THE ROAD TO FORT ALAMO is the first spaghetti western directed by Italian genre maestro Mario Bava, but as a film made in 1964 it has more in common with the American westerns of the 1950s than the Sergio Leone-influenced genre films of the late 1960s onwards. The film itself is routinely plotted but turns out to be a lot of fun regardless, with an action-heavy template meaning that there's barely a slow moment to be had throughout.The film's protagonist is played by the strapping Ken Clark, a familiar face from the Eurospy films he made during the mid 1960s. He's massive here, dwarfing his opponents in the various fight scenes, and he acquits himself well with the material, having a natural flair for the genre. He reminded me of Richard Harrison in many ways. His character undergoes quite the journey in this film, with many plot twists, double crosses, and betrayals en route.The film's antagonists are the usual bunch of murderous Native Americans and gold-hungry double-crossers. There's plenty going on throughout and the film, which was shot in Italy rather than Spain, looks very nice. Bava's skill comes in the night-time scenes which have the great use of colour that the director is well noted for. THE ROAD TO FORT ALAMO might not be a classic, but as a serviceable spagwest it works a treat.

First of all I am a fan of Italian films but "the road to Fort Alamo" is one of the worst Italian western that I've seen. It was shot without means. The interiors have a fictitious background with a blue light and fictitious cactus so as to simulate the desolate and barren moorlands of Texas or Arizona, but any clever viewers can note that the real vegetation is made of oak (Q. pubescens) and other plants typical of European climate. Some shots (cowboys that are riding) are accelerated, Bud, the leading actor, cannot ride, therefore he was always replaced by a double. The Indians are awkward, always shot at a distance. I admit the shots are the only thing which make this movie credible, but the others contemporary films like "le pistole non discutono", "preparati la bara" are masterpieces compared with this one. I give it 4 out of 10.

"La strada per Fort Alamo" was shot in Italy, not in Spain like most Italian westerns. Director "John Old" alias Mario Bava was obviously influenced by the John Ford classics such as "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon", all just in a much cheaper B-movie style; it has almost nothing in common with the typical "Django pays for your funeral" kind of western. This movie has a good script with good dialogs; it's about a bandit who has to pose as an army officer after he got caught wearing a stolen uniform. When Indians attack, he gets opportunity to show he is a brave good guy. One word to the disappointed Bava fans: surely the master had to earn a living, too, and this is what he did for it. You don't shoot masterpieces like "Danger: Diabolik" or "Mask of Satan" every week. More important than such comparisons is that "La strada per Fort Alamo" is a good quality western in a traditional way, and if you don't expect more than that, it's well worth watching.

Director Mario Bava usually has a visual flair which helps elevate his movies above their "Grade B" genres. He doesn't seem to have his heart in this project, however. It plays out in a routine fashion and about the only scene which might linger in the memory has the Indians putting dollar bills adrift in a river in order to lure cavalry soldiers out into the open. Ken Curtis, who always deserved better, makes an attractive hero but the script gives him little to work with.