In a post Italian unification Sicily that feels really much like the Far West, two different "Italies", two different worlds and two (but maybe more) different ways of life clash, run along, chase and when they meet even kill each other in this thrilling Italian-style "neo-western" which proudly eludes categorization ---and which "exudes" of the cinema of Leone and Tarantino.
The setting couldn't be more distant from the "typical", mythical, ferocious, brutal, unforgiving and death-ridden "Great American West" but the feeling you get is the one that only comes with those great genre flicks that just happen to fortunately pop up from time to time. What I'm talking about is that feeling of, let's say, "adventure" that - in this case - is coupled with the firm intention of not passing on on history and its violence and continuous bloodshed even while retaining a component of pure entertainment (just like in - say - "Django Unchained").
And the "ingredients" are all there standing in plain view in this amazing and majestic movie: you have the violence, the idea of a frontier, gunslingers, bandits, stagecoach attacks, bounty hunters... you have it all. This movie is an exercise in style that must be considered the most unusual venture coming from contemporary Italian cinema (other examples of recent Italian movies that shy away from the usual tropes are: "I Can Quit Whenever I Want", "Jeeg Robot", "Italian Race" and - of course - "The First King").
It's a welcome surprise: an adventurous, pulpy and chronologically non-linear film with great performances (especially from the likes of Truppo, Abela and Calcagno) and pretty good production values (even if it certainly didn't cost a lot, the costumes, special effects and period design in general are utterly convincing, while the warm and mellow cinematography expertly "underlines" the Sun-bathed settings and - metaphorically - the incendiary atmosphere).
Splatter and frantic, ironical and exaggerated, "My Body Will Bury You" - thanks to La Pàrola's good direction - presents a series of sometimes eye-watering actions scenes, it's a fun and exhilarating movie that manages to keep you hooked for the entire running time till the grand-guignol conclusion.
The narrative may not be the most unpredictable out there, but the film never gets boring or tiring, thanks in good part to the wonderful locations, to the razor-sharp one-liners, the almost-never-stopping action and the line-up of memorable characters (from "the Butcher" who looks pretty much like "the Hound" from "Game of Thrones" to the sadistic colonel who just can't help it but repeating "that's good, that's good" all the time).
The brigand's life is depicted while not concealing its most violent dealings, the backward and vane world of aristocratic latifundists is represented with the just share of outraged sarcasm and - in the end - the Savoy (the ones who carried out Italy's unification with help coming from the "One Thousand" men led by Garibaldi), or at least some of their representatives serving in the army in Sicily, don't quite stand out as saviors themselves. In a nutshell: there's nobody to be forgiven and nobody's innocent in this fast "Sicilian-style neo-western" that doesn't ever slow down.
It may very well be considered a movie of pure and easygoing entertainment, and that's true --but, oh boy, wouldn't we like to see more of this kind of entertainment? Fresh, fun, distinguishable and uncompromising? As I already said: we're in the presence here of a beautiful, little gem coming from contemporary Italian cinema that - just like any other kind of cinema - gives its best when it moves away from the usual stereotypes. Great!
