Django, der Rächer

This isn't a bad Italian western at all--though compared to the rest of the films in this genre, this one is even lighter in plot and mostly consists of a lot of shooting and killing. Now, it's reasonably well-done shooting and killing, but if you're looking for depth, this movie isn't for you.

Franco Nero plays a sheriff in a Texas town. After YEARS of waiting, he and his brother inexplicably decide NOW is the time to track down their father's killer in Mexico. However, when they arrive and even mention the guy's name, Delgado, folks get a bit ornery and the killing begins. In fact, once they are in Mexico, practically not a single minute goes by when someone isn't shot!! And, eventually, a dark secret is learned--but I'll leave that for you to discover. And, also to discover is the wonderfully bloody and bullet-riddled finale.

This film is pretty good but it all boils down to lots of death and not much more. Nero is handsome and very good in the lead but an otherwise ordinary sort of western.

Sheriff Burt Sullivan and his younger brother Jim want to take revenge for their murdered father and say "Good bye, Texas!" to head for Cisco Delgado, the hiss-and-hate bad guy, who resides in Mexico. Unlike in many other Spaghetti Westerns the hero is never really slick and instead decides for an against-all-odds approach. The darkness of other serious spaghetti westerns is missing.

The sung score is memorable, the cinematography of Enzo Barboni is mediocre, Franco Nero is good as usual while the other actors do their job with little ambition. Overall this Western has average quality.

5 / 10.

Before watching the movie, I watched the interview with Franco Nero that's on the disc. When he said that this western is "more like an American western" than any of his other movies I began to worry since I generally don't care for American westerns.

The opening theme song of the movie is decidedly Euro-western, so that gave me some hope. Then the story began. The beginning scenes of the movie when they are in Texas are kind of hokey and corny in an American western sort of way, so I started to doubt the worth of this movie again. Fortunately this part of the movie is very short. The Sullivan brothers head off to Mexico and that's where the story unfolds and quickly becomes one hundred percent spaghetti western.

The music score is very good, with lots of spaghetti style trumpets and guitar. The theme song becomes a haunting recurring melody.

Franco Nero gives another action packed performance in this movie. His character, Burt Sullivan, has an uncanny ability with a gun that's reminiscent of Django. Jose Suarez is excellent in the role of the slimy land baron who murdered Sullivan's father, and Jose Guardiola is great as his cultured crony McLeod.

Needless to say, this movie was much better than I expected after hearing Franco Nero's comments. This is definitely not an American western! If you like your spaghetti westerns packed with action and revenge Franco Nero style, do yourself a favor and check this one out.

(aka: THE AVENGER)

Sheriff Burt Sullivan (Franco Nero) leaves his job temporarily to go down to Mexico with his kid brother Jim (Alberto Dell'Acqua) and hunt down Cisco Delgado, the man who killed their father. Only there's an added surprise complication since the Delgado is related to Sullivan in a way which I won't reveal.

I had no problem with the dubbing since it's no worse that what you find with many films in this genre, but there's some pretty sloppy editing here. For example, early in the movie Sullivan (Nero) is ambushed by a man with a rifle up in some rocks. He has a shootout with the man and eventually kills him, but he doesn't go over to investigate and find out who the man was or find some clues as to why he was after him. Instead he turns the other way and finds his brother Jim waiting down at the bottom of the hill, playing a banjo. Bizarre to say the least.

The opening title track sung by Don Powell isn't any great shakes, either. Some of the later music cues in the film sound like surf instrumentals with a slightly Spanish tinge to them. Like out of KILL BILL or something. They sound pretty cool in light of the dreary opening track.

I must say that I did like the Almeria locations that vary between desert and rocky high ground as well as beautiful canyons and a river that could pass for the Rio Grande, but that's not enough to take it over the edge, imo.

The beautiful widescreen anamorphic Anchor Bay DVD comes with a 10 minute featurette where Franco Nero discusses the making of the film and how he used stuntmen in the fight scenes to make it look more believable, and he's right. Some of the fist fights do look good.

As it is, it doesn't hold a candle to DJANGO or Nero's previous western before this, TEMPO DE MASSACRO (MASSACRE TIME) which is one of my favorites. I wish Anchor Bay would release that one since it not only stars Franco Nero, but was directed by master horror director, Lucio Fulci.

In the meantime, I consider Texas, ADDIO below average.

4 out of 10

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Burt Sullivan, a rugged Texas sheriff heads to Mexico along with his raw younger brother Jim to seek revenge, by arresting the man Cisco Delgado for murdering their father quite a few years ago. When they reach a small Mexican town, they learn that everyone fears Cisco, as he has power over the people and their laws. Even with those obstacles that get in his way of finding Cisco, Burt wants his man, but a family secret he learns from Cisco when they finally meet. Turns the much-wanted revenge, into something even personal.

The ever cool, hard-ass Franco Nero appears in this customary walk-in-the park spaghetti western. There's nothing really going for it to set apart form the norm, but due to Nero's charismatically gloomy presence, fluid pacing and Enzo Barboni's terrifically panoramic and professional looking photography of the desert terrain. These things go on to shape it into a solid, if unremarkable experience. The passé premise is a simple and unassuming one with a relaxed temperament, which is broken up by excitingly fast action, brutal stabs of violence and would go onto spring one random twist midway through. Plastering the firm script is plenty of snappy dialogues, but also lazy cracks can show up and stock characters are represented. Other than Nero, the only other performance to standout was José Suárez sophisticatedly sadistic part as Cisco. The plot actually allowed a bit of development and emotional play to the Cisco character. The rest of the noble cast were more than acceptable. Director Ferdinando Baldi squeezes in some stylish lashings and energetic verve, but rather then being truly dazzling in its context and visuals, it turns out to be proficiently competent and surefooted. Nothing pretentious marks its way in. Anton Garcia Abril's exuberant music score can be dynamic and tight, but feel symmetrically staged. Don Powell opening / closing emotional car wreck of a song can be quite risible. The English dubbing is not so great either, but there's not real damage by it. It's a polished and workmanlike production, but there's few major draw-cards.

"Texas, Adios" is middling work of the sub-genre, but for the fans it diverts and breezes by in no time.