It was a tightly planned bank robbery. Two men showed up just at closing time with $3,000 that had to be deposited. They did the actual robbery, killing the bank manager when the safe was opened. There was a man who used a recalcitrant horse to distract the guard while all that was going on. The fourth man had checked into the hotel next door earlier with the admonition that he was going to sleep for a while. He climbs out a window and leaps to the bank roof where he lowers a rope with a hoot down the chimney of the bank fireplace. He hauls the bag of cash up and drops it into a special wagon driven by the brains of the outfit, Jack Murphy(Robert Woods), where he was just an innocent bystander as the rest sped out of town pursued by a posse. In a canyon where they passed, the rest of the gang waited with dynamite to cut off the posse.
Jack spends a little time with his girl friend, Susan(Lucienne Bridou), before heading out to divide the money. The usual split was a quarter for Jack, the rest for the gang. But it was such a large haul, that didn’t satisfy them and a falling out ensues.
Jack manages to get the upper hand, then takes it all, riding out with their guns and pays off Indian Joe(Mimmo Palmara) with the admonition to “keep your mouth shut.” Something of a joke as he never speaks a word in the film. He does, however, point though and directs them to the ghost town where Jack is headquartered with his sister and brother-in-law, Julie(Dali Bresciani) and Peter(Nino Fuscagni).
He gives up the money to save his sister, but it doesn’t. The new leader, Sanchez, rapes and murders Julie and Indian Joe scalps her for her blond hair. Jack is left hanging, balanced on one good foot(the right was shot up), and likely would have died had not Susan come looking for him.
The plot becomes a revenge motive after this, the way of most films in this genre. Jack walks with a cane, but is just as good with a gun as ever. His mind also seems to have come unhinged a bit as he laughs maniacally more than a few times as he goes about hunting the gang members. He declares Jack Murphy dead and buried in the small town and becomes the Black Jack of the title.
All but Sanchez are easy to find.He’s disappeared and Jack takes a different tack in locating him. He’s also promised his brother-in-law he would deliver him alive so that the husband can get his revenge.
A pretty good film that ended in a manner i never saw coming. The link below is for the film under the German title On Your Knees Django.