The Stranger and the Gunfighter

The Stranger and the Gunfighter

Original Title: El kárate, el Colt y el impostor

AKA: Blood Money 

Genre: Kung fu / Spaghetti Western

Director: Antonio Margheriti

Year: 1974

A martial artist joins a hard-hitting gunfighter in the search for treasure while bandits step into their way.

Despite its drop in popularity by '74, the Spaghetti Western was still bringing in good money & with the Shaw Brothers having so much success in Hong Kong with their martial-arts pictures it was no surprise that the two worlds would be brought together. This had already happened a few years previously with Red Sun starring Charlie Bronson, but this picture saw the Shaw Brothers & the Italians work together to produce this predictable, yet entertaining flick. 

The Stranger And The Gunfighter (sometimes called Blood Money) sees the unlikely pairing of Lo Lieh & Lee Van Cleef as they go around trying to find four women who have each had a small tattoo placed on their back sides which together reveal the whereabouts of a huge amount of treasure. Lo Lieh's martial arts are pretty much non existant in the first half with a couple of predictable fight scenes but he really comes to life in the back end of the film. It is also strange seeing Lee Van Cleef play a character who is so animated after seeing him in so many westerns play the type of character that only speaks when he has to.

Director Antonio Margheriti did a good job at keeping the film playful, it has comedic moments but they never feel too obvious & tonally feels just about right with a nice blend of action & adventure. There is a dip around the hour mark where things slow down and the pacing feels off but for the most part it remains engaging. Had this been made six years before it'd of been a completely different picture with a much tougher edge but it remains an enjoyable flick, the kind you'll enjoy at the time but forget about by the next day.

Rating: ★★★

The Good, The Bad & The Kung-Fu