoriety in Euro-Cult circles but, since I was totally unfamiliar with its director, I didn't really expect a lot from it; as it turned out, it's one of the nastiest films of its kind – surpassing even DJANGO, KILL! (1967) in its bleakness, nihilism and graphic depiction of extreme violence! The plot itself is highly unusual: a cart-load of slimy, murdering convicts is being transported through dangerous terrain in the mountains by a cavalry officer and his daughter; the catch is that one of them was responsible for the brutal killing of the soldier's wife – and, ingeniously, their gold cargo (coveted by bandits) has been disguised as the length of chain shackling the prisoners together! Soon, they lose their transport, provisions and one of their number – and they're forced to continue the journey on foot; the already tenuous relationship within the party continues to deteriorate – as the sex-crazed men turn on the girl, leading the soldier to himself commit cold-blooded murder; then, half-way through the picture, the convicts get the upper hand and the soldier (ostensibly, the hero figure) is killed in gory fashion! Still, the girl has a surprising ally in one of the remaining prisoners…except that his tenderness is belied by the final revelation concerning the nature of his crimes (most of the characters' back-story is effectively retold in intermittent flashbacks heralded by freeze-framing)! The effective choral score (reminiscent of Gothic horror movies, no less) admirably evokes the danger and the savagery of the narrative; while most of the cast members were also unknown to me even when their faces looked vaguely familiar, I especially appreciated the contribution of a couple of Jess Franco alumni – namely Emma Cohen (from the startling if still little-known THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR [1973]) as the only female presence in the film of any stature and Alberto Dalbes (star of all three of the Spaniard's Universal horror pastiches) as the gambler leader of the chain gang.To get to the brutality, it comes in all varieties (including a shot to the back of a woman's head at point-blank range) – though, especially disturbing, is its propensity for severed limbs, charred corpses and, worst of all, gut-spilling!! I should mention here that the script (courtesy of renowned Euro-Cult scribe Santiago Moncada) also includes a sequence where one of the prisoners suffers a hallucination of the murdered soldier's corpse coming back to life to haunt him. The finale, then, sees no survivors – as the long-suffering girl decides to take the matter into her own fragile little hands with a single, definite explosive act.

Dunno what the last reviewer was on, but this bleak movie was rather good, although very grim and quite gory in places. A neat ending which suited the tone of the rest of the film. Emma Cohen was good in the sole female role, and convincing enough to be scared and unsure of the all male cast. The snowy settings were a good addition, although I agree that the music was too repetitive, and the dubbing unconvincing. But as a macho western, this flick sure kicks arse!....quite disturbing in places. A sort of 'And Then There Were None' for grown ups! The type of movie that would not get made today, and a great addition to any exploitation collectors collection.