Review: His Name Was King

Richard Harrison stars as John ‘King’ Marley on a vengeance mission to kill the scummy Benson brothers (led by Goffredo Unger) gun smugglers who murdered Marley’s brother and raped the brother’s new bride (Anne Puskin). Klaus Kinski plays a sheriff who is friends with ‘King’, whilst Luciano Pigozzi plays an antagonistic government agent.

 

Lean and mean at under 80 minutes, this 1971 spaghetti western from director Giancarlo Romitelli (a bit more prolific as an assistant director) goes under several titles, but I saw it under “His Name Was King”. Mind you, it turns out the main character’s name is John Marley so that’s a lying arse title (and lying arse accompanying song, which is otherwise cool). Still, solidly directed by Romitelli and scripted by Renato Savino (“Hey, Amigo…Rest in Peace!”), this is a solid spaghetti western that deserves wider recognition. In a way you could almost call this an anti-Leone spaghetti western given how short and breezy it is, no fat on the bone here at all. That’s not a judgement, just an observation.

 

There’s plenty of action here and American actor Richard Harrison is works well enough as our exported ‘star’. This poor bugger turned down “A Fistful of Dollars” and recommended Clint Eastwood for the part. I wonder if he ever regretted that one, because while he gave us Clint Eastwood he could’ve given us Richard Harrison instead (both are still alive in 2024, by the way). Italy’s answer to Peter Lorre, Luciano Pigozzi is solid too but his rather ordinary role seems a waste of his talents. Even worse is the wastage of Klaus Kinski in a role that for 95% of its length doesn’t play to his strengths and keeps him on the sidelines. On the plus side the major villains of the piece are suitably scummy, with Lucio Zarini in particular standing out. The film is at its best when they are on screen. A good, violent climax too.

 

A well-cast Richard Harrison anchors this more than decent B-spaghetti western. So short that there’s no room for dead spots and quite a bit of exciting action helps too. Worth seeking out if this subgenre is your thing, but a couple of the bigger names are wasted in support.

 

Rating: B-

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