Seven Guns for the MacGregors (1966)

A mildly unusual spaghetti western which invokes that magic number seven in the title (Return of the Seven - also shot in Spain - would have been on release at around the same time), Seven Guns for the MacGregors (1966) is an early example of an entry in the genre that aims for laughs alongside the action.  This format would become more popular in the early seventies, following the success of the Terrance Hill/Bud Spencer Trinity movies, as an increasingly stale genre tried to revitalise itself.  But back in 1966, it was still a reasonably fresh idea.  Also novel is having a bunch of Italian and Spanish actors dubbed with cod Scottish accents instead of American accents.  To be fair, it's only the elder members of the MacGregor clan who have the dodgy Scottish accents - their offspring have dubbed voices provided by the usual array of American voice artists working in Rome at the time.  

The film's plot is pretty much by-the-book as far as spaghetti westerns of the era went: the MacGregors are a family of Scottish ranchers having trouble with horse rustlers working for a Mexican bandit and his gang.  When the younger MacGregors take their horses to a town they think is free of the bandit's influence, they find themselves in jail and their horses stolen.  Escaping, they hatch an elaborate plot - with the aid of other victims of the bandit and corrupt local sheriff - to bring down the gang.  This involves the eldest son infiltrating the gang, while the others impersonate the bandit and his men in a series of bank and train robberies.  It all culminates with the elder MacGregors, along with various relatives and neighbours, descending on the bandits' base for a pitched battle.

The film's biggest strength lies in its array of action set pieces, starting with the opening battle with rustlers at the ranch - which involves a cannon, amongst other weapons - and continuing through various bar room brawls and a train robbery.  Consequently, for the first two thirds or so of its length, Seven Guns for the MacGregors moves at an impressive pace, but slows down for the last third, as plot complications take the place of action, before returning to form with a climactic massed battle.  Like most cheaply made spaghetti westerns of its time, the film has a rough and ready feel about, with little finesse in editing, photography and general production values.  But it more than makes up for that in entertainment value.  Indeed, it was successful enough to spawn a sequel, Up the MacGregors! (1967) (also known as Seven Women for the MacGregors), which, confusingly, was released first in the US, despite the fact that it's plot follows on directly from the first film.  Certainly not a masterpiece, Seven Guns for the MacGregors nonetheless provided me with some suitable Bank Holiday afternoon entertainment.