Django Strikes Again (1987)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The original Django , the classic and violent Spaghetti Western had numerous imitations . The picture was no authorized to minor 18 years and prohibited in various countries for its violence, for example in England ; but in France , Germany was a real success and in Japan there is one ¨Fondazione Django¨ too . It was followed by this official sequel titled ¨Django strikes again (1987)¨ by Nello Rossati , alias Ted Archer , with Franco Nero who has abandoned his previous life of violence , though returns when his daughter is kidnapped . Django (Franco Nero) was a former gunfighter , a stranger without identity , at the beginning he lives a pacific existence , he forgot vengeance and subsequent deaths , in favor of a life as ascetic . Here Django has become a monk and left his avenger former ways . His daughter is abducted by a rogue Hungarian officer nicknamed 'El Diablo' Orlowsky (Christopher Connelly) who lives aboard a ship called ¨Mariposa Negra¨ or ¨Black butterfly¨ and using slave labor to work a silver mine . Django casts off his habit and digs up his machine gun . Later on , he is going to jungle wielding the machine gun behind him and driving a hearse . There he will take on brutal rivals , ¨El Diablo¨ and his ruthless army of French soldiers recruited by Emperor Maximilian . Django befriends a boy and helps him to avenge his father . Django seeks revenge and go after the dastardly nasties .It's an exciting western with thrills , violence , high body count , breathtaking showdown between the starring and the enemies . The highlights of the film are the confrontation at the jungle full of mud and dirtiness , Django wielding a machine gun (though with anachronism because is a 'Maxim model' that was made in 1880 and isn't utilized the usual 'Gatlin') and he does a real rampage . Besides , the attack at fort where Django causes a cruel slaughter and of course , the final showdown . Django is named as homage to Django Reinhardt , the famous American musician who introduced his particular guitar , he had a crippled hand , viewers at the time would have been aware of this allusion . The film blends violence , blood , strong tortures , shootouts and it's fast moving . In the picture appears usual secondaries from Spaghetti , Giallo and other Italian sub-genres of the 60s and 70s such as William Berger , Roberto Posse , Rodrigo Obregón and the great Donald Pleasence . There are many technicians and assistants who had a wide career , as cameraman Sandro Mancori who makes a nice photography with barren outdoors , gorgeous landscapes under a glimmer sun , being shot in Colombia . Although , a perfect remastering is necessary , because of the copy of the picture is washed-out . Nello Rossati direction is passable , after that , he will make several films of all kind of genres , wartime : Tides of War , Action : Fuga Scabrosamente Pericolosa , Giallo : La Gatta in Calore , Softcore comedy : The sensuous nurse , La Nipote and Sci-fi : Top Line .This cult movie ¨Django¨ was a considerable hit , the graphic violent content of the film led the film to be banned in several countries, and it was rejected by the UK until 1993 , it was not rated in the USA and spawned hundreds of unofficial sequels . Some were incorrectly titled Django , and were only titled so to cash in on the original . The film was so popular in Germany that almost every Franco Nero western there bears the Django name . Although there have been over 30 films containing the character since 1966, there has only been one "official" sequel, this 1987's Django Strikes Again, directed by Ted Archer and starring Nero . As well as numerous unofficial sequels , rip-offs, and copies, such as ¨Django the last killer(67)¨ by Giuseppe Vari with George Eastman ; Django dares Sartana¨ (69) by Pascuale Squitieri ; Django Il Bastardo¨ (1969) by Sergio Garrone with Anthony Steffen , ¨Django shoots first (1974)¨ by Alberto De Martino with Glen Saxon and Evelyn Stewart . And The film was Quentin Tarantino's inspiration behind his 2012 film "Django: Unchained¨. Original star Franco Nero is set to return to the role of Django almost 50 years after the character's first appearance in Sergio Corbucci 1966 Spaghetti Western and almost thirty years since his second appearance in 1987′s Django Strikes Again!m in a new movie is being directed by regular Tarantino collaborator Joe D'Augustine . American company called Point Blank has secured the rights to the character, and is aiming to set up a third Django film, to be called Django Lives .

Hey, wait a minute … This is called Django TWO and it was made more than twenty years after Sergio Corbucci's original classic western. Haven't there been at least twenty other sequels in between? Well yes, but apparently this is the only "official" sequel whereas all the others simply cashed in on the popular name and/or image of lone gunfighter Franco Nero. Those darned Italians … they even steal from each other! There's usually one thing you need to know about belated sequels: they suck! Usually, that is, because "Django Strikes Again" is the exception to confirm the rule. It's a very solidly scripted and action-packed adventure that independently stands on its own as one of the greatest Italian movies of the 1980's. Director and co-writer Nello Rossati luckily doesn't come up with an easy rehash of the original, but brings an ambitious and convoluted non-western story with fascinating characters and even more firepower. Django is living a retired life in a monastery, but digs up – literally - his arsenal when a woman begs him to save his own daughter from the hands of the evil slave trader/weapon dealer/jewel robber "El Diablo". This Nazi-inspired madman is the ultimate cult movie villain. He lives on a battleship that is decorated with the decapitated heads of poor suckers that revolted against him, treats his female black household slave like a cheap toy and shoots innocent fisherman in the head for target practice! Anyway, Django is sent to a silver mine to work as a slave, but manages to escape (with the help of the ultra-cool and mega-versatile Donald Pleasance) and finds his old coffin. But this is a sequels and times have modernized, so Django doesn't pull an ordinary coffin behind him anymore but tunes an entire hearse! Go Django, still indescribably cool after 20 years of hiding in a cloister and pretending to be a monk! "Django Strikes Again" is a surprisingly great and stylish movie that doesn't even qualify as a western! The action is almost adapted to the typical 80's South American guerrilla settings, with slavery camps & torrid swamps. Django's hearse is tremendously cool and there are numerous memorable sequences, including the fight within the monastery and the attack on the brothel. Franco Nero looks just as handsome and acts just as cool at age 45 as he did at age 25, but this time he also receives much better and more professional support. The almighty Donald Pleasance is terrific as an enslaved Scottish entomologist whose brains are slowly getting affected by the continuous heat. Even better than Nero and Pleasance is Christopher Connelly as the truly and genuinely despicable "El Diablo". His villainous portrayal surely ranks amongst the best cinematic baddies ever! Connelly passed away shortly after the release of this film, at the young age of 47.

This film is very interesting. Many people will scoff at it's production values, but when you consider it's era, it's really not that far off from its contemporaries. Many people make the mistake of comparing this movie to the Rambo franchise.I suppose this is based on the way the Italians chose to market the film (with Nero with a headband and giant veiny muscles). But the more appropriate comparison should be with Arnold Schwartzenegger's "Commando". In both films, a burly guy trying to forget his violent past has his daughter kidnapped and is forced to kill hundreds of ethnic stereotyped Hispanic folks to get her back. It's even got exploding guard towers and guys getting stabbed in Arnie "stick around!" style!!!

For the past twenty years, after the original there was a plethora of Django knock-offs, wannabes and unofficial remakes. The Italian cinema was the main culprit. Twenty years later, Franco Nero officially reprises his role of Django. However, it's a few years too late. Django 2 is a very uninspired film, it lacks focus and a general direction. I didn't enjoy it at all. There's not much to recommend about this picture. I was extremely disapointed by this film. My advice to you is to skip this one and try and watch some of the many knock-offs. At least they're fun to watch, unlike this one. Phew.D