My Name is Pecos is a 1966 Euro-Western film about a Mexican gunslinger who seeks revenge on the gang leader who killed his entire family.
Directed by Maurizio Lucidi [as Maurice A. Bright] (Street People; Stateline Motel; The Designated Victim; Halleluja for Django; Pecos Cleans Up) from a story and screenplay written by Adriano Bolzoni (The Humanoid; Emergency Squad; Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead; A Fistful of Dollars). Produced by Franco Palombi and Gabriele Silvestri.
The Italcine-Universum Film stars Robert Woods, Pier Paolo Capponi, Lucia Modugno, Peter Carsten, Luigi Casellato, Cristina Iosani and Giuliano Raffaelli. George Eastman [Luigi Montefiori] has a minor role as a henchman.
The soundtrack score was composed by Coriolano Gori [as Lallo Gori] (Violence for Kicks; Werewolf Woman; Calling All Police Cars; One Damned Day at Dawn… Django Meets Sartana!; Coffin Full of Dollars).
Reviews:
“The premise is well-executed and a briskly paced narrative builds to a very satisfying ending. Another strength of My Name is Peco’s is Robert Wood’s portrayal of the protagonist. Though his character is a man of few words, his ability with a gun more than makes up for his moments of silence […] a highly entertaining film…” 10K Bullets
“ …Maurizio Lucidi had a background in editing and it shows in how tautly paced the film is. It looks good too, making nice use of the wide frame […] a fun, if rather generic, spaghetti western with a refreshing Mexican hero (albeit performed by a white actor). With a healthy dose of fast-shooting action and plenty of macho posturing…” Blueprint: Review
” …the evacuated town under siege scenario allows Lucidi to generate some intimate and claustrophobic scenes that are loaded with fantastic dialogue exchanges, suspense and a tangible sense of dread: we just know that as the bad guys get more frustrated and angrier the chances are that those citizens who remain in town are going to feel the sharp end of their wrath.” DVD Talk
“Lucidi directs in a more classical style than was becoming the norm for the genre, but people still die with large bloody impact wounds […] It’s easy to see why these films were popular even outside of Italy, with their higher violence quota making comparable American oaters seem tame and dull. Kline is an unusually restrained main villain while the few townsfolk remaining are quite well-drawn…” Horror Cult Films
“Though My Name Is Pecos proved popular enough to spawn a sequel, its protagonist lacks the panache of Django, Trinity, Ringo, and even Sartana, and while it doesn’t lack for righteous, biblical fury and a few corking lines, the film ends with a literal bang and a bit of a whimper.” Slant
” …a solid, if unremarkable, revenge plot […] The action moves along at a good pace […] The showdown is an exciting enough piece of action although I think several of the villains, especially Kline, die way too quickly.” Voices from the Balcony
Choice dialogue:
Pecos: “I spit on your money!”
Blu-ray Box-set:
Arrow Video released the Vengeance Trails Box-set in the UK and USA on July 27, 2021.
“In the mid-1960s, the runaway success of Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy gave rise to an explosion of similar productions as filmmakers by the dozen sought to capitalize on this new, uniquely Italian take on the western, characterized by their deeply cynical outlook, morally compromised antiheroes and unflinching depictions of savage violence. This specially curated selection gathers together four outstanding examples of the genre from the height of its popularity, all centred around a theme of revenge.”
Disc 1: Massacre Time
Alternate US dub
New commentary by authors and critics C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke
New documentary featuring a new video interview with actor Franco Nero and an archival video interview with actor George Hilton (49:44)
New video interview with film historian Fabio Melelli (18:32)
Italian trailer (3:02)
German Promotional Gallery (0:54)
Disc 2: My Name is Pecos
New commentary by actor Robert Woods and C. Courtney Joyner
New interview with actor George Eastman (21:05)
New interview with actress Lucia Modugno (18:36)
New documentary featuring a new interview with Fabio Melelli and an archival interview with cinematographer Franco Villa (19:42)
Italian trailer (2:44)
German Promotional Gallery (0:30)
Disc 3: Bandidos
New commentary by author and critic Kat Ellinger
New interview with assistant director Luigi Perelli (18:41)
New interview with actor Gino Barbacane (11:41)
New interview with Fabio Melelli (11:27)
Alternate end title sequence (1:18)
German Promotional Gallery (0:35)
Disc 4: And God Said to Cain
New commentary by author and critic Howard Hughes
New documentary featuring a new interview with Fabio Melelli and a new audio interview with actress Marcella Michelangeli (19:57)
New interview with actor Antonio Cantafora (12:56)
German Promotional Gallery (0:34)
Cast and characters:
Robert Woods … Pecos Martinez
Pier Paolo Capponi … Joe Clane (as Norman Clark)
Lucia Modugno … Mary Burton
Peter Carsten … Steve
Luigi Casellato … Eddie (as Louis Cassel)
Cristina Iosani … Nina (as Christina Josani)
Giuliano Raffaelli … Doctor Berton
Maurizio Bonuglia … Ned (as Morris Boone)
Umberto Raho … Morton (as Umi Raho)
Massimo Righi … Jack (as Max Dean)
Corinne Fontaine … Lola
Renato Mambor … Alex
George Eastman … Clane Henchman [Luigi Montefiori]
Dario De Grassi … Bandido
Kenneth Belton … Bandido
Peter Martell … Bandido
Gino Barbacane … Clane Henchman (uncredited)
Sal Borgese … Slim (uncredited)
Nicola Di Gioia … Mexican Policeman (uncredited)
Orso Maria Guerrini … Clane Henchman (uncredited)
Franco Gulà … Smith (uncredited)
Piero Morgia … Blackie (uncredited)
Filming locations:
Elios Studios, Rome, Italy
Technical details:
83 minutes
Technicolor
Aspect ratio: 2.35: 1 Techniscope
Audio: Mono
Original title:
2 once di piombo (il mio nome è Pecos) “2 ounces of lead (my name is Pecos)”
Trailer (Italian, no English subs):
MOVIES & MANIA says:
My Name is Pecos is a fast-paced (just 83 minutes!) and enjoyable Euro-Western with the distinction of having a ‘Mexican’ character as the hero – even though he’s played by Colorado-born Robert Woods. Aside from the anti-racial element of the plot, the action is pretty much non-stop and includes some nice touches of humour. There is the seemingly requisite downbeat cruelty often associated with Italian productions. Umberto Raho’s priest/undertaker character, who is likened to a “vulture” at one point, is a real bonus.
The Arrow Video Blu-ray includes a hugely entertaining audio commentary by self-deprecating Woods – who, aside from the eye makeup, has only positive things to say about his experience making the movie – and genre expert C. Courtney Joyner who points out how director Maurizio Lucidi doesn’t follow all the clichés inherent in the genre at the time, hardly uses zoom shots and avoids unrealistic stunts. They also identify some slightly different themes in Pecos such as Catholic guilt.
