Man Called Invincible
AKA Lo Chiamavano Tresette... Giocava Sempre Col Morto
Directed By Giuliano Carnimeo
Released: 1973
Starring: George Hilton, Cris Huerta, Alfio Caltabiano, and Evelyn Stewart
Running Time: 82 minutes
DVD Released By Southern DVD

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Tricky Dicky (played by George Hilton) is hired by Mr. McPiedish to transport all of Apple Pie City’s gold through some dangerous territory. To help him perform this task, Dicky is accompanied by Apple Pie City’s sheriff, Bambi (Cris Huerta). The two battle outlaws of every kind during their journey including a leather-clad bounty hunter named Twinkle Toes (Alfio Caltabiano). When Dicky and Bambi discover that Mr. McPiedish and bakery tycoon Marlene (Evelyn Stewart) are planning their own conspiracy to steal the gold, they decide to teach them both a lesson.

This is a first for me: a Spaghetti Western Comedy. From Giuliano Carnimeo, director of the classic Giallo The Case of the Bloody Iris and the truly trashy Ratman, comes Man Called Invincible, a film parodying Sergio Leone’s “Man With No Name” trilogy and a number of other staples of the genre. Bruno Nicolai provides the wonderful score and Stelvio Massi (Emergency Squad) handles the decent (though not particularly spectacular) cinematography.

Ah, George Hilton (My Dear Killer)! One of my favorite Italian actors shows that he definitely doesn’t take himself too seriously by appearing in this one. The scene where he verifies the purity of some gold dust by snorting it is friggin’ amazing. The supremely gorgeous Evelyn Stewart (Case Of The Scorpion’s Tail) is on hand but her role is way too small for my liking. Sharp-eyed folks will spot Spaghetti Western regulars Nello Pazzafini (The Big Gundown) and Sal Borgese (Adios Sabata). And the very large Portuguese actor Cris Huerta is excellent as Bambi, the brutish sherrif of Apple Pie City.

The sets are clearly leftovers from other films and the budget was definitely miniscule, yet the film still entertains. Man Called Invincible is quite funny and goes out of its way to wallow in the running jokes and (sometimes childish) slapstick gags. Did I mention Rosalba Neri’s hideous mustache? No? Well, it’s all in there. Like Prego.

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DVD Stuff:

The widescreen print is in pretty decent shape with only some very minor scratches. The colors are a tad washed out but still pleasing to the eye. The mono audio (English or Italian) sounds just fine. The only extra on the disc is the film’s English trailer. Though it isn’t a particularly glamorous edition (worst cover art I’ve seen in a while), I consider this disc an essential for Spaghetti Western completists.

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Links:

Get this DVD from Xploited Cinema.

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Quotes:

Twinkle Toes: “He who laughs longest is most likely to wet his trousers.”