O Cangaceiro

Brazil, early 20th century: Espedito (Tomás Milian) is the only one to survive a government massacre in his city, an act of revenge for harboring cangaceiros (Brazilian bandits). In the process, his father and his (stolen) cow die, although the latter is what seems to bother him the most. Espidito survives the massacre of his entire town and is later taken in and helped by a hermit, believing that he is a figure similar to Jesus. Espedito believes him and calls himself that from then on. The hermit finally brings out Espidito's tempestuous reaction, becoming a messianic madman and embarking on a further journey towards crime, religious fanaticism, tragedy and final enlightenment. Meanwhile, this "Redeemer" goes out to help the poor by resorting to weapons and his own rebel band. The man becomes an outlaw and begins to feel like a self-proclaimed saint. But the discovery of oil twists everything. Espedito creates his own band of Cangaceiros and distributes his stolen goods among the poor. On behalf of an oil company, Dutchman Vincenzo Helfen (Ugo Pagliai) discovers oil deposits on the coast of Bahia that his company wants to exploit together with the Brazilian government. But the area is firmly in the hands of the Cangaceiros. Helfen proposes to the cruel governor Branco (Eduardo Fajardo) to make a deal with Espedito, whom Helfen has already met and who seems to trust him.

Fictional account of the adventures of the gunman Cangaceiro, which partially recounts the last days of rural banditry in real Brazilian life. The film follows Espedito in a life of crime, joining a gang against a sworn enemy. A gripping Brazilian spaghetti western that contains a story full of violence, surprising close-ups, emotions, fights, murders, chases, agile performances, ordinary zooms and adequate performances abound and at the end the touching final confrontation occurs. It follows in the wake of the Brazilian classics: "God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun" and its sequel: ¨Antonio Das Mortes¨ directed by Glauber Rocha, which formed an essential part of Brazilian Cinema Novo. Truth and imagination are the key words of the film. Inspired by real events ("truth") elevated to almost mythological heights ("imagination") by pamphlet literature and Brazilian folklore, the film follows a poor cowherding peasant in his terrible saga through the Brazilian Sertao ( the arid interior of northeastern Brazil) .and his encounters with God, bandits and corrupt authorities personified by the corrupt governor and finally confronting the last of the "cangaceiros", heavily armed bandits who terrorized the "sertao" and became popular antiheroes, not unlike the bandits of the West. It stars Tomás Milian, who is quite good as the mercenary found by a hermit who convinces him that he is a reincarnation of the Savior and is being hired by local politicians to kill other Cangaceiros. Starring Spaghetti actor Tomás Milián, who is not the first time he plays the role of a poor and illiterate revolutionary, this time he doesn't make it easy for us like Espedito, because he often seems very selfish, too gullible, too willing to accept the offer of a man who, after all, had his people massacred. But that's what makes the character so interesting and not so easily accessible. The blonde Ugo Pagliani plays Vincenzo Helfen, a man who gains Espedido's trust because he seems very honest, but he has a mission to accomplish. Eduardo Fajardo plays Governor Branco with memorable casual malice. Branco is not cruel because he enjoys it, for him the poor are simply worthless, and if mass murder is the cheapest solution to a problem, so be it. This is a co-production of Italy and Spain, in fact the interesting script was written by Rafael Romero Marchent who made several famous Spaghetti/Paella Westerns, being atmospherically photographed by the prestigious cameraman Alejandro Ulloa in wonderful Brazilian landscapes (not Almería) and here there're various notable Spanish secondary roles appear, such as Leo Anchoriz, Jesús Guzmán and of course Eduardo Fajardo.

Composer Riz Ortolani offers an evocative soundtrack, which varies with attractive Brazilian themes, while the quieter moments transport us to the Italian-Western. Giovanni Fago's third directorial job after "Uno di più all'inferno" (original title) or "Tres por tres para el diablo" or "One More to Hell" " and this O Cangaceiro (1969) or "Django - Melody in Lead" is usually classified as a Spaghetti western. Although the location is in Brazil, stylistically we are, at least in part, in a typical Spaghetti western. This ¨O Cangaceiro (1969)¨ was well directed by Giovanni Fago who frequently used the pseudonym Sidney Lean, he directed all types of genres, such as crime films, such as one titled "Kidnapping", Drama such as "On the Beach Beyond del dock" and Spaghettis like ¨O' Cangaceiro¨ and ¨ Por 100,000 Dollari T'Ammazzo¨, among others.

To call it a spaghetti western would be demean the movie;it's an intellectual work , certainly smarter than most of this kind of production.

The beginning ,notably ,is almost a divine intervention ,which the presence of a priest and a girl named Maria reinforces ;Espedito will be the savior,the "redeemer" who will help the poor and fight the powers to be (the arrival of the bishop ,welcomed by the army,is worthy of Bunuel .

Espedito's stature is so impressive he scares the governor he meets thanks to a Dutch engeneer ,with whom he becomes friends; the dinner in the palace is almost surrealist as those crude peasants mixing with high-born ladies covered with jewels . The Dutch friend remains ambiguous ; there are economic interests at stake : the oil they can get for a song is the reason why they tolerate the Redeemer ...who confesses he never was a savior ;in fact he was only a pawn in their game which they used to get rid of the other outlaws .Gangsters come to the rescue for the sake of the buck .A lot of deaths all along the movie and an unusual relationship between the congaceiro and the blond European .

I just saw a nice widescreen Italian language version of this seldom seen 1971 adventure. It had English subtitles and although the stills I'd seen from this film looked strange and bizarre, the story is very straightforward and accessible. It's very much in the style of the spaghetti western, stars SW staple Tomas Milian as cow loving peasant Espedito, who is outraged at the massacre of his village by Federales (the Brazilian Army in this case). More than that, they killed his cow. He is wounded and rescued by a Rasputin-like hermit who convinces him that he (Milian) is The Redeemer who will lead his people to freedom. Milian buys this line of reasoning and soon has taken over a band of Cangaceiros, bandits, and is on his way to fulfilling this prophecy. A European mercenary convinces him to work for the government by wiping out the other bands, which he does with relish. But the Government wants the oil underneath a village that Espedito is protecting, and havoc breaks loose. Nicely directed by Giovanni Fago, the music is appropriately Brazilian. Milian's get up is right out of carnival and the locations are eye-catching and unique. Not filmed in Almeria, in other words. Definitely worth a look for spaghetti western enthusiasts, and casual viewers will enjoy it too.