Sign In / Sign Up

Day of Anger

Day of Anger
Release date: 1967-12-19
Rating: 7.007
Votes: 144
Genres: Western
A scruffy garbage boy becomes the pupil of famed gunfighter Talby, and the stage for confrontation is set when the gunman overruns the boy's town through violence and corruption.

Reviews

DrewBlack

DrewBlack

The main lesson of this film may be “Never mistreat the garbage man, you don’t know how skilled of a gunslinger he is”. Kidding aside, it’s actually a great film about a character’s journey, and features a well written development hardly seen in Spaghetti Westerns, and still manages to be very entertaining. The film tells the story of Scott (Giuliano Gemma), son of a prostitute and an unknown father, who is the garbage man in Clifton, and how he rises to a position of influence in the town, thanks to the help of Frank Talby (Lee Van Cleef)’s lessons. Scott has a phenomenal arc, as he stays in between his own goals and personality and Talby’s pulling of his strings, until the inevitable confrontation between the two. The final conflict has one of the best examples of foreshadowing and character growth in the Spaghetti subgenre. Lee Van Cleef gives a compelling, but “typecast” performance of the old gunfighter teaching important lessons to a young man. It was his third time landing a similar role, the first being in For a Few Dollars More, and the second being Death Rides a Horse. The difference being that in this movie, the “teacher” plays a villainous role, causing it to stand out. Giuliano Gemma gives the performance of a lifetime, getting deep into his character of Scott. He has some of the best delivered lines in Spaghetti Western history, especially after his lessons, when he obtains an important position in the town’s hierarchy. The visible changes in posture, talking and expression as his character progresses are very remarkable. The palette in this film, contrasting with many of its genre, is especially colorful, giving it a lively, almost cartoonish feeling. Examples of this are in the gambling house scenes, that are way more vividly colored than most westerns, not only at the time, but ever. That makes the whole experience of watching very enjoyable. In conclusion, Day of Anger is a hidden gem of the Spaghetti Western. Counting with one of the few well-established character developments in the genre, great performances by two known faces of the era, and a vivid palette, this film should be able to please most audiences.

DrewBlack

DrewBlack

The main lesson of this film may be “Never mistreat the garbage man, you don’t know how skilled of a gunslinger he is”. Kidding aside, it’s actually a great film about a character’s journey, and features a well written development hardly seen in Spaghetti Westerns, and still manages to be very entertaining. The film tells the story of Scott (Giuliano Gemma), son of a prostitute and an unknown father, who is the garbage man in Clifton, and how he rises to a position of influence in the town, thanks to the help of Frank Talby (Lee Van Cleef)’s lessons. Scott has a phenomenal arc, as he stays in between his own goals and personality and Talby’s pulling of his strings, until the inevitable confrontation between the two. The final conflict has one of the best examples of foreshadowing and character growth in the Spaghetti subgenre. Lee Van Cleef gives a compelling, but “typecast” performance of the old gunfighter teaching important lessons to a young man. It was his third time landing a similar role, the first being in For a Few Dollars More, and the second being Death Rides a Horse. The difference being that in this movie, the “teacher” plays a villainous role, causing it to stand out. Giuliano Gemma gives the performance of a lifetime, getting deep into his character of Scott. He has some of the best delivered lines in Spaghetti Western history, especially after his lessons, when he obtains an important position in the town’s hierarchy. The visible changes in posture, talking and expression as his character progresses are very remarkable. The palette in this film, contrasting with many of its genre, is especially colorful, giving it a lively, almost cartoonish feeling. Examples of this are in the gambling house scenes, that are way more vividly colored than most westerns, not only at the time, but ever. That makes the whole experience of watching very enjoyable. In conclusion, Day of Anger is a hidden gem of the Spaghetti Western. Counting with one of the few well-established character developments in the genre, great performances by two known faces of the era, and a vivid palette, this film should be able to please most audiences.

Movie Recommendation

  • Pocketful of Miracles
    Pocketful of Miracles
    1961-12-18
    A New York gangster and his girlfriend attempt to turn street beggar Apple Annie into a society lady when the peddler learns her daughter is marrying royalty.
    More...
  • Will Penny
    Will Penny
    1967-12-19
    Will Penny, an aging cowpoke, takes a job on a ranch which requires him to ride the line of the property looking for trespassers or, worse, squatters. He finds that his cabin in the high mountains has been appropriated by a woman whose guide to Oregon has deserted her and her son. Too ashamed to kick mother and child out just as the bitter winter of the mountains sets in, he agrees to share the cabin until the spring thaw. But it isn't just the snow that slowly thaws; the lonely man and woman soon forget their mutual hostility and start developing a deep love for one another.
    More...
  • Love at First Dance
    Love at First Dance
    2018-06-16
    Hope is tasked with teaching Manhattan's former "Most Eligible Bachelor" how to dance for his extravagant, society wedding. But as the dance lessons progress, complications ensue when feelings begin to develop between student and instructor.
    More...
  • Sabata
    Sabata
    1969-09-16
    Several pillars of society have robbed an Army safe containing $100,000 so they can buy the land upon which the coming railroad will be built. But they haven't reckoned on the presence of the master gunslinger, Sabata.
    More...
  • Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot!
    Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot!
    1967-05-03
    A Mexican outlaw known as "The Stranger" is part of a band of thieves that steal a cargo of gold from a stagecoach. However, the Americans in the band betray him, and shoot all the Mexicans. The Stranger is not completely dead though, and crawls his way out of his shallow grave, continuing his pursuit of the gold, and exacting a bloody vengeance.
    More...
  • I Love Trouble
    I Love Trouble
    1994-06-29
    Rival Chicago reporters Sabrina Peterson and Peter Brackett join forces to uncover a train wreck conspiracy.
    More...
  • Texas, Adios
    Texas, Adios
    1966-08-28
    A Texan sheriff and his younger brother travel across the border into Mexico to confront the man who killed their father.
    More...
  • Return of Sabata
    Return of Sabata
    1971-09-03
    Master gunslinger Sabata arrives in Hobsonville, a town completely owned by McIntock, a robber baron who is taxing the inhabitants for the cost of future improvements to the town. Or that's what McIntock says he'll do with the money...
    More...
  • Big Deal on Madonna Street
    Big Deal on Madonna Street
    1958-07-26
    Best friends Peppe and Mario are thieves, but they're not very good at it. Still, Peppe thinks that he's finally devised a master heist that will make them rich. With the help of some fellow criminals, he plans to dig a tunnel from a rented apartment to the pawnshop next door, where they can rob the safe. But his plan is far from foolproof, and the fact that no one in the group has any experience digging tunnels proves to be the least of their problems.
    More...
  • Django
    Django
    1966-04-06
    A coffin-dragging gunslinger and a prostitute become embroiled in a bitter feud between a merciless masked clan and a band of Mexican revolutionaries.
    More...
  • High Plains Drifter
    High Plains Drifter
    1973-04-19
    A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago. After gunning down three gunmen who tried to kill him, the townsfolk decide to hire the Stranger to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.
    More...
  • For a Few Dollars More
    For a Few Dollars More
    1965-12-18
    Two bounty hunters both pursue the brutal and sadistic bandit, El Indio, who has a large bounty on his head.
    More...
  • The Great Mouse Detective
    The Great Mouse Detective
    1986-07-02
    When the diabolical Professor Ratigan kidnaps London's master toymaker, the brilliant master of disguise Basil of Baker Street and his trusted sidekick Dawson try to elude the ultimate trap and foil the perfect crime.
    More...
  • Desperado
    Desperado
    1995-08-25
    El Mariachi plunges headfirst into the dark border underworld when he follows a trail of blood to the last of the infamous Mexican drug lords, Bucho, for an action-packed, bullet-riddled showdown. With the help of his friend and a beautiful bookstore owner, El Mariachi tracks Bucho, takes on his army of desperados, and leaves his own trail of blood.
    More...
  • 28 Days Later
    28 Days Later
    2002-10-31
    Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs -- and it's absolutely impossible to contain.
    More...
  • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
    The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
    1966-12-22
    While the Civil War rages on between the Union and the Confederacy, three men – a quiet loner, a ruthless hitman, and a Mexican bandit – comb the American Southwest in search of a strongbox containing $200,000 in stolen gold.
    More...
  • Joker
    Joker
    2019-10-01
    During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.
    More...
  • Amélie
    Amélie
    2001-04-25
    At a tiny Parisian café, the adorable yet painfully shy Amélie accidentally discovers a gift for helping others. Soon Amelie is spending her days as a matchmaker, guardian angel, and all-around do-gooder. But when she bumps into a handsome stranger, will she find the courage to become the star of her very own love story?
    More...
  • Good Will Hunting
    Good Will Hunting
    1997-12-05
    Headstrong yet aimless, Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he secretly solves highly difficult graduate-level math problems, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau, who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he gets court-ordered therapy. Eventually, therapist Dr. Sean Maguire helps Will confront the demons that are holding him back.
    More...
  • Gone Girl
    Gone Girl
    2014-10-01
    With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
    More...

Similar Movies