Perhaps some inadvertent editing has occurred but the plot of this made-in-Spain western seems needlessly muddled and there appear to be occasional gaps in the story. One would like to know more, for example, about the relationship between Peter and Dorothy before the movie starts. Were they childhood sweethearts? Did Peter grow up on the ranch? And what are the facts about Peter's murdered father? There's also confusion about Dorothy going to work in a brothel. Didn't her parents object? Didn't Johnny, her other suitor, object? And why does Dorothy return to Johnny, if only temporarily, in the final reel? That is Dorothy in those scenes, isn't it? On the other hand, logical plot progression was rarely a hallmark of these "spaghetti westerns" and they usually made up for weakness in this area by offering compensating benefits. "Manos Torpes" (a.k.a. "Clumsy Hands" or "Awkward Hands") has energy and drive as well as an appealing lead performance by Peter Lee Lawrence who, alas, died tragically young. Trivia buffs will note that in "Manos Torpes" he becomes one of the few actors who's flogged twice in the same movie. What's more, he's flogged by the same man using the same whip. Then he returns to flog the man who whipped him, again using the same whip. Talk about poetic justice!
Review of Awkward Hands
