For those who love tongue-in-cheek Westerns, the 1972 film Man of the East is just for you. It stars the iconic actor Terence Hill, known for his roles in various Spaghetti Western films, whether they were played straight or for laughs.
Upon hearing of his father’s final request, his son, Sir Thomas Fitzpatrick Phillip Moore (Terence Hill, My Name Is Nobody) has come to the Wild West to claim his ranch. Unfortunately, Moore was not aware of his father’s other dying wish was that his friends and gang will show him how to be a “real man”. Moore joins the three remaining members of his group, Bull Schmidt (Gregory Walcott, Plan Nine from Outer Space), Monkey Smith (Dominic Barto, Rocky IV) and Holy Joe (screen legend Harry Carey Jr., Gremlins), who are in for a challenging experience as Moore hates guns, violence, preferring bicycles and poetry to riding horses and engaging in fights. But his resistance to Western manhood can only last for only for so long, as Moore finds himself against a vicious jealous gunman named Morton Clayman (Riccardo Pizzuti, They Call Me Trinity). Clayman takes exception to Moore’s love interest Candida (Yanti Somer, Battle of the Stars) as he had his eyes set on her as well.
Man of the East is a fun satire Western with an excellent cast that gives top-notch performances. Despite the comedic aspect of the film and the gags, it still maintains all the elements of a traditional Spaghetti Western film m incorporating drama, shoot-out gun violence and an old west style love interest to the mix.
Kino Lorber debuts Man of the East on Blu-ray. The film, presented on a dual-layered BD50 disc in 1080p, is an impressive image with bright cheerful crisp colors throughout. The outdoor landscapes look vivid and have a wealth of detail. Skin-tones look accurate, without the use of any digital enhancements. There are few scenes that appeared to be soft and some minor print damage but overall, the visual presentation is terrific.
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack is also serviceable with dialog, gunshots, action sequences and the musical score by Guido & Maurizio de Angelis all come in clear without any distortions. The audio, while clear does sound somewhat subdued, as noises that should jump out at you, do not. Optional English subtitles are offered for this release.
As with most Kino Lorber releases, extras include a commentary and trailers. Man of the East has an audio commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox, giving an essay and sharing his thoughts about the film. Theatrical trailers for Man of the East, A Fistful of Dollars, The Hills Run Red, The Return of Sabata and The Mercenary round out of the extras.
Man of the East should satisfy fans of the genre even if it is not a film for the overly serious. Now in 1080p with satisfactory audio and video quality, to go with a commentary track make this a recommended release!
Man of the East
Director- Enzo Barboni
Cast- Terence Hill, Gregory Walcott, Harry Carey,Jr.
Country of Origin- Italy
Distributor – Kino Lorber
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date- 4/1/21