Take A Hard Ride (1975)

When his cattle rancher boss (Dana Andrews) dies of a heart attack, his right hand man (Jim Brown) promises the dying man to deliver $86,000 to his wife in Mexico. But when word gets out what he's carrying, suddenly a lot of people with an eye on the money attempt to prevent him from keeping his promise. This peculiar mixture of blaxploitation and spaghetti western with a dash of kung-fu oddly works for its first hour but I had trouble sustaining interest during its second half when it turns into a rather routine western. Directed by Antonio Margheriti (YOR, THE HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE), the movie was shot in the Canary Islands which make for a very convincing substitute for the American and Mexican west. Only Jerry Goldsmith's zippy score which cries out big budget Hollywood western hurts the spaghetti western like atmosphere. The stoic Brown has a strong screen presence but not much else so Fred Williamson (BLACK CAESAR) contributes a more lively performance while Jim Kelly (ENTER THE DRAGON) as a mute Indian provides the martial arts. With Lee Van Cleef as the squint eyed bounty hunter tracking the men, Catherine Spaak, Barry Sullivan and Harry Carey Jr.