Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead is an average-at-best spaghetti western that has its entertaining moments, though it has many faults.
The acting is very dry and somewhat wooden, except for Klaus Kinski in the role of Dan Hogan, the leader of an outlaw gang. Hogan is an over-the-top, ruthless character who is very entertaining to watch due to Kinski's mannerisms and acting style. Kinski is the only reason this movie merits a rating of 6, rather than a 4 or 5.
The storyline isn't all that interesting. It starts off as one of those "everyone's a bad-guy and we're all after the gold" flicks, then, near the end of the movie, we learn it is really a revenge story. The problem is, a good revenge story needs build-up. We see nothing of how the protagonist was wronged, nor do we see any anger or emotion of any kind from him. We only learn of his motivations when a Texas ranger matter-of-factly tells them to someone. As a result, we can't become all that drawn into the story, and are only mildly interested in seeing the revenge played out.
There is lots of sitting in a room, and walking through the desert in this movie. It would have helped if there was more action.
The music score is pretty decent, and there is some good camera work, especially during some of the close-ups of the characters' faces.
If you are an avid spaghetti western fan, there is enough here to make this worth a watch, mostly thanks to Kinski.
The acting is very dry and somewhat wooden, except for Klaus Kinski in the role of Dan Hogan, the leader of an outlaw gang. Hogan is an over-the-top, ruthless character who is very entertaining to watch due to Kinski's mannerisms and acting style. Kinski is the only reason this movie merits a rating of 6, rather than a 4 or 5.
The storyline isn't all that interesting. It starts off as one of those "everyone's a bad-guy and we're all after the gold" flicks, then, near the end of the movie, we learn it is really a revenge story. The problem is, a good revenge story needs build-up. We see nothing of how the protagonist was wronged, nor do we see any anger or emotion of any kind from him. We only learn of his motivations when a Texas ranger matter-of-factly tells them to someone. As a result, we can't become all that drawn into the story, and are only mildly interested in seeing the revenge played out.
There is lots of sitting in a room, and walking through the desert in this movie. It would have helped if there was more action.
The music score is pretty decent, and there is some good camera work, especially during some of the close-ups of the characters' faces.
If you are an avid spaghetti western fan, there is enough here to make this worth a watch, mostly thanks to Kinski.