Many Spaghetti Western titles are more entertaining than the actual film. Directed by future horror maestro Lucio Fulci, Massacre Time (1967) tries to enliven its mayhem with sadistic violence, but only fitfully succeeds.Prospector Tom Corbett (Franco Nero) visits his old hometown of Laramie. He finds that local landowner Scott (Giuseppe Addobbati) runs it as a fiefdom, with his sadistic son Junior (Nino Castelnuevo) running roughshod over miners and farmers alike. Tom teams with his estranged brother Jeff (George Hilton) to fight the Scotts, leading to violence and shocking revelations.
At least Massacre Time tries to offer something beyond typical Spaghetti tropes. Fulci apes Anthony Mann showing Scott and Junior arguing over the latter's depravity, contrasting with Tom and Jeff's equally rough relationship. But the plot doesn't amount to much, even when it's revealed that Tom is Scott's son, and everything's predictable. Fulci's mostly content garnishing the story with overwrought violence, from an opening where Junior's dogs tear a Mexican to shreds, or a violent whip fight between Tom and Junior.
Franco Nero's uncommonly bland hero (borrowing Clint Eastwood's get-up from A Fistful of Dollars) isn't very compelling; George Hilton as his irreverent brother fares better. They make a respectable enough team. Nino Castelnuevo makes a compelling villain, with elegant white suit and his head perpetually cocked to one side; Giuseppe Addobbati offers contrast as his harried, well-intentioned father.
Massacre Time should appease Spaghetti Western buffs seeking their surfeit of ultraviolence. Despite its pedigree and stabs at complexity, Fulci's film is mostly unmemorable.
