The Great Treasure Hunt (1972)

Nice SW with a strong cast, 15 May 2017
- Monta in sella!! Figlio di...

A blind man named Felipe recruits a team to help him steal the gold from a heavily guarded Mexican fortress. His crew consists of two bank-robbing brothers, Dean (Mark Damon) and Sam (Stelvio Rosi); a retired safecracker and explosives expert, Andre (Alfredo Mayo); and Andre's "niece", Agnes (Rosalba Neri), a card-shark and hustler. Having been a prisoner at the fortress, Felipe knows how to get the gang in and out, but, being blind, he needs help with the heist. Surely it can't be as straightforward and simple as Felipe makes it sound, can it?

The Great Treasure Hunt (or The Great Chihuahua Treasure Hunt – I like that name better) is an interesting take on the whole Spaghetti Western genre. The movie is actually one part SW and one part Euro- heist – two genres I love. Here, they mix well together. The Great Treasure Hunt is also a fairly lightweight, breezy film. Not as light as something like Trinity, but nowhere near as serious or dark as most SWs. The film features plenty of gunplay and fistfights, but nothing overly graphic. The plot to loot the gold is fairly well thought out. Between the explosives on the roof, Agnes' plan to steal the key, and the cannon guarding the treasure, it's all a lot of fun. The cast is top notch. All four of the main cast members are solid. Damon and Rosi play well off each other. There were times where I feared their shtick might devolve into slapstick, but director Tonino Ricci was smart enough to pull back on the reigns. I'm not sure I'm overly familiar with a lot of Mayo's work, but he had a long, long career before making this movie – beginning in 1935. And then there's Rosalba Neri – I can't think of an instance where I enjoyed one of her performances more. And unlike a lot of other movies she appeared in, especially SWs, her screen time in The Great Treasure Hunt is equal to the guys. Finally, there's the twist at the end. It worked on me. What more can you ask? Overall, a nice little SW.

7/10