The Hellbenders

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The Hellbenders

1967

1h 32m

Western

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3 Reviews

58%

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250+ Ratings

The Civil War is over and the South has fallen, but Col. Jonas (Joseph Cotten) has a plan to revive the Confederacy. He raids a Union Army detail and walks away with valuable treasure that he intends to put to use raising another rebel army. Jonas needs to keep the treasure safe during shipment, so he places it in a coffin and forces saloon girl Claire (Norma Bengell) to play widow. Claire is unwilling to do her part, however, and puts herself in danger by opposing the dangerous Jonas.

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A moderately entertaining oater.

Rated: 2.5/4

Feb 18, 2025

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Terry Staunton

Radio Times

Cotten displays steely charisma in the role of a borderline madman with a dubious political agenda, his cruelty evident in the film's often shocking violence, and Bengell does well as the ruthless opportunist ultimately facing a moral conundrum.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 11, 2025

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Nathanael Hood

Unseen Films

Though ostensibly just a piece of violent Western pulp, Corbucci inadvertently revealed the rot at the heart of Confederate revisionism: they really were that twisted and evil.

Rated: 9/10

Apr 24, 2020

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Dane W

it better then navajo joe

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/19/23

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david f

This spaghetti Western has all the stereotypes and plot twists appropriate to the genre, from the ex-Confederate soldier family trying to steal a coach full of money to restart the Confederate States of America, to barroom gamblers and Mexican bandits. Entertaining if generic.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

lousy with cringe-worthy tropes that plague the genre

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

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Audience Member

Joseph Cotton is awesomely menacing in this grim portrayal of the post-Confederate frontier. It fearlessly depicts the utter cruelty of former Confederate soldiers in what is certainly one of the harshest, albeit less graphic, spaghetti westerns about the subject.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/11/20

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Audience Member

good little spaghetti Western from 1967. Not an all time classic, but any fan of the Western genre should like it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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Audience Member

Another great lesser known Corbucci spaghetti, Joseph Cotten played one mean guy!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Sergio Corbucci

Director

Joseph Cotten

Col. Jonas

Norma Bengell

Claire

Julian Mateos

Ben

Gino Pernice

Jeff

Ángel Aranda

Nat

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Synopsis

The Civil War is over and the South has fallen, but Col. Jonas (Joseph Cotten) has a plan to revive the Confederacy. He raids a Union Army detail and walks away with valuable treasure that he intends to put to use raising another rebel army. Jonas needs to keep the treasure safe during shipment, so he places it in a coffin and forces saloon girl Claire (Norma Bengell) to play widow. Claire is unwilling to do her part, however, and puts herself in danger by opposing the dangerous Jonas.

Director: Sergio Corbucci
Screenwriter: Albert Band
Production Co: Tecisa, Alba Cinematografica
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 10, 2017
Runtime: 1h 32m

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