Land Raiders ** (1970, Telly Savalas, George Maharis, Arlene Dahl, Janet Landgard) – Classic Movie Review 10,826

‘To Hell With The Gringos! They rob our land! Violate our women! Take our lives! NOW IT’S OUR TURN TO TASTE BLOOD!’

Director Nathan H Juran’s tolerable, typically blood-thirsty 1970 American spaghetti Western Technicolor film Land Raiders stars Telly Savalas, George Maharis, Arlene Dahl and Janet Landgard, is made by Morningside Productions and released by Columbia Pictures.

Telly Savalas stars as ruthless Indian-hating Vince Cardenas, committing a string of robberies and murders and blaming the Apache while dominating the Arizona territory town of Forge River. His crimes and hatred alienate his wife Martha Cardenas (Arlene Dahl) and brother Paul (George Maharis), who joins a wagon train that is attacked by Indians in retaliation for a raid by Vince. Paul and Kate Mayfield (Janet Landgard), returning home from her education back East, are sole survivors. Vince uses the attack as an excuse to lead a raid on an Apache village, igniting a revenge assault on Forge River.

Land Raiders is produced by Charles H Schneer, known for producing most of Ray Harryhausen’s films, three of which were also directed by Juran. The story is by Ken Pettus, Pat Silver-Lasky and Jesse Lasky Jr and the screenplay by Ken Pettus.

This American financed Euro-Western is shot mainly in Spain, with many local crew members and minor-role actors, and also in Budapest, Hungary.

It runs 101 minutes, and is padded out with poorly integrated stock shots of stampedes, raids, horses and extras.

The cast are Telly Savalas as Vince Cardenas, George Maharis as Paul Cardenas, Arlene Dahl as Martha Cardenas, Janet Landgard as Kate Mayfield, Guy Rolfe as Major Tanner, Paul Picerni as Carney/ Arturo, Phil Brown as Sheriff John Mayfield, George Coulouris as Cardenas, Jocelyn Lane as Luisa Rojas, Fernando Rey as Priet, Robert Carricart as Julio Rojas, John Clark as Ace, Charles Stalmaker as Frank Willis, Marcella Saint-Amant as Luisa Montoya and Gustavo Rojo as Indio.

Paul Picerni [Horace Paul Picerni] has a dual role and is billed twice: under his normal name as Carney and as H P Picerni for Arturo.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 10,826

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