Fearless bounty hunter Django accepts an offer from a wealthy landowner to kill a ruthless bandit named Manuel Vasquez, who is responsible for kidnapping the latter's daughter. After Django catches up with Manuel, a respect develops between the two men and Django agrees to aid the bandit in the robbery of a gold shipment. However, after Manuel betrays Django and murders his girlfriend during the robbery, the guilt ridden bounty hunter swears retribution...
As you can tell from the synopsis, this is another unofficial Django spin-off churned out in the wake of Corbucci's masterpiece. This time it is Romolo Guerrieri who tries his hand at the revenge filled saga. An overall satisfying but lesser spaghetti western with one hell of a title(translating in English as "10,000 Dollars For A Massacre"). Gianni Garko(billed here as Gary Hudson)is rather compelling in his portray of Django, just over a year before he would fill the boots of the enigmatic Sartana. Claudio Camaso made for a competent adversary in Manuel Vasquez but it was Fernando Sancho doing his thing as the bandit leader who really made the movie watchable. His fiery overacting and stratospheric charisma always makes me laugh. Nora Orlandi's moody score is probably the best non-Morricone composition I've ever heard and adds a pinch of Gothic to the already dramatic imagery. The action sequences lacked the necessary suspense that one expects from a spaghetti western. They were sparse and abrupt in execution but still entertaining at the very least. However, the climatic showdown in the windy streets of a ghost town at twilight saved the film from a dour fate. It was in this scene that I could finally experience the blistering force of Django's angst. I concede that this sequence was a little drawn out but it was definitely among the most memorable spaghetti western face-offs complete with the textbook OTT deaths. The dim lighting is what makes this sequence beautiful and the rest of the movie is full of interesting camera techniques. The aforementioned showdown builds to a fine ending as the soundtrack's chilling vocals roar in the background. The script was okay. The romantic subplot involving Django and his girlfriend didn't really make me feel any stronger about the characters, instead it became mushy. Flashbacks would have been a better approach.
An atmospheric but tepid affair, Guerrieri's pastafest will never make my top 20. However, it is gorgeously melodramatic and dreamlike, which both work in the film's favour. 6/10.
As you can tell from the synopsis, this is another unofficial Django spin-off churned out in the wake of Corbucci's masterpiece. This time it is Romolo Guerrieri who tries his hand at the revenge filled saga. An overall satisfying but lesser spaghetti western with one hell of a title(translating in English as "10,000 Dollars For A Massacre"). Gianni Garko(billed here as Gary Hudson)is rather compelling in his portray of Django, just over a year before he would fill the boots of the enigmatic Sartana. Claudio Camaso made for a competent adversary in Manuel Vasquez but it was Fernando Sancho doing his thing as the bandit leader who really made the movie watchable. His fiery overacting and stratospheric charisma always makes me laugh. Nora Orlandi's moody score is probably the best non-Morricone composition I've ever heard and adds a pinch of Gothic to the already dramatic imagery. The action sequences lacked the necessary suspense that one expects from a spaghetti western. They were sparse and abrupt in execution but still entertaining at the very least. However, the climatic showdown in the windy streets of a ghost town at twilight saved the film from a dour fate. It was in this scene that I could finally experience the blistering force of Django's angst. I concede that this sequence was a little drawn out but it was definitely among the most memorable spaghetti western face-offs complete with the textbook OTT deaths. The dim lighting is what makes this sequence beautiful and the rest of the movie is full of interesting camera techniques. The aforementioned showdown builds to a fine ending as the soundtrack's chilling vocals roar in the background. The script was okay. The romantic subplot involving Django and his girlfriend didn't really make me feel any stronger about the characters, instead it became mushy. Flashbacks would have been a better approach.
An atmospheric but tepid affair, Guerrieri's pastafest will never make my top 20. However, it is gorgeously melodramatic and dreamlike, which both work in the film's favour. 6/10.