I
know what you’re thinking. You’re
thinking, “Mitch, didn’t you just watch and review a crappy Django/Sartana
team-up/rip-off? Why would you put
yourself through that again?” Well, I
have always had a weakness for Spaghetti Westerns, and my fondness for them
(even the bad ones, of which there are many) has only ripened in my old
age. You know the experiment with the
mouse that gets an electric shock every time he tries to take a bite of cheese,
but he keeps goes back for another bite of cheese, even if it causes him great
pain? That’s kind of like me and
Spaghetti Westerns—and the cheesier the Spaghetti, the better.
Django
(Tony Kendall) thinks Sartana (George Ardisson) killed his brother and tries to
get revenge. He eventually learns Sartana
had nothing to do with it and the pair earns each other’s respect. They then agree to team up and go after the
real killer.
If
that’s a sparse plot rundown, I apologize.
There’s really not a whole lot to this one. In fact, it’s kind of slow moving, and
frankly, a bit boring in spots.
At
least the cinematography is lush, which helps to keep you from completely
nodding off. First-time director
Pasquale Squitieri gives us lots of deep reds and eye-popping yellows (some
parts look like a giallo), not to mention a couple handsome desert vistas. Ardisson and Kendall don’t have much chemistry
to speak of, but it’s Jose Torres who steals the movie as their machete
wielding mute sidekick (appropriately named “Mute”). Django and Sartana got dozens of cheap
rip-offs and spin-offs throughout the years, so I’m not sure why Mute didn’t get one of his
own. He certainly deserved it.
AKA: Django Against Sartana. AKA:
Django Challenges Sartana.
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