It was not planned that this this film would be the next one I would watch right after Django Kill! ...If You Live, Shoot! (an unofficial Django sequel), but it feels very appropriate.
The director of this film, Sergio Corbucci, directed the original Django. That film also involves the aftermath of the Civil War and a secret that is kept in a coffin. Maybe Corbucci had a thing for coffins. Maybe the metaphor of never being able to outrun the ghosts and skeletons of your past by having to drag a literal coffin around with you really resonated with him.
Film #12 The Hellbenders (1967)
Here is the imdb.com cast listing. Here is the wikipedia page about the production.
Colonel Jonas (Joseph Cotton) lead a regiment of men during the Civil War called The Hellbenders. The Confederacy has surrendered and the war is over, but not for Jonas. He and his three sons ambush an army convoy that are taking over a million in old banknotes to be destroyed. Jonas's plan is to take the money and restart the war effort and have the south rise again.
They are successful in murdering all the soldiers and getting the notes. They stash them in a coffin that they have a forged permit for. The coffin is supposed to contain the remains of a Confederate officer that they are bringing home for a proper burial. They have to have a grieving widow with them in order to make the plan work as the permit lists the wife as the reason why the body was allowed to be moved in the first place.
The widow, the role initially filled by a drunkard named Kitty, complicates the plan as she acts out in attempts to get Jonas to pay attention to her. She almost costs them everything by taking the stagecoach with the cash coffin and loses control of the horses. They recover the coffin and the coach, but one of Jonas's sons stabs her to death when she struggles under him.
Needing a new widow, another son is sent into the nearby town to find a woman for the role. He locates a smart self assured woman named Claire. He lies to her about the job that is needed but by the time she figures it out, she can't escape Jonas and his singular determination to restart the Civil War.
The film then goes from complication to complication as they try to avoid drawing too much attention from the army, townsfolk, raiders, and Indians on their way home. Every time they think the coast is clear and the path is worry free, another wrinkle pops up, and the tensions mount. One way or another, Jonas is getting his war, no matter who stands in the way.
When reading on this film after watching it, two things stuck out to me that really make a lot of sense: the original title and who it influenced.
The original title for this film was 'The Cruel Ones' and it feels like it fits a lot better than The Hellbenders and fits the tone with the way people treat each other in the film. No one is truly good in this film. Not even Ben, the one non-rapey stabby brother who is the bastard of Jonas, is someone to root for. Ultimately he helped killed the convoy and was supporting his father's plans. Even Claire is not innocent as she had opportunities to reveal the truth about being held against her will but she kept silent as she had fallen in love with Ben.
And secondly, according to the imdb.com trivia (taken with a grain of salt) that supposedly this film was selected by Quentin Tarantino for a Tarantino Film Fest. The second half of this film felt like a proto Tarantino film as the main characters clearly don't trust one another but are still moving along with the plan, waiting for their moment to turn on each other. Jonas even says at one point something like 'Even if none you believe in the cause, I believe enough for everyone.' He won't admit defeat. And it will lead to his ultimate undoing. Very Tarantino.
Joseph Cotton as Jonas is interesting. He is never shown as a good man, but Cotton plays him as a mixture of piss and vinegar and soldierly pride that makes him oddly compelling. He once lead men that believed in the same things he did. The world has changed and he refuses to change with it. You can't ever like a man like Colonel Jonas but you see how he came to be.
Spoiler alert: do not watch the clip below if you don't want to know how the film ends. it is the only singular scene I can find available to share. It is a hell of moment, but ruins a lot of the journey to get there. Cotton's reactions sells it.
The score again is done by Ennio Morricone. It is really nice and a little more subdued versus the other pieces I have heard so far. This film isn't epic (I don't mean that as an insult, it is a down on the ground and dirty look at what desperate people will do to reach their goals) and the score shouldn't be either.
The Hellbenders was worth to watch for just how everything spiraled out in the end. The anti-climax by design is meant to take the wind out of your sails and it works. The film leads to a sour punch line and after looking back on it, there was no other place for it to go and not feel right.
Western Checklist (nowhere near official or scientific):
- Weird gang member names? There was a man named Tolt, that's about much as I got.
- Beautiful landscapes? Not really. I don't know if it was the version I was watching (which the cover art on Amazon said 'digitally remastered' but it looked like a rip from a VHS copy) or something else, but the film looks dusty and jagged. it fit the feel of the film though.
- Does a building catch fire? No, a lot of dynamite is used at the start.
- Any terrified horses? Many. I felt so bad for all of them at the start with all the explosions going off. People act scared. Horses are actually scared out of their minds.
- Does it have a theme song with the name of the film in the title? No. Again, I can't help myself, here is the Morricone theme. It is different but quite good.
Rating:
3 out of 5 tin stars. The pressure cooker of the distrustful working together for a common goal is always a good basis for an interesting story. Joseph Cotton as Colonel Jonas applied the heat well and his grim determination kept the film moving forward. If you want to see the bones Tarantino dug up when putting together the skeletons of his films, start here.
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