Spaghetti westerns are very variable in quality, not a lot of great ones and not many terrible ones either, somewhat in between. 'Dynamite Joe' is a relatively obscure film, except that the full film is on Youtube and it just aired on Movies4Men just now.
Watching it via the latter with little else to do, 'Dynamite Joe' turned out to be an okay one-time watch, particularly if one is a Spaghetti western completest and wants to see even the obscure ones, but is easily forgettable and doesn't have enough to warrant repeat viewings. Not awful by all means (you can do with so much worse), but there is not much explosive here let alone enough to live up to its title.
'Dynamite Joe' does have its good things. It's not bad looking, it's evocative in design and has the right amount of rustic grit and much of the photography is lovely, especially the opening shot. The music fits quite well, sometimes rousing and at other times subtle, it's not the most lushly orchestrated score in the world but it at least is not discordant with the setting. The songs are catchy.
There are moments of amusing comedy and occasional exciting action.
On the other hand, both the direction and pace are pedestrian, especially in the far-too-long-to-get-going first half and the story is far too ordinary and seems reluctant to give any tension, imagination or conflict. Instead it tries too hard to be light-hearted and ends up playing it too safely and politely.
Regarding the script, some amusing comedy aside, it lacks lustre as well and doesn't flow naturally. The characters are little more than bland, indifferent in development clichés and the acting is nothing to write home about. Rik Van Nutter sleepwalks through the lead role, and the rest are either bland or over-the-top.
In summation, okay but forgettable very soon after watching. 4/10 Bethany Cox
Watching it via the latter with little else to do, 'Dynamite Joe' turned out to be an okay one-time watch, particularly if one is a Spaghetti western completest and wants to see even the obscure ones, but is easily forgettable and doesn't have enough to warrant repeat viewings. Not awful by all means (you can do with so much worse), but there is not much explosive here let alone enough to live up to its title.
'Dynamite Joe' does have its good things. It's not bad looking, it's evocative in design and has the right amount of rustic grit and much of the photography is lovely, especially the opening shot. The music fits quite well, sometimes rousing and at other times subtle, it's not the most lushly orchestrated score in the world but it at least is not discordant with the setting. The songs are catchy.
There are moments of amusing comedy and occasional exciting action.
On the other hand, both the direction and pace are pedestrian, especially in the far-too-long-to-get-going first half and the story is far too ordinary and seems reluctant to give any tension, imagination or conflict. Instead it tries too hard to be light-hearted and ends up playing it too safely and politely.
Regarding the script, some amusing comedy aside, it lacks lustre as well and doesn't flow naturally. The characters are little more than bland, indifferent in development clichés and the acting is nothing to write home about. Rik Van Nutter sleepwalks through the lead role, and the rest are either bland or over-the-top.
In summation, okay but forgettable very soon after watching. 4/10 Bethany Cox