Known in Italy as Un Fiume di dollari, which in English means A River of Dollars, but in America, it is recognized under the title The Hills Run Red, this picture is a 1966 Spaghetti Western film directed by Carlo Lizzani. The film stars Thomas Hunter along with legendary American actors Henry Silva and Dan Duryea.
Taking place just after the Civil War, two Confederates Ken Seagull (Nando Gazzolo, Django Shoots First) and Jerry Brewster (Thomas Hunter, Death Walks in Laredo)
are being chased by the army because they stole a lot of money from the United States government. They decide to split up, with one escaping with the loot and the other getting a 5-year prison term. After drawing straws Brewster gets the jail sentence and asks Seagull to hold onto his share until he is released. When Brewster is released, he finds that not only is Seagull betrayed him but also wants him dead. Seagull has also changed his name, making him all the more difficult to track down.
The Hills Run Red is an exciting Spaghetti Western with a superb professional cast, terrific action sequences and excellent direction. Henry Silva hands in an excellent over the top performance as Mendez, while seasoned veteran actor Dan Duryea, in one of his last films, has a small but important role as Getz. Iconic composer Ennio Morricone has also handed in another memorable soundtrack for the film.
Kino Lorber has transferred The Hills Run Red to Blu-ray. The film looks terrific in 1080p with strong colors and rich details to the landscapes. The scenes taking place under those clear blue skies are just breathtaking, which is in thanks to the cinematography by Antonio Secchi. Skin tones look accurate as the close-ups show strong details to the actors faces.
Kino Lorber uses their standard English DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track which is also outstanding. The dialog, action sequences and the lively Morricone score are all crisp and clear without any audio defects noticed.
The Blu-ray offers a couple of extras. For this release there is a new commentary by Alex Cox (author of 10,000 Ways to Die: A Director’s Take on the Spaghetti Western) who delivers another splendid commentary about the film.
Trailers for other Kino Lorber catalog releases, The Hills Run Red, Death Rides a Horse, Kiss Them All and Come back Alone, The Mercenary, The Hellbenders and Man of the East round out of the extras.
The Hills Run Red is another excellent release by Kino Lorber. I do not think fans with be disappointed in the film or the Blu-ray release, which I highly recommend!
The Hills Run Red (1966 film)
Director- Carlo Lizzani
Cast- Thomas Hunter, Henry Silva, Dan Duryea
Country of Origin- Italy
Distributor – Kino Lorber
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date-4/5/21