Joe, el implacable

Is NAVAJO JOE a stupid movie? Oh yeah, you better believe it. Is it a bad movie? Surprisingly, no. To a significant degree, NAVAJO JOE makes up for its farcical plot with its great style.

First, Sergio Corbucci knew how to make good-looking movies. Or at least, he knew how to make this one look good. He laps up the shots of the sere Western landscape (Spain, as usual in spaghetti westerns, stands in for the American frontier). He knows whose faces the camera loves and gives them lots of affectionate close-ups. He knows how to put a rose against a background that makes it look even redder, like a spot of blood on the screen. Kudos to cinematographer Silvano Ippoliti, but the cinematographer can only photograph what the director tells him to, and Corbucci knew what to shoot.

Second, Corbucci manages to keep his leading man off of the screen most of the time. Burt Reynolds is atrocious. His stuntman, on the other hand, is superb. They combine to give us Navajo Joe, one of the most athletic western heroes you'll ever see. Unlike the typical western lead who gets most of his exercise transferring his Colt .45 to and from its holster, Joe believes in getting close and personal whenever he can, usually by flying through the air, climbing onto rocks and roofs, and otherwise dealing with the situation acrobatically. The movie poster ridiculously shows Reynolds aiming a bow, which he never once uses in the movie; as any smart Indian would, Joe uses a Winchester rifle for long-range combat. But he uses even the Winchester athletically, holding down the trigger and pumping the lever action frenetically to shoot down his foes.

Third, that `Leo Nichols' you saw credited with the music is really Ennio Morricone, who, with all due apologies to Nino Rota, is the undisputed king of Italian film music. Like many of his themes it is a choral piece, apparently inspired by Indian tribal songs but reworked to fit Morricone's own standards, and it is superb. NAVAJO JOE is the only movie I have ever watched solely for the music. It is amazing to consider that Morricone did four better themes for Leone alone, while for most film composers this theme would be a career best.

Fourth, the movie exposes some of the injustices that European settlers did to American Indians without ever giving in to the modern assumption that the Indian victims of these evils must themselves have been saints.

As you can see, the elements of a classic western were there. But alas, Corbucci dropped the ball short of the goal line. For one thing, he hasn't got a clue what to do with Nicoletta Machiavelli. She's the top-billed lady, and she's gorgeous, but she doesn't get to take any part in the action. She doesn't even get to kiss the hero. It goes without saying that the characters are paper-thin, and the one who is most humanized is not Joe but Aldo Sambrell's villainous Mervyn (who has a funny scene where he tears down the `Wanted' sign for his brother and crumples it up, but carefully removes his own and puts it away for safekeeping).

Furthermore, NAVAJO JOE is a textbook example of what Ebert called the Idiot Plot; that is, a movie whose plot can only proceed if everyone involved is an idiot. The initial massacre which motivates the hero for the rest of the film depends on his wife being idiot enough to show not the slightest suspicion when an armed horseman rides up to her when she is alone and defenseless. Joe's survival is due largely to Mervyn's inexplicable decision never to send more than two or three of his thirty-or-so outlaws after him at one time. The secondary villain fails to see that, once he has guided Mervyn to the gold, Mervyn will have no more use for him. Mervyn's hard-bitten brother Jeffrey is given an invitation that has `TRAP' written all over it, and proceeds directly into the trap without the slightest suspicion. The most absurd part of all, though, is when Mervyn drags the servant girl Estella into the street, right under the muzzle of Joe's rifle, and threatens to shoot her unless Joe surrenders. Does Joe (a) shoot him through the head, or (b) surrender? You guessed it, he surrenders. Now does Mervyn, having seen that Joe will cave in to any threat to Estella, threaten again to shoot Estella unless Joe tells him where the money is? Nope, he spends fruitless hours beating the living dung out of our hero, and when that doesn't work, strings him up by his heels. He doesn't even muss Estella's hair.

NAVAJO JOE was Dino De Laurentiis' answer to A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS. Obviously, it doesn't even come close; FISTFUL was every bit as stylish as JOE and had a good story too. But if you measure JOE by what it achieved, not by what it tried to achieve, you'll find it's pretty decent.

Rating: ** out of ****

Recommendation: Western fans should catch it on TV.

Instead of slapping you in the face for not seeing Navajo Joe, Burt Reynolds is more likely to slap you in the face if you have seen Navajo Joe!

I saw a television interview once where Reynolds spoke very flippantly about it, basically saying that he was trying to imitate Clint Eastwood's (whom he replaced on the TV series "Rawhide") path to success by going to Europe and starring in a western. He went on to say that unlike Eastwood who got Sergio Leone, he was stuck with Sergio Corbucci.

While I understand Burt's disappointment that this didn't become a hit movie or do much to advance his career, I don't understand his embarrassment as this is actually a pretty decent picture and he did get to star in a movie, which most people don't get a chance to.

Sergio Corbucci is named by many as the next best thing to Leone, whose films are being rediscovered and re-appraised as classics of the genre. I'd say he did pretty good for a TV actor! (and this couldn't possibly be worse than Driven!)

The plot involves a brutal band of cutthroats led by menacing Spanish actor Aldo Sambrell, who go from killing Indians for profit to an attempt at robbing a train, thwarted by Navajo Joe who takes the train (and the loot) to it's intended destination and agrees to save the town from the now angry rampaging outlaws.

As far as Italian westerns and Sergio Corbucci films go, this is neither the best nor worst of either. It's worth watching and has a great score by an uncredited Ennio Morricone.

Navajo Joe is directed by Sergio Corbucci and collectively written by Fernando Di Leo, Ugo Pirro and Piero Regnoli. It stars Burt Reynolds, Aldo Sambrell, Nicoletta Machiavelli, Tanya Lopert and Fernando Rey. Music is by Ennico Morricone and cinematography by Silvano Ippolitti.

Though Reynolds would say it's the worst film he ever made, anyone who has followed his career will know that simply isn't the case! It's an odd Spaghetti Western that sees Reynolds play the title character, who strides out for revenge against the ragamuffin varmints who slaughtered his woman and tribe. Cue blood letting galore as Joe enacts said revenge with bloodthirsty glee as the hints of anti-racism struggle to show their heads above the pasta strewn pulpit.

Narratively there's nothing else to add, it's simplicity 101 and at times it becomes laborious. Where the film doesn't lack for interest is with the technical aspects. Corbucci hones his skills as a purveyor of brutal set pieces, each striking for entertainment purpose. Ippolitti adds his own brand of cinematography, gracing the story with a pizazz it doesn't deserve, whilst Morricone provides a wonderfully catchy musical score. As for Reynolds? He does OK. Veering close to being pantomime and showing a lack of interest, his all round brooding charisma shines bright and gives the picture a macho edge.

Not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, the script is just too lazy, but it is above average and Spaghetti Western fans can find enough here to gorge on for a satisfying meal. 6/10

"Navajo Joe" is a spaghetti Western from 1966 starring Burt Reynolds as the titular Native warrior who seeks revenge on a gang of sadistic outlaws who massacred his wife and tribe.

They say Italians have been making the worst movies for a hundred years, but "Navajo Joe" is pretty good for a spaghetti oater. In an interview Reynolds admitted that he took Clint Eastwood's example (whom he replaced on the TV series "Rawhide") by going to Europe and starring in an Italian Western; unlike Eastwood who got Sergio Leone, however, Burt got Sergio Corbucci.Despite this, Reynolds was in his prime and looks robust; being a stuntman, he did all his own stunts, which is impressive when you view the movie.

Other highlights include the typically outlandish but memorable score by Ennio Morricone (pseudonymously credited as Leo Nichols), which is reminiscent of his later score for "Burn!" and raven-haired Nicoletta Machiavelli as Estella, a half-breed who takes a liking to Joe. Other than this, the typical revenge plot moves right along for a fairly entertaining 60's European Western where the dubbed voices don't match the lips. "Navajo Joe" may not be great, but it's amusing enough.

The film runs 93 minutes and was shot in Spain.

GRADE: B

Not without interest but this starts so well with some great long shots and then some startling up close violence and the story is unfolding as we struggle to keep up, and then it pretty much stops. We are introduced to a very young Burt Reynolds who looks pretty good with his horse and rifle but then we get to meet the baddie brothers and they seem far more interesting. Lovely old train but lame plot which necessitates the town's folk (who have said 'no' to guns) being able to do nothing except sit around and wait hoping that Joe will sort things out. Thing is we have to sit watching them sit. And so it plods on. There are a couple of spurts of nasty violence but the girls are wasted, criminally so in the case of Nicoletta Machiavelli and we are forced to imagine just how good this might have been.