Sabata.

Review #1432: Sabata.

Cast: 
Lee Van Cleef (Sabata), William Berger (Banjo), Ignazio Spalla (Carrincha), Aldo Canti (Indio), Franco Ressel (Stengel), Antonio Gradoli (Ferguson), Linda Veras (Jane), Robert Hundar (Oswald, Stengel Henchman), Gianni Rizzo (Judge O'Hara), Spartaco Conversi (Slim, Stengel Henchman), and Carlo Tamberlani (Nichols) Directed by Gianfranco Parolini.

Review: 
"Bad guys have always been my bag . . . I look mean without even trying. Audiences just naturally hate me on screen. I could play a role in a tuxedo and people would think I was rotten. You can do much more with a villain part. Movies are full of leading men, most of whom aren't working. It's much harder to find a good villain."

Oh sure, why not another Western to the pile, one might think when it comes to a film called Sabata [Ehi amico ... c'è Sabata. Hai chiuso!]. One can tie a great deal of interesting things to come out of 1969, whether that meant an X-rated Best Picture winner or a unlikely motorcycle film to become a smash hit with the counterculture, or films willing to push the creative envelope in tone in Z and Medium Cool, or a mix of westerns with grand legacies in a slowing genre with key stars. This happens to be a decent spaghetti western with its own interesting star in Lee Van Cleef. After serving in the U.S Navy during World War II, Van Cleef turned to stage acting before receiving a break into film with High Noon (1952), which was a small villainous part due to his refusal to fix his nose to fit a friendly character. His sharp expressions, eyes and nose resulted in a string of villainous roles in Westerns, sci-fi and noir movies. He nearly had his life and career end in a severe car accident in 1958 (with a kneecap injury that could've led to him never riding a horse again), although he did continue work with television. On the verge of ending his career, he received a break with a key role in For a Few Dollars More (1965) after Charles Bronson rejected the part. He would also appear in the follow-up film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly the following year, with the resulting films helping to make Van Cleef an international star, with varying levels of anti-heroism in a collection of films (a good deal being spaghetti westerns). This was the first film in the Sabata trilogy, for which Van Cleef would star in the first and third films (Return of Sabata), all of whom were directed by Parolini. He had directed a number of sword-and-sandal films along with adaptations of Kommissar X while also the same one behind If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death (1968, the first of a five film series), which had featured the title character in a black suit with trick weapons and a motivation for money with a sense of mystery to him.

While this certainly doesn't rank as a particularly great western by any means, there is certainly a good time to be had here with the sum of its parts. Sure, it's a treasure hunt kind of film that has a fair body count and a mixture of action and light humor that make for a welcome curiosity. It might be a cheap western or one that looks made fast, but it sure isn't just a product to consume at the dime store, that much is for sure. Van Cleef excels in confidence when it comes to gravelly-toned dialogue to banter with other briefly or engaging in a drawn out drawdown. It isn't exactly a part befitting of someone wanting to win awards or a hammy turn, but Van Cleef gets the job done with professionalism. Berger, an Austrian-turned-spaghetti western character actor (who had also appeared in the first Sartana film, along with starring in a knock-off version), accompanies the film with quizzical appeal, seeming more out of place in the town as Van Cleef does, and that isn't counting the banjo gun. In that sense, he makes for a few welcome moments. Spalla proves fairly amusing, a formidable presence in wanting to keep him on screen with some mildly wry quip. Ressel proves quite silly in smugness as the main threat for the film, one who portrays avarice with the conviction of a dime-store book needing a few more pages. While the film definitely seems a bit much at 111 minutes when it comes to getting itself going, it ultimately proves a diverting time, with Marcello Giombini's music helping to set a tone of reasoned action with some touch of lightness go right, particularly with its catchy title theme. Ultimately, this is fine entertainment and a neat little gem, with a solid Van Cleef performance to make it an fair sixties film to have in the corner of your mind on a late night.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.
And there we have it, the last one for the month - the first 30-review month since July 2013. As such, here is the listing for the month of June, as we move into the "Me Decade" with 29 films. Hopefully you will enjoy.