Spaghetti Western 'Noose'

Cutthroats Nine To Be Remade

Prepare For 'Gore'

One of the most infamous and nihilistic Westerns ever made is due the remake treatment, and with Harvey Keitel signed up, along with Mads Mikkelsen, the 'X' rated western may well herald the way for a new swathe of gritty pistol packers to come.


The original Cutthroats Nine hit European cinemas back in 1972 and was part of the 'savage seventies' cutting edge, no nonsense cinema of that period. A Spanish made film from Director Joaquin Luis Romero Marchent, a veteran of Action and western movies from the fifties and sixties through into the seventies. Claudio Undari aka Robert Hundar, stars as a cavalry sergeant who, along with his daughter, are part of a military escort for seven cutthroat prisoners. The cavalry caravan is attacked by bandits , leaving the sergeant and his daughter alive, along with the prisoners. Amongst the band of killers and thieves is a man who brutally raped and killed the sergeants wife, but his identity is unknown. The movie follows the plight of the sergeant, along with his daughter, as together they must escort the prisoners to their final destination. Their trek is by foot, across treacherous terrain, in the middle of a harsh winter. What follows is a brutal fight for survival and an Agatha Christie type storyline as to who the killer / rapist is !?. The violence is realistic and the characterisation is coarse. Throw in a beautiful but harsh back drop and horror film ladled gore and Cutthroats Nine is a rare find for the spaghetti western genre.

This is an interesting choice for a remake, but a very welcome one nonetheless, and with both Keitel and Mikkelsen on board the casting is already spot on. Since his leading performance as the bad guy in Casino Royale (2006) Mikkelsen has been catapulted into the public eye of moviedom around the world. Famous in his home country of Denmark in productions such as the Pusher movies, Mikkelsen adds great credibility to his characters, and his ability to define the bad guy role with a consummate air of chilling calm is highly creditable. Keitel, presumably will take the role of the seasoned sergeant ?, and bring an experienced grittiness to proceedings perfect for the role.

Rodrigo Gudino, the Founder and publisher of Rue Morgue magazine, will direct, and production of the film is due to begin in 2010.

Looking forward to more news and hopefully in the new year some on set production stills and further word as it becomes available. Cutthroats Nine may just slay them at the box office come Fall 2010. No skimping on the red stuff please Rodrigo and please reserve us all a Directors cut, special edition DVD just as soon as it shoots its way out of the multiplexes.