Il mio West

It isn't a Pieraccioni's movie. Yes, he play in that movie and he write something about that movie but he is not the director, and so it is different from the other Pieraccioni's movies, but it is funny , not like the other, but it has got a nice story too. It is not a classical italian movie but it is a mix between italian and "holliwoodian" movie!!

"You got a nice little town here... GREAT PLACE TO DIE!" Spoken with what could be the worst British/Southern/Western accent ever recorded, psychopath gunfighter Jack Sikora (Bowie) tries to draw out retired gunfighter Johnny Lowen (Keitel). This is not a comedy, though I understand why someone would try to pass it off as one- it IS funny to see Bowie try to act 'old west'. But, as with the 'fair catch' call in football, you have to indicate you are a comedy before the movie is released and then make moves to indicate you are a comedy. That didn't happen here, though I suspect audience response (in the US, anyway) caused those responsible for the movie to re-think their strategy and throw the comedy label on it. Oh, it is a comedy, in fact I've gotten hours of comedic enjoyment out of it already. Making sound bites from Bowie's western phrases has been a hoot (or as he might say, 'a hut'). But once you see it, you'll know that it's more of a train-wreck than an attempt at humor. "This ain't a bad dream, Johnny, it's really me", says Jack/Bowie. Indeed.

Several of the comments here show negative response to what I feel is really a kind of tribute film to the great Sergio Leone. This film could easily have been Parmesan cheese atop the fabulous westerns Leone and Clint Eastwood created, but I think it keeps a good blend with the genre. Yes, the main character, Doc, is speaking in Italian and English is dubbed in. But that's a big part of the charm of all "foreign" films, especially the spaghetti westerns. And having spent my childhood in Oklahoma, I thought Bowie's psychotic bad man accent was surprisingly good (although I think Dwight Yoakam would have made a better casting choice). The soundtrack, likewise, could have come off as a pale substitute for Morricone's memorable scores. I thought the choice of the Marley's reggaeesque tune was more than suitable, especially since one of the "bad guy" characters was Rastafarian - one of many colorful additions that, in my view, bring nice flavors to the genre.

My only complaint after seeing the film once is that it's too short. If it were expanded to include more about Keitel's character and his earlier relationship with Bowie's, the climactic scene could have carried more punch - maybe not along the lines of the Bronson/Fonda gunfight in Once Upon a Time in the West, but richer character development would definitely have added more suspense and contributed to bringing a well-worn genre into the 21st century.

I don't think anyone who is a true fan of spaghetti westerns would be disappointed in spending 95 minutes with a tastefully created, colorful, quirky film like this.

One wonders if this film was actually directed by a single human being with a creative thought process. The spectacular Tuscan mountain region doubles nicely for the big sky country of America, providing the only genuine energy in this moribund production. It feels as if the screenplay was generated by some sort of computer after being fed with the essential plot points of the Hollywood western. The film lurches along awkwardly, trying not to miss any of the preprogrammed beats. It's rather a grubby combination of far far better films such as "Shane", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "The Shootist", "High Noon" or even that evergreen, "The Angel and the Badman". "The Gunslinger's Revenge" even throws in some "Dances With Wolves" moments among the local population of amazingly genial and chipper Native Americans. Presumably the computer weighed the variables and inserted a solid percentage of egalitarianism.

The performances -- if one could call them that -- of the actors are at the very best uniformly bland. One would hope this can be attributed to the script which relies on every Western gunfighter cliché ever produced and handcuffs the actors to characters without any range or depth.

And speaking of Lee Marvin's brilliant performance as the vile, mentally unhinged Liberty Valance...

What cinematic genius suggested that David Bowie try the ghastly pseudo-Southern dialect as the mentally unbalanced gunfighter who tracks Keitel to his hometown? One could blame the computer again. It sorted through the data and decided in lieu of being able to dress Bowie as former Nazi officer (always a quick way to establish a character as a freelance sadist), they would opt for a Confederate officer instead. Of course, it all makes perfect sense -- just like the rest of this appalling film.

If you would enjoy seeing some of the formula characters and scenes in a western presented in new ways, you might like this. Some of these formulas are treated with quietly humorous disrespect, be warned, if you take westerns seriously. Think of a good "Gunsmoke" episode made as a movie for the level of plot depth. People were real, involved, and creatively presented. The dialog limps at times, but Keitel's personal presence compensates for some of the limitations. Scenes weren't always smoothly connected, some had a "plot requirement" feel but I do wonder what ended up on the cutting room floor. People wore dirty clothes, gunshots produced blood, town citizens were parochial and short-sighted, the basics I need to stay involved. Bowie is appropriately evil, and does sensible evil things to achieve his goals!