Return of Django (1967)

The Worst Film Ever

Best movie ever!

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

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

SON OF DJANGO is perhaps one of the most notable of all DJANGO rip-offs following on from the success of the Franco Nero vehicle. This one is also called RETURN OF DJANGO somewhat oddly, given that the main character is Django's offspring, come to find out who killed his deceased father. There's the usual debt of inspiration to A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, as the setting is a small western town split by two warring sides. Django's kid is in the mix and soon takes up arms himself.This is pretty much par for the course for the spaghetti western genre, quite cheap-looking in places. The writing lets the film down at times, providing ordinary throughout and letting the audience hang at the confuddled climax. Gabriele Tinti, that familiar star of Italian cinema in the 1970s, is the erstwhile hero, supported by a scene-stealing Guy Madison as the helpful town priest.

Ravioli Western with a professional Italian director and two main actors from Spaghetti : Tinti and Madison . This is an exciting film , plenty action , thrills , fights , and starking outdoors from El Lacio , Rome . This violent Western is set on dirty outdoors and evocative interiors , the star is a mysterious revenger who searches for the killer of his father , who comes to a dangerous town and taking on nasty villainous . It deals with an avenger named Jeff Tracy (Gabrielle Tinti), he gone back from a dark past to revenge his parent . Jeff searches for the killer of his infamous daddy , the implacable gunslinger Django . He arrives in a small town , a location called Topeka dominated by violent gangs . In that place there is a feared band led by Clay and his nasty gunfighters . Jeff faces off two wealthy owners Clay Ferguson (Daniele Vargas) and Thompson (Ignazio Spalla or Pedro Sanchez) , both of whom are feuding over business . Thereby involved in a war between two factions headed by former acquaintances of his father . Meanwhile , Tracy saves a damsel in distress called Jane Grayson (Ingrid Schoeller) from Ferguson's hoodlums .Ordinary Western follows the Sergio Leone wake , as it is proceeded in Spaghetti models more than the American Western style . It's a moving western with breathtaking gunfight between the protagonist Gabriele Tinti against the heartless Daniele Vargas and his henchmen ; in addition , a stirring ending fight in the saloon and town square . This movie is a lot of fun to watch , packing elaborate shoot-outs , moving filming , and portentous close-ups of grime-encrustred faces with bloodbaths included . It's an entertaining story with a touch of peculiarity , some offbeat as well as violent roles , and an amazing music score . The picture is a tale of justice and revenge , as a tough man seeks vendetta and his objective results to be a bloody revenge . The basic plot is typical spaghetti western fare , but what makes this movie stand out is its style . The picture is well starred by Gabriele Tinti . Tinti is appropriate in his usual two-fisted character , he ravages the screen , shoots , hit and run and kills . Tinti began playing brief drama roles , in the early 50s , as "Chronicle of Poor Lovers¨ . From there , Gabriele went on acting in sword-and-sandal epics , later moving onto the Western genre , wartime , thrillers and erotic films along with his then wife , Laura Gemser , where he found his niche . The handsome , Italian-born Tinti may be a name best remembered by Soft-core aficionados , he was one of the most popular actors of the genre from the mid-'60s to 70s and 80 until his early death at 59 . Tinti performed a lot of cheap B movies , some of them , nowadays , revered cult classics . Gabriele also interpreted in support roles some international productions as ¨The flight of the Phoenix¨, ¨Guns for Cordoba¨, ¨Riders on the rain¨ and ¨Delusions of Grandeur¨. However , he never became a top international box-office attraction . His acting is often accused of being wooden , but in many manners is ideally suited to playing the steely-faced gunslinger synonymous with the genre . "Son of Django" also starred by Guy Madison , actor who had his first major role in "Until the End of Time" a drama directed by Edward Dmytryk, 1946 to then changed in action roles , mainly series B westerns , get some success with the series "Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok" and ends up traveling in Europe in the sixties where he made a lot of Euro-westerns , such as : ¨Duel at Rio Bravo¨ , ¨7 Winchester for a massacre¨ , ¨Bang bang Kid¨, ¨Five for revenge¨ and ¨Reverend Colt¨ , the latter he played a priest , too . Support cast is plenty of familiar faces , appearing the Spaghetti ordinary roles , such as : Daniele Vargas , Ignazio Spalla , Ivan Scratuglia , Luciano Rossi , Andrea Scotti , Roberto Messina and John Bartha . There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing some shoot'em up or stunts every few minutes . There is a very odd implementation of shots in the camera work during some particular scenes as the film approaches its climax , such as in the final gunfights . The movie gets the usual Western issues , as avenger antiheroes , violent facing off , exaggerated baddies and spectacular duels , excessive zooms , among them . The musician Piero Umiliani composes a nice soundtrack in Morricone style and well conducted , this turns out to be one of the most memorable parts of the movie ; as it's full of enjoyable sounds and haunting musical background . The soundtrack contributes tremendously to the atmosphere of the film, including an emotive leitmotif , and some wonderful songs ; the music score is perhaps the best part of this film . Striking and atmospheric cinematography by Nanuzzi . Osvaldo Civirani's direction is professionally crafted , here he is more inclined toward violence and packs too much action , but especially this thrilling Western contains long shoot'em up . He directed this average/passable western , genre in which he would not only excel but one where he would spent much of the rest of his career , as he wrote/directed some Spaghettis , such as : "Rick and John, Conquerors of the West" , "Trusting Is Good... Shooting Is Better" , "Two Sons of Trinity" . Although he also directed other genres as Peplum : ¨"Kindar the Invulnerable" , "La Magnifica Sfida" , ¨The adventures of Hércules¨ and thrillers/Eurospy genre as "The Beckett Affair" , and "Operazione poker"

Why the Wild East DVD company decided that this particular spaghetti western was worth a DVD release in North America, I can't say for certain. Maybe it was because American Guy Madison was one of the actors in it, but any fans of Madison will likely be very disappointed by how he's used here. He doesn't first show up until more than a third of the movie has passed, and he doesn't get to speak until half the movie has gone by. To add insult to injury, his character really doesn't get to do that much. It's possible the movie could have still worked despite all this, but for the most part the movie comes across as an amateur effort. It looks and feels really cheap, and the feel of the movie is cold and passionless. The bad script makes everything unfold at a really slow pace. That is, when the story makes sense, since there are some really unclear and confusing portions throughout. (Just try to understand the first part of the movie!) This is one Euro western that really gives the genre a bad name.

I know there were scores of films revolving around the character of Django (though, to be fair, many of these were considered as such merely in export versions), introduced in Sergio Corbucci's masterful Spaghetti Western with Franco Nero (and to which an official sequel was only made some 20 years later!). As far as I know, I'd previously come upon just one such effort – DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST (1966), which was okay – and two more – DJANGO, KILL...IF YOU LIVE, SHOOT! (1967) and DEATH SENTENCE (1968), both excellent if unusual – which are known as "Django" titles merely outside their native country.This, then, is the third 'official' Django film I've watched: unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the least rewarding Spaghetti Westerns out there! As can be surmised, the narrative opens with the cowardly Jesse James-like assassination of the popular character, which leaves his kid son (who witnessed it) to avenge him as a grown-up – now played by Gabriele Tinti (later spouse of Laura "Black Emanuelle" Gemser, an extensive collection of whose dubious work I should be laying my hands on in the near future!). Typically, the Western town involved is divided between two warring factions; conveniently, both had been former associates of Django…as is the current preacher (top-billed Guy Madison – it was customary to engage the services of erstwhile American stars for this particular brand of "Euro" oater)!The film features a reasonable amount of action throughout, but the execution is exceedingly inept (for instance, a number of shoot-outs occur during the first 10 minutes – as if the director mistrusted the attention span of possible viewers – but, given that we don't know who is getting shot by whom or why, it's all very confusing!). What, then, of his apparent need to have each and every bad guy make such a big moment of his death scene, irrespective of whether he had figured to some extent in the proceedings or not?! Also involved are a French card-sharp (with whom Tinti had shared a prison cell) and his gunfighter companion – who subsequently join the ranks of one of the rival outfits, while the brooding Django Jr. prefers to keep to himself. Female presences of any consequence are limited to a saloon hostess and the wife of a landowner whom one of the clan leaders kills in a duel (she herself unwittingly falls victim to the same man soon after when confronted by her in his room).For what it's worth, the film's climax strives to be meaningful but only manages to be muddled – thus deeply unsatisfactory! Characteristically, then, Piero Umiliani's score also emerges as a sub-par effort overall (despite a catchy main theme).