Arrivano Django e Sartana ...è la fine!

There is a whole lot of riding in this Demofilo Fidani western starring Hunt Powers (Jack Betts) as Django and Chet Davis as Sartana. Also on view is Gordon Mitchell as a deliciously insane bandit leader who spends a lot of time talking to himself in the mirror. Also playing poker against himself in the mirror... Shots of horsemen riding along the horizon take up screen time and build the slim story up to ninety minutes or so of questionable action. Fidani has been compared to Ed Wood, but this one is pretty well done, with a top-notch score, plenty of extras milling about in the backgrounds, some nice town sets, a few gorgeous ladies, and an incredible stunt team who flop and twitch when they're shot; no slumping to the ground for them, they usually fly from twelve to fifteen feet when shot. Fans of the genre just might have a good time with this one; others beware!

After Sergio Corbucci's masterpiece "Django" from 1966, a whole series of so called "Django" films were released in Italy. Some of these (unofficial) sequels were quite good, some were worse, but none of them even near the original. The original "Sartana" films with Gianni Garko also spawned a bunch of rip-offs, some of them quite good, some worse. As a great fan of the Italian Western, I must say that, out of all films I've seen carrying either title "Django And Sartana...Showdown In The West" is the worst. The storyline is quite primitive, a gang of criminals take a girl hostage before they wanna flee to Mexico and then, for some reason, instead of going to Mexico they wait, and try to kill the area's two deadliest bounty hunters, Django and Sartana, before they can find them. The dialogue is pretty poor too, at least in the German dubbed version of the movie.

The characters of Django and Sartana are not even near to those in the original movies, Django, originally a cynical avenger, is a bounty hunter in this, and Sartana, usually a typical antihero looking mainly for quick cash, is suddenly somewhat of a saint, helping the poor and trying to turn the west into a better place by fighting the bad guys. This movie is aguably only watchable to my fellow fans of the genre, and they're also quite likely to be disappointed. If for anything, watch the film for Spaghetti Western veteran Gordon Mitchell, who plays the villain in this, and who saves the movie from being total garbage. If you don't know any other "Django" or "Sartana" movies, please don't judge the whole series after this movie, don't even waste your time with this one, but watch Sergio Corbucci's original "Django" of 1966 with Franco Nero (it's a masterpiece!!) or any of the great Sartana movies with Gianni Garko instead. Only watchable for Spaghetti Western enthusiasts like myself, and even then it is anything but recommendable.

If you don't like Spaghetti's, don't watch EM'. Man I tell ya... He made 12 or so. Directed also. You either like em; or you don't. Clowns come in here with their Ed Wood garbage. I have watched this Italian Western countless times because I am a FAN of Spaghetti Western FLICKS. If you will...People who do not prefer this GENRE or just don't really have any business to be in here to do a critique on the subject, constantly put down these movies. This is one of the better ones. If you don't like it, move on. It's got 5 or so cool actors in it, not just KLAUS KINSKI for 2 seconds, Excellent MIDDLE tier SPAGHETTI. So tired of the under 30's in here who don't know if their ass is punched or bored....

If you've been around the spaghetti western block a few times, most likely you've concluded that the "Django" and the "Sartana" in this particular spaghetti western only share the names of the characters from the official movies and nothing else, and you'd be right. That fact didn't bother me - I am used to rip-offs in Italian movies, and I just asked that the movie be entertaining. Unfortunately, it wasn't. The movie does gets to a good start, swiftly setting up the plot in the first ten minutes, and there is a pleasant (though repetitive) musical score. But other than those things, there's not much of merit on display here. After the first ten minutes, we have to sit through about a half hour of essentially NOTHING important happening. And when the movie eventually gets going, it's at a very slow pace, seemingly knowing there simply isn't that much plot here. The director adds absolutely no style or energy, and the Django and Sartana characters are given absolutely no color or personality, so you don't care if they will triumph at the end. Probably not the worst spaghetti western made, but would likely make it into a decent-sized list from the average spaghetti western connoisseur. It certainly made MY list!

Low-budgeted movie middlingly made by Miles Deem or Demofilo Fidani , nicknamed the ¨Ed Wood of Spaghetti Western¨ . A small desert town and its stark surroundings are held in a reign of terror by a nasty gang of criminals lead by the crazed Burt Keller (Gordon Mitchell who steals the show giving a hysterical overacting) . The band of vicious outlaws kidnap Jessica Colby (Simonetta Vitelli or Blondell , Demofilo Fidani's daughter and starred several films of his father) and decide to flee to Mexico and taking a golden loot . Shrewd as well as mysterious bounty hunter Django (Jack Betts or Hunt Powers) and earnest , experienced gunslinger Sartana (Chet Davis or Franco Borelli) join forces to rescue the poor lass from the group's vile clutches . Both of whom arrive to establish law and order against the ruthless Burt Keller . As astute Django and Two-Fisted Sartana unite to terminate a reign of terror carried out by a brutal band of criminals .

This below-average Ravioli Western packs thrills , go riding , action , brawls , crossfire and drags at times , balancing in ups and downs . The plot summary is plain and simple : a small desert town is besieged by a brutal band of bandits led by villain and ruthless bandits and a bounty hunter named Django helps Sartana out , along the way they free an abducted beautiful girl . As stubborn and cunning Django along with saintly roving gunslinger Sartana take on Burt Keller , and meanwhile they help two unfortunate but gorgeous girls : Jessica Brewster/Simonetta Vitelli and Cleo/Krista Nell , both of them were two Eurotrash goddesses who starred various Western/erotic/terror movies . The movie has the customary Spaghetti characters , as the violent facing , greedy antiheroes , bloody and spectacular showdowns , quick zooms , extreme baddies but being wretchedly directed . It packs an enjoyable and attractive musical score by Coriolano Gori in Morricone/spaghetti style . And an atmospheric cinematography by the famous Aristide Massaccesi or Joe D'Amato , though a perfect remastering is necessary .

Here unite forces two mysterious heroes from Spaghetti Western : the saintly roving Sartana and the brave Django , their history is the following : The first movie on Sartana as an avenger hero was by Frank Kramer (Gianfranco Parolini) interpreted by John Garco or Gianni Garco or Gary Hudson , besides it was starred by Klaus Kinski and William Berger . As always , the mythic personage appears elegant and dressed in black and with a killer look . After being continued by Alfonso Balcazar ¨Sartana non Perdona¨ or ¨Sonora¨ with Jorge Martin , Jack Elam and Gilbert Roland . Miles Deem directed two Sartanas which are considered awful . Anthony Ascott (Giuliano Carmineo) realized several movies with George Hilton who replaces to Garco . Hilton plays more natural and roguish than Garco who was cold and peculiar . Garco starred various Sartanas with Carmineo as ¨¨Sartana the gravedigger'(69) , ¨Light the fuse Sartana is coming¨(71), among others.

After successful original ¨Django¨ by Sergio Corbucci with Franco Nero , it was followed by several imitations , rip offs and cheesy copies , such as : ¨Pochi dollar per Django¨ or ¨Alambradas De Violencia¨ (1966) by Leon Klimowsky starred by Anthony Steffen , Gloria Osuna , Frank Wolff ; ¨El Mio Nome e Django¨ (1969) by Ferdinando Baldi with Terence Hill , Horst Frank , George Eastman ; ¨Django Le Bastard¨(1969) by Sergio Garrone with Anthony Steffen , Paolo Gozlino ; ¨¨Django defies Sartana¨(1969) by Pasquale Squitieri with George Ardisson and Tony Kendall ; ¨Ein Pressen Fur Django¨ or ¨Barro en Ojos¨(1971) by Edoardo Mulargia with Anthony Steffen ; and the official sequel titled ¨Il Grande Ritorno¨(1987) by Nello Rossati with Franco Nero , Christopher Connolly and Donald Pleasence .

The picture was lousily directed by Demofilo Fidani or Miles Deem , considered to be the "Ed Wood of Spaghetti Western" and husband of Mila Vitelli Valenza ,a professional costume designer and father of actress Simonetta Vitelli , both of whom worked in various films of Demofilo . Fidani directed all kind of genres in low budget and exploitation pictures . He eventually had more pseudonyms than any working director in the world , similarly to Bruno Mattei . He followed shooting these taboo-breaking films with excursions into porno film , adventure , as ¨Karzan, Jungle Lord" and specially , Spaghetti as ¨Django and Sartana's Showdown in the West" , ¨Giù la Testa¨, "Sartana, the Invincible Gunman" , ¨El Sartana... l'Ombre Ta Mort¨, among others .