Franco Nero starred as Django in that self-titled 1966 Italian Western. A successful flick, it didn’t come with a formal sequel until 1987.

However, plenty of opportunistic filmmakers created unofficial spinoffs. For one of these, we go to 1967’s $10,000 Blood Money.

Also known as 10,000 Dollars for a Massacre, Dolores Mendoza (Adriana Ambesi) is the daughter of a wealthy rancher (Frank Little). Mr. Mendoza hires bounty hunter Django (Gianni “Gary Hudson” Garko) to rescue her.

Though he takes the job, Django feels underpaid and decides to partner with outlaw kidnapper Manuel Vasquez (Claudio Camaso). This doesn’t go well and sends Django on a mission of vengeance.

If nothing else, Money gets credit for the manner in which it treats its lead character. While we expect anti-heroes in Spaghetti Westerns such as this, the movie’s Django goes beyond the usual confines.

In most of these flicks, the lead acts as a reluctant hero – but a hero nonetheless. Even with rough edges, these characters still usually Do the Right Thing.

I won’t reveal whether or not Django eventually Turns Good or he sticks with his less honorable ways – no spoilers here! Nonetheless, I wanted to point out the movie’s unusual POV and the potential intrigue it delivers.

Unfortunately, Money fails to explore its themes or domains in an especially compelling manner. Indeed, the movie becomes downright dull after a span.

Money actually starts pretty well. The first act sets up matters in a stylish manner and promises a good mix of action and drama.

However, the tale meanders too much as it goes. What should become a fairly straightforward narrative takes a windy path to get where it needs to go.

And a pretty boring path at that. The various side trips Money pursues tend to lead nowhere and usually feel like filler.

Which I suspect they are. The basic plot seems sound but the filmmakers dawdle too much and don’t seem able to come up with enough worthwhile material to occupy all 97 minutes of running time.

Aspects of Money do work well, and it becomes a good-looking film with a real sense of style. The actors don’t add much, but they embody their limited characters in a reasonable manner.

Money simply lacks the plot and character content it needs to deliver a consistently engaging Western. Though it succeeds in fits and starts, the final result feels spotty.

$10,000 Blood Money appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though a little iffy at times, this usually became a good presentation.

Sharpness became somewhat erratic, a factor exacerbated by the heavy use of smoke on some shots. Still, overall delineation felt fine, with only occasional instances of mild softness.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. The movie seemed grainier than usual – partly due to all that smoke – but the image lacked print flaws.

As befit the setting, Money went with a sandy palette. These tones didn’t demand much of the Blu-ray, but the disc reproduced the arid hues with positive fidelity.

Blacks looked fairly dark, though they could crush a bit at times. Shadows showed decent to good clarity as well. Nothing about the image excelled, but given its age and origins, it seemed satisfactory.

In terms of quality, MOney brought us dated but decent LPCM monaural audio. Like virtually all Italian films of this era, it came with looped dialogue.

Also like virtually all Italian films of this era, the speech tended to sound unnatural and thin. This material could feel thin and reedy, but that was expected.

Music felt fairly peppy and full, while effects appeared more than adequate. Some louder elements like gunfire displayed a smidgen of distortion, but in general, the material seemed clean enough. This became a perfectly acceptable track for an older Italian production.

A few extras appear, and we get an audio commentary from film historian Lee Broughton. He provides a running, screen-specific discussion of Spaghetti Westerns, cast and crew, and production domains.

The author of books about genre films, Broughton mostly focuses on Spaghetti Westerns as a whole, with an emphasis on how Money connects to these films. Some of this seems interesting, but I can’t help but wish Broughton devoted more of the chat to specifics about this particular film.

While he does give us notes about the cast/crew and production, these take a back seat to overall genre thoughts. Broughton knows his stuff and offers some useful insights, but I nonetheless feel the track needs more about Money itself.

Four featurettes follow, and A Shaman in the West goes for 10 minutes, five seconds. This offers an introduction to Money from journalist/critic Fabio Melelli.

“Shaman” covers the film’s status as an “unofficial” Django sequel, cast and crew, and some film specifics. He complements Broughton’s commentary in a positive manner.

Tears of Django spans 21 minutes, 58 seconds. It features archival interviews from director Romolo Guerrieri and actor Gianni “Gary Hudson” Garko.

Both offer notes about their careers as well as their work on Money. We get a nice collection of insights.

Next comes The Producer Who Didn’t Like Western Movies. It fills 14 minutes, 18 seconds with info from producer Mino Loy.

“Producer” examines Loy’s view of the genre as well as some aspects of the Money shoot. He contributes a solid collection of notes.

How the West Was Won runs 19 minutes, 21 seconds. It delivers a discussion with screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi.

With “Won”, we look at his work on the film and connected domains. We find another useful conversation.

In addition to the film’s Italian trailer, the set concludes with an Image Gallery. It gives us 21 frames that involve publicity materials.

Due to some intriguing story and character choices, $10,000 Blood Money comes with promise. Though it occasionally lives up to those hopes, too much of the movie drags and meanders for it to really succeed. The Blu-ray comes with generally good picture as well as mediocre audio and a mix of bonus materials. Money ends up as a watchable but sluggish Western.

Note that this release of $10,000 Blood Money comes only as part of a four-film package called “Blood Money Volume 2”. In addition to this movie, it brings three other Spaghetti Westerns: Vengeance Is Mine, Find a Place to Die and Matalo.