Atypical Revenge

the worst musical score I have ever heard!

The score starts out dubious because it's mod-ish (for 1969, when the film was made) and seemingly unfitting for a movie that takes place in the Old West. Yet it was apropos for the time and other Westerns had already set this precedent (filmmakers in the 60s tried to reinvent the Western after the glutting of the genre). Thankfully, the music improves as the story proceeds with some parts featuring notable percussive pieces and others that are moving.

really stupid ripoff of Italian westerns... Pure dross.

I disagree. Although it's low-budget and there are technical deficiencies in what is likely the only available print, this was the blueprint for "Hannie Caulder" (1971) and "I Spit on Your Grave" (1978). It's reminiscent in tone of the contemporaneous "Cry Blood, Apache," but it's superior to that barbaric and overly dismal revenge yarn.

Yet it's more than just a brutal crime/revenge flick as the center of the story focuses on a noble 'savage' who contrasts the five Caucasian savages from the first act. He develops a cross-cultural relationship with the white woman back when it was socially unacceptable on either side. For anyone who argues that this is unrealistic, Apache men back then were people just like you and me today. They weren’t all cookie-cutter. One or two here and there were more individualistic compared to the typical brave and could even be viewed as outcasts. That seems to be the case here.

The last act switches to the expected vengeance à la "Hang 'Em High" (1968), but the climax is surprising, offering a lesson on how even a noble individual can grossly misjudge another person (or people) & situation, and actually commit a crime. That’s why the bible advises not judging until enough accurate info is acquired to make a just assessment; and, even then, you have to be careful.

There are unexpected creative bits as well, like the well-done Apache stare-down sequence and the fistfight over the saloon lass in the street.

I also disagree that “The Animals” can be written off as a rip-off of Spaghetti Westerns. It's an American production shot completely in Arizona and I can cite numerous American Westerns as influential. Don't think for a second that Sergio Leone's “Man With No Name” trilogy was wholly original. For instance, Ennio Morricone's score for "A Fistful of Dollars" features a moving piece glaringly inspired by Dimitri Tiomkin's outstanding "El Degüello" from "Rio Bravo" (1959).

Unlike the typical Italian Western caricatures, this flick provides actual characters. The core relationship is actually touching and so the flick scores well in the human interest department.

Lastly, Michele Carey was 27 during shooting and one of the most beautiful women on earth at the time. You might remember her from “El Dorado” (1966), “Live a Little, Love a Little” (1968) and “Dirty Dingus Magee” (1970). Any fan of Michele is encouraged to seek out this film.

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