Adios Sabata

This is not the same "Sabata" character as in the Lee Van Cleef movies. This character was actually supposed to be named "Indio Black" but they changed his name for the English version. Why they thought that a western with a big star like Yul Brynner wouldn't be popular enough on it's own, and tried to cash in on the Sabata name is beyond me, but studios and distributors did a lot of stupid things to film titles back then, especially with the international releases, so it's par for the course.

Yul Brynner is interesting as the protagonist in this film. Too bad he didn't appear in any other spaghetti westerns. He's no Lee Van Cleef, but he does have a style of his own. His accent makes him sound like Arnold Schwartzeneggar in some parts. Gerard Herter is great as the wicked, Nazi-like Austrian Colonel. I wasn't very impressed with any of the other actors in the movie. Dean Reed was especially awful, and his character, "Ballantyne" was very irritating. I kept hoping he would get killed throughout the whole movie, but that damned Indio Black kept saving him.

The music score is OK, but not as good as most of Bruno Nicolai's other work, and there are very long stretches of the film with no music at all where it probably could use some.

The movie drags a little from the middle to the end. There's lots of action, but it just doesn't have the pizazz or suspense of the really great spaghetti westerns. It would probably be better if it was shorter. Some movies, like Sergio Leone's westerns for example, are able to go on for 2 or 3 hours and not have a dull moment, but this movie isn't one of them. It could have been 15 or 20 minutes shorter.

Overall, the production quality is good, and the story is OK, though it's nothing original. This one is worth watching, but probably for spaghetti western fans only.

Long before the Terminator, Sabata (this time Yul Brynner in his only spaghetti western) uttered the infamous words, "I'll be back." This is the second of Gianfranco Parolini's Sabata trilogy, but it is not a sequel, as the characters and story are different. Like the first, it is also written by Renato Izzo, who went on to write the video nasty Night Train Murders after finishing the trilogy.

Brynner had the cool look that probably got him the Westworld gig a few years later.

Ignazio Spalla is back from the fist film, but with a different name (Escudo). Maybe he changed it to hide.

Sabata joins Escudo and revolutionaries trying to overthrow Austrian Archduke Maximillion, who ruled over Mexico as an imperial dictator; of course, Sabata was only after gold. Others were as well, so it was not a walk in the park.

It is fortunate that the Archduke had plenty of soldiers to sacrifice to the cause.

Well, Lee Van Cleef, Ignazio Spalla, and Aldo Canti will be back in the final Sabata film.

Ok so it was supposed to be called INDIO BLACK as well as it should have been.

After all, Yul Brynner played the character far differently than Lee Van Cleef did and this film really shouldn't be associated with the other two Sabata films. It's a different character look altogether with the Brynner version dressed in black buckskin and silver buckles while the Van Cleef version of Sabata settled more for the conservative Bret Maverick gambler look.

Also notably stars failed American singer Dean Reed who would later die under mysterious circumstances in East Germany during the 1980s.

The Bruno Nicolai score is excellent although derivative of other scores for the genre. If you like soundtracks for these types of films, then it's well worth picking up. I know I'll be on the lookout for it.

Lots of explosions and gunfire in this one as Brynner & Co. battle the Austrians under Maximillian (in Mexico circa 1867) and steal their gold. There's nothing boring about it and it's face-paced with a few tricks such as the model of the ship in Colonel Skimmel's study that shoots real live ammo everytime someone opens the drawer below it. I also like Brynner's sawed-off rifle with the clip that loads from the side. He keeps a cigar in the last chamber and lights it up after every gun battle. Very tongue-in-cheek.

I liked it. Too bad the widescreen version was cropped for television.

6 out of 10

Sort of sequel to the earlier Sabata with Lee Van Cleef, this was filmed as Indio Black and is known as that in several countries. The title was changed when the distributor paid for the right to use the name Sabata from the original films producer. The result is Sabata becomes a dead ringer for Chris, Yul Brynner's character from the Magnificent Seven films (a character Van Cleef was playing in a movie shot at the same time as this).

Aren't the back stage maneuvering of Spaghetti Westerns fun? Some times the stories are more fun than the movies.Fortunately this movie is more fun than the story.

The plot has Sabata (Yul Brenner) helping Mexican revolutionaries attempting to over throw the Emperor Maximilian. Sabata is to steal some gold and then use it to buy guns to attack an evil General. However things don't go as planned and when they go to steal the gold someone else is already there. Add to the whole mix spies, greed and some odd left turns and you get one entertaining, but not very coherent movie.

Don't get me wrong I like this movie a great deal, I just wish it made some sense. Characters appear out of left field when it suits the plot, people don't do anything logical (I mean if you just stole a wagon full of gold you'd make sure that the gold was really there wouldn't you?), after a certain point its never clear if they are keeping the gold or giving it to the revolution. Its enough to drive you crazy if you let it. I didn't since a good many of the spaghetti westerns I've seen make even less sense then this one.

If you like Westerns this is one to see. Its perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon. I'm still not sure if I think of Brenner's character as Sabata, but it doesn't matter since no matter what he's called he's a kick ass hero with a smart ass mouth. What more could you want?

Yul Brynner and Dean (The Red Elvis) Reed team up with a group of Mexican revolutionaries in order to steal a shipment of gold belonging to the invading Austrian army and use it to buy guns for the resistance. However, the vicious Austrian occupiers have a few tricks up their sleeves and so does Brynner.

Yul's only real spaghetti western, his performance, flamboyant outfit, and neat gun-play elevates this very much typical, though well-made production to a higher level than it otherwise would have been. It's still too bland though.

The score by frequent Ennio Morricone collaborator Bruno Nicolai is pretty good.

From the producers and director of the earlier Sabata, this similarly themed film only became a sequel in the dubbing booth.