everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

While this comic Spaghetti Western was nowhere near as bad as its low reputation amidst the director’s canon would seem to suggest, it can’t possibly hold a candle to Sergio Leone’s classic THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966) – and it would be puerile for anyone to attempt comparisons of this sort! It’s the last of Bava’s three such genre efforts but, actually, the first I’ve watched; I used to think that he was constrained within the number of relatively low-brow peplums he made, but even those showed greater commitment – and vigor during the action sequences. Here we get plenty of brawling and shooting, to be sure, but the handling throughout is decidedly sloppy…as if Bava, rather than be inspired by these traditionally ‘big’ moments, wanted to get such genre requirements out of the way! That said, despite utilizing a wide variety of locations in its plot about two rival outlaw gangs’ quest for gold, these don’t seem to have stimulated the director’s trademark compositional skills; even worse, the comedy element comes across as heavy-handed most of the time, resulting in a flat and drawn-out film (even if it runs for a mere 85 minutes)! Brett Halsey (from Bava’s FOUR TIMES THAT NIGHT [1969]) and Charles Southwood don’t exactly generate fireworks in the title roles and, in fact, the best in the cast are Marilu' Tolo as Winchester’s spirited (and shrewd) Indian girl and Teodoro Corra' as The Reverend, the atypically buffoonish baddie – a Russian émigré who still can’t get over the cold of his native land. Isa Miranda (who would work again with Bava when he treaded more familiar ground in BAY OF BLOOD [1971]) appears as the brothel Madame in what is perhaps the most slapsticky and forced set-piece in the entire film.Hardly memorable in itself, there are still a few mild highlights in this reasonably agreeable, innocuous yet patchy genre offering: the spastic gunman at the beginning, the obviously fake snake which menaces Winchester (reminiscent of the one in Fritz Lang’s THE Indian TOMB [1959]), the exploding villain, and the final shot with the heroes’ feet up in the air as they engage in yet another fisticuff. Piero Umiliani’s lively score certainly contributes to the film’s characteristically light touch.

Reading various comments on the internet about Roy Colt and Winchester Jack, you would think that it was the worst movie ever made. I've now seen most of Mario Bava's films (23, to be exact) and I've seen my fair share of Spaghetti Westerns. While Roy Colt and Winchester Jack isn't a very good example of either, it's hardly the worst film Bava made (see Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs) or the worst Spaghetti Western I've watched (see God's Gun). In fact, there are moments and certain set-pieces in the movie that I really enjoyed. The best example that comes to mind is the film's finale. Without giving it away, I'll just say that it's a nice twist that worked for me. The film's soundtrack is interesting. I wouldn't call it a traditional Spaghetti Western, but it's enjoyable enough anyway. Brett Halsey and Charles Southwood are okay in the title roles, but Marilu Tolo stands out in the role of Manila. More of Tolo would have been a good thing. Finally, while some of the more eccentric characters in the movie don't work, the gunfighter in the opening scenes with Tourettes Syndrome is a real hoot.I actually would have enjoyed Roy Colt and Winchester Jack more and rated it higher if it weren't for two things. First, the movie hardly feels like a Bava film. There are none of the great director's flourishes of color or unique camera tricks I look forward to seeing. It's all rather flat and dull looking. Second, and my biggest complaint with the movie, is the character called The Reverend. A more annoying character I can't think of at the moment. He's not funny, he's not threatening, and his idiosyncrasies are downright painful to watch. Similar to what I wrote about Tolo, less of The Reverend would have been a good thing.

Now that this is available in a beautiful letterboxed, subtitled DVD, ROY COLT AND WINCHESTER JACK can be enjoyed by anyone who wants to see it. Is it worth seeing? Well...what you have is basically a lowbrow Eurowestern comedy that belongs on the same shelf with STING OF THE WEST and IT CAN BE DONE AMIGO. The various supporting players are colorful, and there are two strong American leads in the charismatic Brett Halsey and the engaging Charles Southwood. Though hidden under a lot of makeup, Marilu Tolo is as sexy as ever. I've never found Italian western comedies to be that worthwhile (or western comedies in general, BLAZING SADDLES excepted)--for me, most of the best qualities of westerns are lost when they are played for laughs. There are a number of laughs in this film--Halsey and Southwood both play comedy well--but the viewer should be warned that the laughs are on a Bowery Boys/Police Academy-level. I like that kind of comedy, but you may not. The reason this film was reissued is that it was directed by Mario Bava; however, had I seen the film without knowing that, I would never have guessed. Bava scholars can no doubt find similarities, but I would not consider his direction a major element here (see my review of RINGO DEL NEBRASKA, one of Bava's two other westerns). Overall, this is an enjoyable Eurowestern comedy, with excellent and creative production design (now THERE is a Bava quality!) and good performances, but I don't really consider it essential, only for the serious Eurowestern fan or the Brett Halsey fan (of which I'm one).

(aka: ROY COLT AND WINCHESTER JACK)I'm amazed at the review written below.In fact, I'm not even gonna bother repeating the plot since this ranks about as bottom of the barrel as CAPTAIN APACHE. In fact, this is one of the worst spaghetti westerns that I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of 'em. AND this is also *the* worst Mario Bava movie I've seen yet. Bava should have stuck with horror films because if this is typical of the three westerns he directed, then I don't even wanna bother seeing the other two. The dialog is awful and the jokes are lame and flat. It looks like Bava shot this one in less than a week. I did like the Reverend (Teodoro Corra) blowing himself up with the stick of dynamite at the end since that was the only time I laughed.If you like to see comedy mixed with the spaghetti western genre, then go with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer in the TRINITY series they did. Or even Terence Hill in ACES HIGH (1969) or MY NAME IS NOBODY (1973). Now those are pretty funny spoofs.Bear in mind too that the anamorphic widescreen DVD by Image uses only an Italian language print, so there's no overdubbing. It's all subtitles with no extras beyond a short Bava bio. I'll bet the only reason they bothered to release it on DVD was because Mario Bava directed it. Otherwise it would have been condemned to spaghetti oblivion.3 out of 10-