Acquasanta Joe

I'm actually not that big a fan of pasta-westerns, but I like director Mario Gariazzo and decided it might be worth a look for that reason. Everything Gariazzo ever directed was low budget trash, but his movies are packed with wackiness and fun ideas making them perfect viewing for the eurotrash aficionado. There's the sleazy giallo "Play Motel", the "based-on-a-true-story" cannibal-exploitation flick "Amazonia", the crime film "Bloody Hands of the Law" (in which Klaus Kinski uses a blowtorch on some poor guys crotch), the lovely but insanely stupid sci-fi sex comedy "Very Close Encounters of the 4th Kind" and my personal favorite, the very stiff alien-conspiracy flick "Eyes Behind the Stars" which predates the X-files series with about 15 years.

"Acquasanta Joe" is a pretty goofy comic western which stars Ty Hardin, Lincoln Tate and "show-me-the-money-and-i'll-act-in-anything" actor Richard Harrison. The film starts out pretty interesting but once the bank robbers Vs. bounty hunter premise has been established the film pretty much loses its paste and becomes kind of dull. In a long period in the middle the film is really going any place. "Acquasanta Joe" has some interesting points though, which makes it an acceptable time waster for more jaded viewers. First of all, I really liked the progressive rock soundtrack by composer Marcello Giombini (who made some really zany electronic stuff later in his career). Cowboys and gunfights to Hawkwind-like music, works for me... Also the movie is packed with some pretty odd moments, culminating in a canon versus bow and arrow duel at the end. That, I can honestly say i've never seen before...

See it if you're into spaghetti westerns or borrow it from a friend.

Seen on an old Swedish semi-letterboxed VHS tape from the Wahlters label.

Like SARTANA IN THE VALLEY OF DEATH (1970), I watched this via C'Est La Vie's R2 DVD and, in hindsight, both film and disc are of similar quality. The lead is Lincoln Tate in the title role of the bounty hunter pursuing Ty Hardin's band of Renegade Union soldiers; Richard Harrison appears as one of the latter's associates who later double-crosses him.

Having watched so many Spaghetti Westerns this past week, the films' plots get intertwined in my mind – and, frankly, I can't recall much of what this one was about!; I do know that Hardin's gang carries with it a cannon to aid in their bank robberies and that his leadership is challenged at one point by a bald-headed associate whom Tate eventually dispatches with a horde of arrows in the style of Akira Kurosawa's THRONE OF BLOOD (1957). Hardin eventually joins forces with Tate to retrieve a stash of money hidden in a cave, and also involved is Hardin's half-breed (and gun-toting) woman – who has her eyes on Tate as well.

The director biography, included among the extras, makes some claim for him being a versatile film-maker but, personally, it's the first I've ever heard of him: his career spanned all sorts of genres from Spaghetti Westerns to crime thrillers, horror, sci-fi and even erotica (as it turns out, he also made the sentimental drama THE BALLOON VENDOR aka THE LAST CIRCUS SHOW [1974] – starring James Whitmore and Lee J. Cobb – which, when released in Malta back in the day, proved a huge box-office success)!

A gang of ex-civil war soldiers led by Colonel Donovan uses their prized weapon of a stolen cannon to rob a bank. Bounty hunter Acquasanta Joe happened to keep his life-savings there, and so when a reward pops up for one of their double-crossing men Charlie Bennett who took off with some of the money. Joe finds him and brings him to Donovan, only to hopefully cash-in on the reward the army has for Donovan and his men.

For most part Mario Gariazzo's "Acquasanta Joe" is a second rate, cut and dry spaghetti western with few unusual marks creeping in. The problem I had was that it felt extremely uneventful (very flabby midsection) and despite few effective sequences, the highly obscene comedic developments (which always tried to be goofy) had myself cringing. More often everything just seemed to sit there, lacking strong characters, action and script. Gariazzo's direction is very low scale, brutish and tight, but there's no flair or distinctive style brimming from it. Which was needed to make sure the energy levels stood up, and keep certain bizarre moments from falling down flat. There are some decent set pieces, when the cannon is in use, but the uneven blend has too much filler and bland air. The film looks cheap and low end. Like something made for TV. It can't seem to hide it or use it to its advantage. The material doesn't surprise and stays traditional in all aspects, but it holds a confident structure to it. Marcello Giombini's nippy music score is an uncanny assortment (some funky modern guitar riffs) that actually worked. Franco Villa's cinematography threw many swift, fast and odd camera angles amongst the grit. The performances are pretty forgettable, but tolerable. The hazy Lincoln Tate in the central turn as the protagonist Joe is kinda lacking, especially with his presence. Ty Hardin's turn as Donovan is mainly feeble, however he has some minor sparks. Richard Harrison was enjoyable enough, as the deserter Charlie. Silvia Monelli doesn't do nothing much but look all steely. Only spaghetti fans should bother, but nonetheless rather disappointing.

Colonel Donovan (Ty Hardin) and his right hand man Charlie Bennett (Richard Harrison) are planning a bank robbery, disguised as soldiers. The successful bounty hunter Acquasanta Joe (Lincoln Tate) was the bank's best customer and loses all his well earned money. Of course, Joe chases the bandits. He finds that Bennett cheated Donovan and ran with the money. Now Joe doesn't hunt Bennett to bring him into a prison - he wants to bring him to his former boss instead, because that's even worse. However when he catches Bennett, the money has disappeared...

Another cheap western, but not all bad. Richard Harrison has the best role, because he can put some comedy into his portrayal of Bennett as a shameless crook, coward and traitor. Ty Hardin plays a sympathetic rogue who really has to struggle between Bennett on one side and Acquasanta Joe on the other - and decides to use creative weaponry. Lincoln Tate, however, is not memorable in the title role.

To me you have to really be a fan of this genre to enjoy this Spaghetti western. The biggest problem to me is the script. There are way too many plot holes that are just never explained, and questions as to why they are doing this or that. There are some good action scenes and moments. I loved the last 15 or 20 minutes of the movie just for the action alone. I will say another problem with the movie at times was the music score, which seemed way too lighthearted or comical at times for what was happening on screen turning moments that should have been played for more dramatic effect into comedy. My last problem with the movie was with the English dubbing -- at least on the version I watched. The voices seemed too alike at times as if a person not very talented was doing both parts at the same time, and didn't know how to disguise their voice well. In conclusion, I say if you are a fan of the genre, don't pass this one up. It is worth it for the action at times alone.