ADIOS SABATA

1969
Italy
aka The Bounty Hunters (UK), Sai che ti dico... Sei un gran figlio di..., (I)
Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA)
Director : Gianfranco Parolini
Story & screenplay: Renato Izzo, Gianfranco Parolini
Music : Marcello GIombini
Cinematography : Sandro Mancori
Cast : Lee Van Cleef (Sabata), Dean Reed (Ballantyne), Pedro Sanchez [Ignacio Spalla] (Escudo), Gerard Herter (Von Skimmel), Franco Fantasia (Ocano), Gianni Rizzo, Sal Borges [Borgese] (September), Susan Scott [Nieves Navarro] (saloon girl), Luciano Casamonica, Salvatore Billa, Massimo Carocci, Joseph Persaud (Kitano), Andrea Scotti

Filmed as Indio Black, this was retitled after the obvious success of the Sabata films to cash in on the lucrative franchise. This created the interesting spectacle of seeing two relatively major stars swap roles - Yul Brynner travelling to Italy and adopting the Sabata guise whilst Lee Van Cleef went in the opposite direction to play Chris in The Magnificent Seven Ride (72). Although only in retrospect, poor old Brynner probably thought he was creating an entirely new character which could maybe spawn a sequel or two in itself.

Anyway, this time Sabata is hired by Mexican revolutionary leader Okanio (Franco Fantasia) to steal a wagon full of gold being shipped out from the garrison of Colonel Skimmel (Gerard Herter). He is handily assigned a selection of sidekicks: Escudo (Pedro Sanchez), long-faced Septembre (Sal Borgese) and Kitano (Joseph Persaud), an odd character much given to dancing the 'flamenco of death' as traitors are executed

After a few minor upsets they succeed, also hooking up with dodgy Ballantyne (Dean Reed, filling the Berger/Scheine role from the previous films). After riding around for a while trying to double cross each other, they decide to keep the loot and divide it amongst themselves. Only to discover that it is, in fact, sand. It would seem that Skimmel assumed that the wagon would be ambushed and is planning to make off with the real gold himself, hiding it in a big barrel and pretending to be a beer salesman. Of course, this is a bit cheeky, so our intrepid quintet decides to steal it back.

It all makes for another hugely enjoyable romp, with some lovely period trappings and an obviously reasonable budget. The actors all seem to be having a ball - Dean Reed (the man with hair that's less straw than wicker) is hugely over the top, as is Gerard Herter (doing his trademark 'let's shoot a peasant for fun' type thing). Yul Brynner is fine, his serious attitude contrasting nicely with the furious mugging going on all around him. There's one lovely (and obviously improvised) aside where he uncovers a hanged man's grimacing face, looks at Borgese and says simply "A relation of yours?". This was one of Pedro Sanchez's last major roles - like so many habitual 'mexicanos' his career fizzled out with the end of the Spaghetti Western genre(although he did later pop up in the Robert De Niro film Night and the City (92)).

Best of all, I'm sure one of the minor characters is dubbed by the guy who does Barney's voice in The Simpsons! Of course, this being a Parolini film there a gadgets aplenty; a model ship that fires bullets and some deadly ball bearings being the most notable of them.

Matt B