Movie Review: Four Dollars of Revenge

Four Dollars of Revenge (Cuatro dólares de venganza) a.k.a Four Dollars for Vengeance 

Balcázar Producciones Cinematográficas, Compagnia Ambrosiana Cinematografica de Roma, Spain, Italy, 1966. 

This movie can be found in Ten Thousand Ways to Die The Spaghetti Western Collection 12 Movie Pack by Mill Creek Entertainment.

War hero Captain Roy Dexter (Robert Woods) is retiring from cavalry and campaigning to become  governor. Clifford Hamilton (Gérard Tichy) also wants to be a governor. Reporter Banyon (unknown actor, in some sources he is named Osvaldo Genazzani but he looks completely different) supports Roy. Roy and his friend Captain Barry Haller (Angelo Infanti) are wooing Mercedes (Dana Ghia). Mercedes selects Roy. Roy has an unpleasant drunk gambler cousin Dave Griffith (Antonio Molino Rojo) who is always begging more money. 

Roy Dexter

Hamilton

Barry Haller

Roy is assigned to final mission to escort a shimpment of confiscated Confederate gold coins to Washington. Someone betrays the army and bandits kill everyone except Roy. Someone frames Roy for the robbery. In the trial Dave testifies against Roy and he is sentenced for life. In the rock quarry someone tries to murder Roy. Roy decides that pounding rocks is not safe anymore so he escapes and everyone believes that he fell off a cliff. 

Mercedes

Banyon

Dave & his wife (Eleanora Bianchi)

Roy saves a man's life and gains a loyal sidekick, Pedro (Tomás Torres). Pedro tells that Manuel de Losa (José Manuel Martín) was the leader of the bandits behind the robbery. Roy infiltrates the gang and starts to hunt down the guys who betrayed him. Also Colonel Jackson (Antonio Casas) suspects that Roy may be innocent. Roy's Mexican outfit and beard prove to be good disguises. 

Bandits attack

Pedro

Manuel de Losa

Bruno Corbucci (brother of Sergio and the writer of scripts for "Django" and many Terence Hill & Bud Spencer movies) co-wrote the story. This is like Spaghetti western version of "The Count of Monte Cristo", even Roy's love interest has the same name as in the original story. True to its roots there are also some sword fights. 

The cinematography looks nice but this copy suffers from bad pan & scan and blurring near the edges. The movie is quite good mystery type revenge western. There is a good suspenseful scene where Roy meets one of the traitors in a dark room, then lights a match and reveals his face. 

Rating: Good 

Starring: Robert Woods, Dana Ghia, Angelo Infanti, Antonio Casas, José Manuel Martín, Gérard Tichy, Tomás Torres, Giulio Maculani, Antonio Molino Rojo, Osvaldo Genazzani, Gardenia Polito, Lucio Rosato, Gianluigi Crescenzi, Gustavo Re, Sergio Doré, Carlos Ronda, Eleanora Bianchi, Robert Hoot, Francisco Nieto, Miguel De La Riva 

Director: Jaime Jesús Balcázar