All in all, this is a pretty good example of the spaghetti western genre. Aside from a few brief instances in my youth, I haven't really seen that many spaghetti westerns yet (apart from the more popular Clint Eastwood ones), so this was a good introductory experience for me. DJANGO THE BASTARD has the right look and feel about it, with crisp photography capturing the barren desert land and the isolated town just right. The director Sergio Garrone was an old hand at these type of films and his solid direction proves this, providing plenty of interesting camera angles (most notably in the excellent opening scene, showing a stranger walking into town via P.O.V. shots) and good editing. An excellent music score also helps, utilising the classic guitar string music associated with the genre and changing mood when needed to make things more exciting, whenever the situation calls for it.
For me, the cast is totally full of unknowns, yet all cast members are fine in their respective roles. The baddies are typically repulsive, although Paolo Gozlino lends just the right touch of class as the boss. Lu Kanante, on the other hand, is a snivelling psychopath who shoots up a street full of men and women while laughing manically. His sudden death is well deserved and a welcome end for this repulsive weirdo. The woman playing his wife (didn't get her name) is also very good, and thankfully her character is a well-rounded one, a woman out for her own benefits. Anthony Steffen takes the role of Django, and while he doesn't have the same screen presence as Clint Eastwood - or, indeed, Franco Nero - he's more than adequate at carrying the film when needed and invests his role with a likability towards the end which really gets us rooting for him.
There are plenty of shootouts to enjoy, although a few are poorly edited and therefore lack the necessary thrills. One gun battle between gangs of men is particularly well choreographed. The final twenty minutes are basically a protracted cat and mouse game between Django and the hired hands out to kill him, and is pretty tense. While the film isn't very violent (there's hardly a drop of blood on show), there's a neat trick involving an unfortunate victim getting impaled on a cleaver sticking through a door - you'd have to see it to understand. I also welcomed the addition of a few macabre horror elements into the brew, such as Django placing crosses in front of his victims before killing them, or a few scenes set in cemeteries. There's also an ambiguity surrounding the character of Django, who may or may not be a ghost. This makes things even better in my opinion. DJANGO THE BASTARD may not be a particularly original film, taking too much from what has come before it and relying on a strict revenge theme rather than branching out in new directions, but the execution is fine, making this an easy and enjoyable film to watch.
For me, the cast is totally full of unknowns, yet all cast members are fine in their respective roles. The baddies are typically repulsive, although Paolo Gozlino lends just the right touch of class as the boss. Lu Kanante, on the other hand, is a snivelling psychopath who shoots up a street full of men and women while laughing manically. His sudden death is well deserved and a welcome end for this repulsive weirdo. The woman playing his wife (didn't get her name) is also very good, and thankfully her character is a well-rounded one, a woman out for her own benefits. Anthony Steffen takes the role of Django, and while he doesn't have the same screen presence as Clint Eastwood - or, indeed, Franco Nero - he's more than adequate at carrying the film when needed and invests his role with a likability towards the end which really gets us rooting for him.
There are plenty of shootouts to enjoy, although a few are poorly edited and therefore lack the necessary thrills. One gun battle between gangs of men is particularly well choreographed. The final twenty minutes are basically a protracted cat and mouse game between Django and the hired hands out to kill him, and is pretty tense. While the film isn't very violent (there's hardly a drop of blood on show), there's a neat trick involving an unfortunate victim getting impaled on a cleaver sticking through a door - you'd have to see it to understand. I also welcomed the addition of a few macabre horror elements into the brew, such as Django placing crosses in front of his victims before killing them, or a few scenes set in cemeteries. There's also an ambiguity surrounding the character of Django, who may or may not be a ghost. This makes things even better in my opinion. DJANGO THE BASTARD may not be a particularly original film, taking too much from what has come before it and relying on a strict revenge theme rather than branching out in new directions, but the execution is fine, making this an easy and enjoyable film to watch.