When Sabata Comes, You're Dead Man!! (Sabata (DVD))

Member Name: berlioz II

Product:	Sabata (DVD)
Date:	02/05/09 (85 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, entertaining popcorn flick with a lot of interesting characters

Disadvantages: Plot a bit weak and a pasted dub.

There were times when certain character names in Italian westerns became close to household names and guaranteed their survival well into the present day. Django, Sartana, Ringo, Trinity, to name a few... characters whose names would forever remain in the spaghetti western pantheon of memorability to be quoted in passing by the knowledgeable people. To this list undeniably also belongs the name of Sabata, Gianfranco Parolini's lighthearted (though still little-speaking), James Bondian gun-for-hire, a somewhat of a development of the previous Sartana character, and a considerably less cynical appearance to the more predominant gunfighters a la Eastwood. To this end, Parolini co-wrote and directed the film with a distinctly affluent touch of easy-going humour than with outright grimness, unlike some of the films immediately preceding it. Sabata - or, as the full title goes, Ehi Amico... C'è Sabata, Hai Chiuso! (Hey Fella... That's Sabata, You're Finished) - was made in 1969 at a time when the Italian western genre was beginning its move away from the heavy and cynical action-filled films that Leone and Corbucci's efforts corresponded to, substituting these with westerns of a more humorous feel. While Sabata certainly wasn't a film that is a major offender in this shift, and essentially doesn't become an outright comedy of slapsticky proportions, it is still a considerably light-hearted effort in many ways that proved to be a fertile breeding ground for the genre to go toward in the years to come. The film's basic plot details how the influential people of the Texan town of Daugherty plan and execute a bank robbery in order to have the means to buy land and sell it to the approaching railway companies for a comfortable life. However, their plans are foiled when the darkly dressed man Sabata chances to ride into town and retrieve the army's money back uninvited, after which he begins his snooping around and blackmailing the influential power holders for his share of a large amount of money, while fending off thugs that are sent out to kill him. What this leads to is a fun and entertaining ride that features some of the western genre's most enjoyable tricks and tropes, even if it would be a bit farfetched to claim it as being a masterpiece of anything.

The film stars Lee Van Cleef yet again in one of his sly hero western roles he had perfected since For a Few Dollars More and comes across here every bit as likeable and fun as one can expect. Regardless of the fact that his character is nothing new for him and in essence is very much the same character he had played ever since his Leone days, that's certainly not a bad thing in my book, and seeing him use expert weaponry (again very Colonel Mortimer) is stylish as ever. But what makes this film stand out a lot more from the usual spaghetti western is the secondary cast, who are some of the most colourful and eccentric bunch of people ever assembled in one of these films. Near the beginning, Sabata immediately befriends a fat, alcoholic ex-soldier, Carrincha (Ignazio Spalla), down on his luck and embittered to the world for the uncaring treatment of him as a war veteran (he often complains that all he has left for his services is a worthless medal nobody cares to use as payment). Carrincha essentially becomes the comic sidekick of Sabata's, hanging after him for most of the duration of the movie, and providing several services to him. By comparison, Carrincha's only friend is a mute Indian acrobat, named Alley Cat (Aldo Canti) who seems a lot more level-headed than his raving friend, and helps out with several feats demanding a bit more agility, such as fooling pursuing foes and using his acrobatics to jump from building to building with the agility of a panther. Providing a foil for the darker-shaded Sabata, is an old acquaintance of his, the hippy-like gunfighter Banjo (William Berger), who walks lazily around town, plays his banjo and makes wisecrack comments every moment he can. He is perhaps the most fun character in the film, and one never really knows on who's side he is on, if anybody's.

The main bad guy's role is then taken by Franco Ressel's Stengel, who is either gay or a transvestite... I'm not sure which. He likes to shoot people with darts from his cain, dress in finery, and engage in duels behind man-shaped shields in his living room. Certainly a very different type of villain that can be found from many other westerns, but essentially another fun addition to the numerically bizarre cast of people. Most all the others are a bit more on the side of normality, like Linda Veras' cabaret dancer, Gianni Rezzo's judge O'Hara, or Antonio Gradoli's partner-in-crime Ferguson, but all add up to balance out the more off-beat people all the better. In essence, Sabata is more than anything a fun film with an easy-going swagger reminiscent of James Bond, of whom Parolini was a big fan of, and who had already influenced 1968's Sartana to a large degree. Van Cleef makes perhaps an odd substitute to Connery's Bond, but the parallels with his usage of different weaponry and gadgetry, and a more easy-going manner, make Van Cleef not in the least bit feel silly or unsuitable, while he doesn't sacrifice the sense of his usual cool he has shown in his other roles. Also the disparate other characters, like Banjo, make for some fun distractions that prevent the film from ever becoming a brooding tale of violence, despite all the shooting around of people. Storywise it isn't really the most original or brilliant, but regardless of the shortcomings of the plot, the characters do a good job in patching up the deficiencies. Also working for the benefit of the film is that the humour is not relegated to being over-stated or gratuitous, but takes it rather more with a straight face and a sly smile. One good example is a short scene of a dumb, big gunfighter, who is hired to take out Sabata, but who is more like a big child. His old mother continuously yells at him and scolds him, and it's funny seeing the big bad gunfighter running away from flying bowls of porridge. Or Van Cleef's little one-liners, like "The priest died of a coughing fit," or moving decanters of wine in front of Stengel's cane while sitting at a dinner table and blackmailing money from him.

Yet, despite the film being on the whole a very fun and entertaining romp, I can't help but also feel it's not all that it could be. The interminable plot could partially be at fault, even with the strong set of characters, and the continuous running on of new bad guys to kill can be a little numbing toward the end. Also, for the first half of the film, Banjo gets very little to do other than to smirk around, drag himself from one scene to another, appear out of nowhere to say a quick snatch of dialogue, and give knowing glimpses to Sabata. It isn't until he ends up facing five men in a duel that the character starts to offer something more than that... and not a second too soon. Of course, soon after that it seems that Banjo becomes another spoof character, which can be a small disappointment. The direction is sure and holds together well, though it can be a bit wishy-washy at times, while the production design of Carlo Simi and cinematography of Sandro Mancori are both of good quality. The music provided by Marcello Giombini is light-hearted, with the main title theme being very catchy with its Mexican flavours, providing a lot of the easy-going feel of fun to the film, though it's also a bit by-the-numbers in certain corners. However, the dubbing is certainly one of the more awkward I've heard yet, and needs a while to get adjusted to. Interestingly, it seems that Lee Van Cleef didn't dub his own voice this time around, as Sabata's voice is considerably more rough and deep sounding than Van Cleef's usual tone, which may take one by surprise if you've seen him in many of his other roles, like the Leone films or Death Rides a Horse. It's not really terrible, but the whole of the voice acting sounds a lot more pasted here than in some other cases. By the large, Sabata is a fun film, and is sure to offer entertainment to anybody, particularly for spaghetti western fans, but at the same time it is not a blow-your-brains-out masterpiece. More like a summer blockbuster 1969 Italian style. The film was a huge success when it came out, and the Sabata name was to appear in many later films as well, including Parolini's two sequels, but it is this first film that is certainly the best of them. More one for fans I'd suspect, but certainly a nice way to spend a little under two hours with.

© berlioz, 2009

Summary: Spaghetti Westerns Vol.11