Strong and Moving!

Please don't spend money on this.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Django and Sartana team up to fight back against two gangs of outlaws who are terrorising a lawless town.The unique angle of this Italian western is in combining both the Django and Sartana characters together, both of whom had their own series of spaghetti westerns. Although it does have to be said that this distinctive aspect has to be set against the fact that both protagonists only resemble these characters in name and act decidedly differently than usual. Truthfully, it seems obvious that these names were only applied to the characters as an after-thought. Quite honestly, this is a very clichéd and derivative affair with stock characters such as an enigmatic bounty hunter and amoral villains aplenty. But despite all this, I found it overall to be slightly better than average for this kind of thing. It didn't descend into tedium too often and its sparse running time seemed like good manners on the part of the film-makers. So, while any seasoned fan of this kind of thing is highly unlikely to find anything new here, I still think it entertains more effectively than many others in the sub-genre.

The idea of a spaghetti western uniting the genre icons of Django and Sartana could have been really great, but this movie screws it up in every way you can think of. While there is a character named "Django" in the movie, the other lead character is not named "Sartana". Needless to say, this Django does not carry a machine gun, and the other character does not have a box of tricks with him. I was prepared to still enjoy the western despite this deception, but boy, did I find it a long and hard slog. It's really boring, with scenes going by at a slow and endless pace. Even the sporadic action (gunfights, fisticuffs) doesn't manage to liven things up. In fairness, the movie is directed with a little atmosphere and a little grit, but this doesn't manage to make this worth watching, even if you are a spaghetti western fan.

The plot line of this trashy Fidani saga is as non-existent as the inhabitants of the town in which it is set. Basically, a young fellow arrives in Black City to assume the position of Sheriff. The town is in the thrall of two minuscule outlaw gangs who spread terror amongst the elusive townsfolk. A mysterious bounty hunter(yes, you all know the type)turns up which then complicates things for the Sheriff.So, you and your mates are bored and decide to make you're very own Spaghetti western. Grab a couple of cameras, a hoard of props, scribble together some rough ideas using every western cliché there is and presto,this movie is the end result!. As with the other Fidanis The dialogue is excruciatingly dry and contains corny lines which have been spoken in every B western ever made. The Django and Sartana of this movie are two of the most uncharismatic anti heroes I've ever seen. The rest of the performances are filled by members of the "Miles Deem stock company",(Dino Strano, Dennis Colt, Simone Blondell etc.)who are just as wooden. For half of the movie we are forced to sit through painful conversations between one dimensional characters and then there's the longest and most incoherent flashback ever committed to film, which lasts at least 20 minutes. But hey, it's a Fidani trashfest,It's not supposed to be fantastic. In spite of the deliberate frustrating errors, this movie is very enjoyable.The action scenes are peppered with the usual Fidani stunts. Guys falling from balconies, tumbling down stairs and taking violent spasms as they pretend to get shot. The stunts are what is best about the film and will provoke a chuckle or two, which is what I love most about Fidani's westerns. The final shootout in the wind swept streets of Black city had next to no suspense but was fun to watch anyhow. I couldn't get over the part when Django walks out into the street to kill the outlaws whose main priority is to cover their faces with their scarves which subsequently proves detrimental to their lives. The fistfights were nothing spectacular and seemed to be thrown in to waste time, but were well choreographed and edited anyhow. Also, look out for the most intense arm wrestling contest ever seen(not). I can't quite put my finger on it but I find the bleak sandpit locations and constant emptiness of the town somewhat appealing.As a trashfan, I think it would be great if Spaghetti westerns like this were released in a boxset(region 2)as even though they lie at the bottom of the barrel, I enjoy them immensely. This movie makes for brilliant entertainment on a cold, dull, quiet afternoon or in the early hours of the morning when you are plagued by Insomnia. 7/10.

The small desert town of Black City is held in a reign of terror by a nasty gang of criminals lead by the ruthless Bud Willer (decently played by Dino Strano, who brings some energy to his stock leering heavy part). Earnest, but inexperienced Sheriff Jack Ronson (a strangely insipid performance by the usually more charismatic and engaging Fabio Testi) arrives in town to establish law and order. Mysterious bounty hunter Django (an equally dreary turn by Jack Betts) helps Ronson out. Director/co-writer Demofilo Fidani crucially fails to bring any much-needed style or spark to the grindingly banal and predictable premise; he allows the narrative to plod along at an agonizingly poky pace, stages the infrequent shoot-outs in a flat and uninspired manner, and elicits drab acting from an understandably disinterested cast. Franco Villa's blah cinematography doesn't help matters any, although Coriolano's funky-groovin' score is amusing in its staggering inappropriateness. Such standard stuff as rough'n'tumble fisticuffs, an arm wrestling match between Ronson and Willer, and a big confrontation in the center of town between Django and Willer's gang barely make much an impression because they are executed in an extremely bland and by-the-numbers way. Ony when Ronson faces off with a bunch of vicious Mexican bandits on a windy morning does the movie finally burst to life and deliver a few worthwhile thrills, but by then it's much too little way too late to compensate for the general heavy-going tedium. A really dismal and instantly forgettable clinker.