In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Colt is a much better title than the American one, The Masked Thief. It’s an Italian Western with giallo moments directed by one of my favorite scumbags Mario Bianchi using the name Frank Bronston.
Sheriff Bill Nolan (Craig Hill) is investigating a masked killer who kills with a long knife. When Toni Pickford (Agata Lys) survives being assaulted by a similar masked man and his gang of criminals, she remembers his face and claims that Bill is behind the crime. Years later, another man is killed by the gang and claims that it’s Bill. The truth? Nolan has an outlaw twin brother, Mace Casidy (also played by Craig Hill).
The giallo portions feel added at the last moment, like the POV opening and the masked killer. That said, the idea of a giallo knife maniac in the Italian West is a good one, as is the idea that people in town aren’t sure if they can trust the man who is the law any more. None of these thoughts really play out as this movie flies through 77 minutes of running time.
Bianchi would make another giallo-ish Western, Creeping Death, as well as a truly aberrant run of movies. Seriously, if you want to wallow in the darkest muck of Italian exploitation, seek out his movies like La bimba di Satana, Strip Nude for Your Killer, Nightmare In Venice and The Murder Secret before using the names Martin White, David Bird, Nicholas Moore and Tony Wanker in the adult world.
You can watch this on Tubi.
