Au-delà de la haine

Usually with the European westerns you get grit, bravery, pushing boundaries, full of character and above all else they are entertaining. I'm afraid this one falls short after a bright start (first fifteen minutes or so). The film seems like it is trying too hard to be a squeaky clean American western but fails at either.

A family are cut down by tribal Native Americans and a young boy and his sister survive, the boy joins up with the army? (Not sure what they ae suppose to be) While the girl Loana (Stefania Nelli) is raised by Native Americans. This is the beginning and the end of the plot really, I was lost half the time, didn't know who was suppose to be who and found it a boring enough journey.

Apart from the story, the acting isn't great and the camera work is very annoying, sometimes crisp and clear, while other times shoddy. Yes I know it is a low budget movie, but keeping it consistent, even if that means making it all poor quality makes it a more enjoyable experience. I'm not sure were they going for humour in their portrayal of the Native Americans, because it is offensive, like a cross between Sesame Street and Blazing Saddles "Waka Waka."

If you are a fan of the spag-ball genre, approach this with caution, you may find it boring, on the otherhand it does have enough accidental humour to keep you some what entertained even though you won't have a clue what's going on. Oh, the cover picture with the bandit and the gun is top notch.

For the cheesemeisters: "Waka Waka."