SHOOT THE LIVING AND PRAY FOR THE DEAD. Unusual western

Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead is one of the most unusual – and best – Italian westerns.

A ruthless gunslinger, Dan Hogan, and his men carry out a bold bank heist, making off with one hundred thousand dollars in gold. After the robbery, the criminals hand over the loot to Daisy, Hogan’s girlfriend, while they hide out at a stagecoach station near the U.S.–Mexico border, where they encounter a man named John Webb. Webb offers to help Hogan’s gang safely escape into Mexico in exchange for half of the gold; he also suggests that there is a traitor in the group, tempted by the fortune. Hogan accepts the offer – unaware that Webb has already murdered the mercenary originally hired to guide the thieves across the mountains. The gang, accompanied by Webb, awaits Daisy’s arrival with the stolen gold. Meanwhile, some random travelers arrive at the station, and the outlaws take them hostage. When border patrol officers also show up, the tension reaches a boiling point.

Giuseppe Vari began his film career in the 1940s as an editor – working on Love and Poison (1950) by Giorgio Simonelli, The Blue Bird (1955) by Federico Fellini, and The Return (1963) by Damiano Damiani. In the early 1960s, he started directing his own films, not sticking to any one genre and comfortably working across comedies, horror, and adventure movies. By the mid-60s, responding to the surge in popularity of westerns in Italy, Vari shifted his focus to that genre. His first western was Degueyo (1966). In 1967 alone, he released three westerns: Con lui cavalca la morte, L’ultimo killer, and Un poker di pistole. However, his greatest achievement in the genre remains Prega il morto e ammazza il vivo (Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead).

Based on a screenplay by Adriano Bolzoni, Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead is an unusual western in that its story does not revolve around endless chases and shootouts, but rather an atmosphere thick with tension. The first part of the film takes place almost entirely within the confined space of the stagecoach station, where the bandits wait for the delivery of the stolen gold. It slowly becomes clear that not everyone is who they claim to be, and the arrival of the travelers – and later the border guards – only increases the tension. An outbreak of violence is inevitable, and Vari skillfully builds suspense, masterfully utilizing the claustrophobic setting. This portion of the film clearly influenced Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight (2015) – Tarantino himself admitted that Shoot the Living and Pray for the Deadis one of his favorite spaghetti westerns. Bolzoni and Vari also drew on their own inspirations, including 1930s and 1940s film noir, especially John Huston’s Key Largo (1948).

When the characters of Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead finally leave the station and begin their trek into Mexico, the tension doesn’t subside. This time, it’s fueled not only by Hogan’s growing paranoia, but also by the unforgiving landscape: parched desert plateaus, barren rocks, and a lack of drinking water that drives the travelers to dehydration, hallucinations, and madness. Here, the filmmakers’ true approach is revealed – they’re not interested in fast-paced action, but in a convincing psychological study of character. This aim is achieved largely thanks to the cast, particularly Klaus Kinski. A seasoned veteran of westerns, Kinski is just as phenomenal in Escape to Mexico as he is in Sergio Corbucci’s The Great Silence (1968) or Antonio Margheriti’s And God Said to Cain (1970). His character embodies evil, paranoia, and delirium – in one scene, Kinski’s fury is so intense that even his horse appears genuinely terrified.