As expected, famed Italian movie music composer Riz Ortolani managed to give this particular spaghetti western a solid score. But what might not be expected is that for the most part, the rest of the movie is a long and hard slog. If you are looking for action, you better forget it. The first true action sequence does not come until almost two-thirds of the movie has passed by. While there are a few more sequences of action that follow, none of the action is particularly exceptional, being routine at best. Instead, the movie seems more interested in the plot and the characters. Actually, I could have easily accepted that had the plot and characters been interesting, but instead they are a gigantic bore. The plot is really slow-moving, and has some details that might prove confusing to some viewers if they haven't read the plot description on the back of the DVD case. And the characters aren't particularly engaging; Luke Askew's character seems to be sleepwalking for much of the movie. In short, if you're craving action and/or good writing, this oater simply doesn't deliver.

I was really surprised at how well constructed this one was, but not overly so, as I'm a fan of the director's other Spaghetti Westerns. Great plot without twists and turns for their own sake; simple yet compelling, it drives the action along. A fan of the Zapatista subgenre, I really enjoyed watching this.And then I had to wonder about why it's not rated higher. Bottom line, I think it's a lot like recipe sites. Many simple, really tasty recipes are overlooked because snooty types see certain elements- or are offended that certain elements aren't just the way the book says they should be- without ever evaluating the bottom line; "Does it work? Is it tasty? Is it good cooking?" That's too bad, because they rob themselves of so much doing that.Fans of the genre won't want to miss it. Casual observers of the genre will enjoy it. The snooty will always find a way to make themselves bored and miserable.

This brooding Spaghetti western is a chore to watch. Despite a lot of recognizable filmmakers behind the scenes and in front of the camera, "Nest of Vipers" is not a ride'em cowboy, shoot'em up, sagebrusher, with a double-digit corpse count and a lively Riz Ortolani soundtrack. "Tepepa" director Giulio Petroni spends his time forging atmosphere in this western set in Mexico about a group of relatives who want to kill a child named Manuel so they to steal his fortune from him. Spaghetti western stalwart Luigi Pistilli plays a greedy Mexican army lieutenant named Hernandez, while American actor Luke Askew of "The Magnificent Seven Ride" is cast as a drunken gunslinger. Aside from a flashback of his character shooting rowels off spurs and six-guns out of hands, Luke wallows in drunkenness during the first half hour, recovers during the second half during a day light and then a night time shoot-out before evil Lieutenant Hernandez captures and tortures him. Hernandez uses a metal ring around the top of Luke's head to squeeze the information out of him. The last quarter hour is reminiscent of "Death Rides A Horse" to the extent that Hernandez and his troops ride off and leave Luke locked up in jail. He manages to escape by blasting the jail locking mechanism. When Hernandez and his men return, Luke has a reception prepared for them the same way that Lee Van Cleef and John Phillip Law were prepared for the villain's return to the village in "Death Rides A Horse." Peplum heroine Chelo Alonso of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" is cast as a colorful prostitute who doesn't get to live happily ever after. Another Spaghetti western regular, Benito Stefanelli, doesn't look like his usual self. Askew kills him and leaves his body in a water trough. Everything boils down to Luke confronting Hernandez wielding Manuel as a shield in the middle of the desert. On the other hand, this different kind of Italian western isn't your typical revenge drama, and the action doesn't really warm up until the final half-hour. Petroni and co-scenarists Fulvio Gicca Palli don't reveal the reason for Luke's drunken stupor until the last five minutes. Luke's six-gun is neat looking with the designs on the grips of the handle. Of course, Luke guns down nefarious old Hernandez. The production values are solid, and Mario Vulpiani's cinematography looks fantastic. The sun-baked Spanish landscape resembles a surreal work of art.

Giulio Petroni directed some very good spaghetti westerns during his short career, among them DEATH RIDES A HORSE, TEPEPA, AND FOR A ROOF A SKYFULL OF STARS, and this very obscure 1970 story of intrigue and murder, NIGHT OF THE SERPENTS (NEST OF VIPERS, RINGO KILL) starring the little known American actor Luke Askew and genre regulars Luigi Pistilli and William Bogard. Luke plays Luke, a gringo saved from death in the desert by bandit leader Bogard, whose men treat the Americano like the drunken fool he is. He's been inside a tequila bottle for a long time (later on we find out why) and is chosen to be a sacrifice in a plot hatched by Federale Lieutenant Hernandez (Pistilli). The plot? Kill Manuel, a kid who stands to inherit 10,000 dollars, and all of Manuel's relatives want a piece of it. Askew is good as the drunk, nervously rubbing his lips and eyeing bottles of tequila he can't afford. When he decides to sober up and take a stand the hair on your neck will stand up. The drunk fights like he's ten feet tall, says one of Bogard's men. Chelo Alonso is along for the ride as Manuel's immoral aunt, and the entire cast is good, as is the music by Riz Ortolani. The English track for this was very elusive, finally surfacing in a nice South African widescreen print released by Global under the nonsensical title RINGO KILL. Definitely worth a watch by fans of the genre.