China 9, Liberty 7

When in Rome, do as they cowboys do. The Sergio Leone "Spaghetti Westerns" made with Clint Eastwood set off a stampede to create other Mediterranean-sourced sagebrushers -- including the tale of lives at the crossroads of China 9, Liberty 37, directed by iconoclastic filmmaker Monte Hellman (Two-Lane Blacktop, The Shooting). Warren Oates, who brought an offbeat intensity to numerous roles throughout the 1970s, is top-billed in this volatile clash between a rancher (Oates) refusing to sell his ramshackle spread to a railroad line, the gunman (Fabio Testi) hired to kill him and the woman (Jenny Agutter) drawn to both men. Also appearing as a scheming author of sensationalized Western novels is Sam "The Old Iguana" Peckinpah, who directed Oates in The Wild Bunch and other film and TV works. (Original Title - Amore Piombo E Furore)