Writer / director Gianfranco Parolini's crisp follow up two years later was simply just another crack, but Lee Van Cleef wouldn't return. Instead we get Yul Brynner decked in black as our man the bounty hunter Sabata, who's quick with a gun. As much as I liked Van Cleef in the title role, a curt Brynner stuck with me more. As it's hard to take your eyes off the man. While the cold edge was there, the humane side still showed without really letting you in. This made his shady character a lot more mysterious. Although Van Cleef would return to the Sabata role in Parolini's next sequel "Return of Sabata".
Hired gunslinger Sabata takes on a job to steal a wagon of gold from the Austrian army to help the fighting Mexican revolutionaries, but the job doesn't entirely go to plan. The narrative had some recurring themes that feel like they have been lifted right out of the original source. Despite the familiar staples, the pessimistic plot is never too straight-forward with its scheming, humour and there's a new gimmick or two (anyone up for stone marbles). The surprises are foreseeable, but its operatic style consists of flair and danger in a much more expansive manner. The shoot-outs (involving Mexicans and gun-runners) are mechanically staged, but there are some jarringly artistic shots, local flavour from the locations and sharp camera-work along with the bombastic music score. The way the camera presented some scenes, if would have you believing that maybe this was shot in 3D. That would have been interesting if so. The performances are spot on and fruitful in characterisations, as Parolini reuses some the actors from the original in different roles. Dean Reed works off Brynner quite well, which reminded me of the pairing of Van Cleef and Berger in Sabata. Too bad I found the latter to be better implemented though. Ignazio Spalla gives an animated turn as one of the Mexican revolutionaries and Gerard Herter is imposing as the gleefully sadistic Austrian Colonel Skimmel.
Conventional, but capable Italian western.
"I play solo".
Hired gunslinger Sabata takes on a job to steal a wagon of gold from the Austrian army to help the fighting Mexican revolutionaries, but the job doesn't entirely go to plan. The narrative had some recurring themes that feel like they have been lifted right out of the original source. Despite the familiar staples, the pessimistic plot is never too straight-forward with its scheming, humour and there's a new gimmick or two (anyone up for stone marbles). The surprises are foreseeable, but its operatic style consists of flair and danger in a much more expansive manner. The shoot-outs (involving Mexicans and gun-runners) are mechanically staged, but there are some jarringly artistic shots, local flavour from the locations and sharp camera-work along with the bombastic music score. The way the camera presented some scenes, if would have you believing that maybe this was shot in 3D. That would have been interesting if so. The performances are spot on and fruitful in characterisations, as Parolini reuses some the actors from the original in different roles. Dean Reed works off Brynner quite well, which reminded me of the pairing of Van Cleef and Berger in Sabata. Too bad I found the latter to be better implemented though. Ignazio Spalla gives an animated turn as one of the Mexican revolutionaries and Gerard Herter is imposing as the gleefully sadistic Austrian Colonel Skimmel.
Conventional, but capable Italian western.
"I play solo".