You are here:

Matalo! (Kill Him)

Name: Matalo! (Kill Him)
Director: Cesare Canevari
Released: 1970
Duration: 100 min

Representation Score

2.1/10

Limited

1970

Not Rated

Director

Cesare Canevari

Runtime

100 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Matalo! (Kill Him) is a quintessential Spaghetti Western that prioritizes genre clichés over social complexity. The narrative is driven by individualistic survival, gold robbery, and betrayal, which keeps the focus strictly on masculine archetypes and nihilistic conflict. The film adheres to the established conventions of 1970s Italian exploitation cinema. It lacks intentionality regarding multi-layered representation, instead leaning into the traditional, homogeneous groupings common to the Western genre. Ultimately, the work functions as a standard action-driven piece. It does not seek to disrupt social hierarchies or provide meaningful representation for underrepresented groups.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Matalo! (Kill Him) have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any characters with non-straight or non-cisgender identities, nor does it show any same-sex intimacy. It follows a traditional framework that assumes everyone is straight and cisgender.

How does Matalo! (Kill Him) portray gender?

Limited

The story revolves around a group of masculine outlaws. Themes of betrayal and survival emphasize traditional hierarchies of dominance and violence, reinforcing gender roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Matalo! (Kill Him)?

Fair

The narrative focuses on a typical group of cattle thieves. While it does not explicitly whitewash the cast, there is no confirmation of a diverse or non-white majority cast.

How does Matalo! (Kill Him) represent religion and culture?

Limited

Characters operate within a framework of moral relativism and genre-standard nihilism. The plot uses crime and betrayal as drivers rather than critiquing systemic institutions.

Does Matalo! (Kill Him) include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no mention of characters with visible or invisible disabilities. No representation of disability is present in the narrative.

Present on Screen

The film avoids the explicit whitewashing often found in mainstream Western productions.

Limited or Absent

The narrative lacks female characters with significant influence.
There is no evidence of non-cisgender gender identities.
The film fails to provide meaningful multi-layered representation.

Official Synopsis

A gang of cattle thieves rescue a criminal from the gallows, and later rob a stagecoach loaded with gold. When they get the loot, he is betrayed and left dying in the middle of the desert. In the escape they reach a mysterious ghost town, where they perceive there is something strange about ...

How are these scores produced? →