Return of Django

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.

After witnessing his father being murdered in cold blood a young boy by the name of "Jeff Tracy" (Gabriele Tieti) is taken in by another family and raised by them. Upon reaching manhood he then sets out to find the man responsible and his journey eventually takes him to a small town which harbors a man named "Thompson" (Ignazio Spallo) who the killer mentioned while gunning down his father. Not totally convinced that Thompson was responsible and unsure of the identity of the gunman Jeff decides to stay in town long enough to investigate. However, what he doesn't count on is a range war between two powerful men which soon erupts in bloodshed all around. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, other than the opening scene, this badly titled film doesn't actually involve the character known as Django that much preferring to concentrate on his son instead. And while there is certainly plenty of action to be found here, the plot itself seemed somewhat shallow and listless. That being said, while it certainly wasn't a bad Western by any means, I honestly wasn't that impressed with it and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

With two great titles (SON OF DJANGO and VENGEANCE IS A COLT 45), top-billed Guy Madison, and director Osvaldo Civirani at the helm (a man who has made quirky films in a number of genres--he sometimes misses the mark, but he takes chances), I had high hopes for this film.

The DEATH RIDES A HORSE-style opening sequence was quite exciting too, but the film that followed was a letdown. The pacing is flat, the lead character is neither interesting enough nor mysterious enough to command much attention, and Guy Madison, although top-billed, should really have been given "and with the special participation of" billing in the credits as he is essentially a guest star. Gabriele Tinti is the protagonist, and he basically stumbles from one scene to another, getting the tar knocked out of him, but not showing much of a distinctive character (Richard Harrison would provide wit as he went through such torment, Tomas Milian would spew contempt toward his tormentors, Craig Hill would command fear even after getting beaten temporarily). There are a few nicely composed shots, a few places where the music is haunting and we see Tinti riding alone, and of course Guy Madison is excellent as the gunslinging priest/minister who comes to Tinti's aid, but isn't exactly welcomed. This role is a bit different from Madison's later role in Reverend Colt, a much better film.

The "climax" of the film is quite unsatisfying too--I don't know if Tinti is to blame. Probably hurried writing and slack directing are responsible. Fortunately, AFTER the lame climax with Tinti, Madison's is the last face we see, so at least the film left a positive image in my mind.

Although a "revenge for a murdered father" film, SON OF DJANGO features little tension and this viewer at least didn't really care whether Tinti got his revenge. There are probably a dozen Bob Steele westerns from the 1930s with a similar plot, and nine-tenths of them as I remember pulled me into Steele's quest for revenge. Not here.

I can recommend the film only to Guy Madison collectors--he's fine here, although once again dubbed by someone else--and Eurowestern completists. And for the latter, I should say that this is not a BAD film, just an average one. It may well work for you, but didn't for me.

I disagree with the other reviewer and to my taste this is a superior spaghetti with an off-character performance from Tinti that places him IMHO in a superior niche to anything that Richard Harrison ever did. While this is not a great spaghetti it is a competent film and many of the scenes deserve repeat viewing for interest. This movie contains all of the elements of a fine spaghetti however it is weak in significant areas relating to storyline, continuity and detail. For example, this was not a starring role for Madison. Madison should have been listed as a "featured" cast member, however this detail does not impact the film overall. Yes his entrance is awkward -- almost an after thought -- but he did contribute to the action and I especially liked his line about "an eye-for-an-eye" being different where guns and bullets are concerned! So finally this is (after all) a 1967 period spaghetti, and IMO one of the better ones. Overall I rate this movie as a solid 7 to my taste where 10 would be something like Vengeance or Keoma.

"Son of Django" amounts to nothing more than the title character's vendetta against what approximates a "Mafia don" in the old west...... It's a routine plot with Jeff Tracy, Django's son avenging his death. I never liked our American westerns much because they mostly seemed so unconvincing...the heroes (like Randolph Scott and John Wayne) and even the villains are way too clean and sterilized for the times, and the killings are antiseptically bloodless for some odd reason. I now watch them just for the plots and the settings, which are superior to the spaghetti westerns.

As sub-par as this one is, it's faults are mainly due to the writers and director. Gabriele Tinti cannot be blamed for his lack of any credible dialog. His good-looking, masculine face and weathered,beard-shadowed jaw perfectly resembles those western heroes customarily pictured on American pulp paperbacks. He's long, lean and could be mean, but he's got a lot of soul and some morality, too. My favorite sequence is when he intervenes to stop a brutal and seemingly endless gang beating of an innocent man right in the middle of the town, in front of the victim's wife. It's hard to believe that Tinti, who looks like the perfect, slightly grubby epitome of the western hero was stuck for most of his career as a supporting character in "Emmanuelle" films. What a waste!

I give this film a 7 out of 10 just because of Tinti's magnificent presence which illustrates the ideal of the American western hero. With a better script worthy of him, this could have been a standout and a new direction for his body of work.