È tornato Sabata... hai chiuso un'altra volta!

After Yul Brunner became Sabata for Indio Black, Lee Van Cleef reprises his original role in this final entry in the Sabata saga. Unfortunately it's also the lesser one, although probably the most expensive.

I've seen many a nonsensical spaghetti western in my life, but Return of Sabata takes the cake. There's probably some semblance of plot underneath all the twists and turns but one hour in and I was completely lost. No matter, it's still entertaining enough to pass the time. The action scenes are all that matters here, there are plenty of gunfights, goofy acrobatics and explosions. Good production values make it easy on the eyes, the sets, costumes and cinematography are all on pretty high standards to the point where this is probably one of the most expensive spaghetti westerns made, this side of Leone. The humour is mostly silly and flat, the acting is average and I've heard better (and worse) dubbings. Lee Van Cleef's usual charming and charismatic persona is another big plus. Watchable but by no means essential.

The third and last film in the Sabata-series is only slightly better than ADIÓS, SABATA. Lee Van Cleef is back as Sabata and his presence by itself is enough to make this a better movie than the second one with Yul Brynner. Still, Van Cleef can't entirely make up for the awful script and the attempts for comedy. The "gags" in this film are total misfires. Sometimes, Van Cleef is even required to act like a clown. His clothing too isn't as cool as it was in the superior first SABATA. And, excuse me, Sabata as a circus act????????

This all reminded me a bit of the SCREAM-trilogy, with the exception that the second film there was much better than here. The superior first one and the weak third one are however very similar in both series. Why all those unnecessary sequels? Why not leave people with the memory of a good film and not with that of some bad sequels? 4/10

Return of Sabata marks the last outing for Lee Van Cleef.

This time he's up against a slaezy Colonel who has a million dollars in gold in which Sabata pulled off from his earlier assignment.

Determined to get it back, teams up with Clyde and another hordes of his team in order to fight back McLintock get his gold back.

Although this spaghetti western proved almost as good as the first two, it was really entertaining, especially the amount of guns Lee had to use in this film..

Well, at least Sabata rides off into the desert, but I'm hoping someday if by chance somebody might do a remake..

THE RETURN OF SABATA (sequel to SABATA)

Excellent score by Marcello Giombini, I'd own the CD of it if I could find it. Don't know who sings in the opening title theme, though. The credits in the film didn't list the singer.

There are lot's of little tricks in this one, more so than even in the first Sabata film. Different kinds of derringers, small pistols, blowpipes and magnets are up his sleeve in practically every scene. Sabata also refuses to pay the outrageous taxes the McClintocks have imposed on the townspeople for everything from getting a haircut to the gambling & hotel tax, and almost having a showdown with the weak-willed sheriff over it.

Lt. Clyde (Reiner Schone) manages to not be too obnoxious, grinning all the time, except when he's continuously caught by Sabata from stealing or ripping somebody off. He's such a slimeball that he hides in the rafters while his lover Jackie McCIntock (Jacqueline Alexandre) is gunned down by husband Joe (Giampiero Albertini) over his catching her stealing his gold.

The acrobats are back too, jumping off buildings, over fences and trampolines as they help Sabata out in his quest to return the gold stolen by McClintock from the townspeople, in return for the counterfeit money McClintock was using to deceive them.

There's a good shootout towards the end at the McClintock compound, using Bronco's bass drum as a hiding place for storing a lot of pistols. Plus we get a spectacular mine explosion when the McClintock's try to kill Sabata during the money exchange.

The vast majority of the film takes place in the town with little being filmed out in the Spanish countryside, yet it isn't claustrophobic like some other westerns come across when the sets are that static.

All in all, I enjoyed it and consider it a good example of the spaghetti western genre.

7 out of 10

"È Tornato Sabata... Hai Chiuso Un'Altra Volta" aka. "Return Of Sabata" is the third, last and sadly also least interesting of Gianfranco Parolini's "Sabata" films (if "Adios Sabata" aka. "Indio Black", which wasn't originally intended to be a Sabata flick, and in which Lee Van Cleef was replaced by Yul Brynner, is counted as a Sabata movie). While the first "Sabata" (aka. "Ehi Amico, C'e Sabata, Hai Ciuso!") of 1969 is an excellent and immensely stylish Spaghetti Western that deserves its cult-status, this "Return Of Sabata" goes far over the top with slapstick elements, and even though Parolini obviously attempted to copy the original "Sabata" in many parts, it is not really a worthy sequel. Nevertheless, "Return Of Sabata" is an entertaining Spaghetti Western, Lee Van Cleef is great as always in the lead, and the coolness of his Sabata-character saves quite a lot.

I won't give too much of the plot away, but it resembles the first movie a lot, only that its not as violent and witty, but more slapstick-ish and confusing and not as interesting. Sabata (Van Cleef) arrives in Hobsonville this time, a town controlled by a rich and religious Irishman, Joe McIntock (Giampiero Albertini). Sabata decides not only to free town from McInrock's tyranny, but also to gain some profit himself...

There are several highly entertaining scenes, some good action and many amusing gags, and, as mentioned above, the great Lee Van Cleef is always worth the time. Apart from Lee Van Cleef's performance as Sabata, one of the trickiest antiheroes of the Italian Western, the movie is sadly far away from the greatness of its predecessor. While the first movie had an excellent score, the score is one of the biggest flaws in "Return Of Sabata", the music often sounds like the soundtrack of a slapstick comedy instead of a Spaghetti Western. The body-count is also disappointing, it really takes quite a while until somebody is finally killed.

Apart from Lee Van Cleef, two other actors from the first movie are also in this one, Ignazio Spalla and Aldo Canti. Spalla's and Canti's characters resemble their characters from the first movie a lot, but they are not the same. It is beyond me why Parolini didn't just let them play their old characters, who could have had a reunion with Sabata. Still these two sidekicks for Sabata fit in very well, especially Ignazio Spalla is highly amusing and a great enrichment to the movie. Giampiero Albertini also delivers a good performance as the villain. Another character, Clyde (played by Reiner Schöne), is an attempt to copy William Berger's 'Banjo' character from the first movie, which is not too convincing either, since the role doesn't have the wit, and Schöne is not nearly as great an actor as Berger.

Overall, "Return Of Sabata" will be a disappointment if you expect another movie as great as the first "Sabata". Knowing that this is an inferior sequel, however, it should certainly be fun to watch for my fellow fans of the Italian Western. It has many flaws, and it doesn't come up to its predecessors, but it is still an amusing film and Lee Van Cleef is never to be missed. I recommend the entire "Sabata" series to a fan of Spaghetti Westerns, but one should certainly see the great original, as well as "Indio Black", before watching "Return Of Sabata". 6/10