Take A Hard Ride (1975)(DVD)

Synopsis: As the spaghetti western was on its last legs in the mid-1970s, the Hollywood blaxploitation industry cavalry arrived to prolong its demise. This violent example of genre crossbreeding has cowboy Jim Brown on a mission to deliver $86,000 to his dying boss's wife and teaming up with gambler Fred Williamson.

Unfortunately word gets around about the money and they become the target of bounty hunter Lee Van Cleef's ruthless posse. Williamson gives a nicely laconic performance in journeyman Italian exploitation director Antonio Margheriti's Canary Islands shot shoot-em-up, where deft humour rides uncomfortable side-saddle with hosts of bloody corpses.

Second unit director and stunt co-ordinator Hal Needham would soon take a similar but far more effective tongue-in-cheek approach in his Burt Reynolds blockbusters like Smokey and the Bandit.

Cast: Lee Van Cleef, Jim Brown, Fred Williamson
Runtime: 103 min