The 5-Man Army

The 5-Man Army (1969) is an Italian western you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Don Taylor. A mercenary played by Peter Graves recruits four specialists — a Japanese warrior, a knife fighter, a gymnast-turned-thief, and a demolitions man — and points them at a Mexican Army train hauling $500,000 in gold.

Bud Spencer supplies the muscle and most of the physical comedy. Tetsuro Tamba's samurai is the ensemble's most unusual piece. Each man has a private reason for taking the job, and the script keeps that ambiguity intact — not everyone on this train job is in it for the revolution. The action builds toward a heist that has to work across language, method, and temperament.

Late-1960s Italian westerns came in quantity, but this one has cleaner ensemble dynamics than most of its peers — less operatic violence, more attention to how five mismatched men actually function together. Stream The 5-Man Army (1969) online on iFILM.