The Brute and the Beast

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DanTheMan 2 Fortunate enough to have two future icons of Italian exploitation cinema involved in its genesis, Massacre Time succeeds thanks to a sharply cynical script by Fernando Di Leo and flashes of the penchant for savage violence that would define Lucio Fulci's later career. Although the tediously slow pace of the first half is certainly painful at times, once everything kicks off, the film picks up exponentially. While the plot is relatively straightforward and efficient, the same cannot be said for the film's visuals, which are as visually expressive as the script is ably crafted; it's beautifully shot, thanks to Fulci's artful and stylish directing, and the framings are often remarkable. Chock-full of eerie moments, creative camerawork and gruesome graphic murders, it's weird to think this was his first big break as a director following years of being allocated to constructing low-budget comedies without much freedom of expression. The wandering camera is always in the centre of the action, especially in the hyper-violent, almost hypnotic, final shootout where Fulci ups the ante, forgets some of the nagging complaints of physics and goes all out. Characters do flips, fire their weapons in mid-air, and even a few pigeons and some symbolism are also thrown in. John Woo undoubtedly took notes, though the only things missing here are the long black trench coats and window diving. Backed by a respectably catchy score by Lallo Gori, a star-making turn from George Hilton and cementing Franco Nero as one of the most bankable gunslingers in the business, Massacre Time easily ranks among the most misanthropic examples of the genre, as dark and stylish as it is overblown and violent. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/04/25 Full Review Daniel C. M Personal favorite of mine. A short and entertaining spaghetti western with not really much to it. Standard revenge storyline, good pacing and action though. Really fun and rewatchable Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/25 Full Review delysid d Those were the good old days, when you could have a nice wholesome massacre and no one would complain Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/15/19 Full Review Audience Member While far from the pinnacle of spaghetti westerns, ‘The Brute and the Beast’ is a gritty revenge flick with the fabulous Franco Nero. It’s a little bit slow at times, but the shootouts and chases are pretty solid and definitely warrant a watch. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/31/18 Full Review Audience Member A strong and gritty spaghetti Western winner from Lucio Fulci--Rare Western From the Godfather of Gore!! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member 130427: It's funny how tastes and opinions differ. Flixster's synopsis makes this out to be a classic. Perhaps if compared to all spaghetti westerns? And my opinion of the first sequence is totally opposite of Conner R's. I figure if you can get by the first ten, the rest of this film is pretty good. It's classic spaghetti and contains many of the features that make such films fun. Lots of silly action and one classic tactic by Corbett (the somersault to land behind three bad guys). Speaking of "Corbett", that's Franco Nero, star of Django. Perhaps this film is a classic as they consider Django one. Made me smile. Definitely worth a one watch. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Brute and the Beast

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