Sartana's Here... Trade Your Pistol for a Coffin

So the third entry to the Sartana anthology gets a new - Sartana. It seems to be the only one with a different actor and it is even simpler than the other ones. But that might not make it worth less than the other movies. A lot of shootouts, big body count and so forth. So all the pillars for a successful Spaghetti Western one might think.

Then again, there is repetition. And not just repetition from other movies, but repetition in the shootouts. While they may come up with some nice ideas (a hole here, a hole there, hidden gun there, hidden gun there and a slapstick "rifle"/knife combo towards the end), it may not be enough to convey others. Whatever floats your boat ... or rides your horse I guess ...

Only part that did not make sense was right in beginning when the bandits left the sand bags in the wagon instead of disposing them to cause an appearance they were stolen. To not give up the secret the gold never leaves town. Other than that it is classic spaghetti. Of course exaggerated and impossible like all spaghetti's, but that is why a true fan of the genre watches them in the first place. Hilton is better than Garko, this is a better Sartana than the other 4, in my humble opinion. There are a few lower ranking Spaghetti's i always find myself reviewing and this is one of them. I absolutely love it, and people who don't get the million double crosses just need to view it multiple times. I call no one stupid cause i needed to view it multiple times to really take it all in. It's amazing how after many views, simply from the true love of the genre, I notice things i missed on the millionth viewing! LOL, I'm no rocket scientist but i hate people who watch my favorite movie genre offerings 1 time then write a review saying dopey things. Even worse is people who are so stuck on the fact that Garko was not in this one and state it's not a real Sartana even if they say it is. LOL, please! I suggest to anyone who that reads this review, to count how many times the different parties interested in the gold-double cross each other. How many times they agree with the parties involved, to do one thing but then do the opposite. How many times they all screw each other, period. It has high level humor, action, and NEVER a dull moment. One of them Spaghetti's they could have made longer instead of SHOULD have made shorter. What else you looking for? If you scoff at the exaggerated and retarded parts, DON'T watch it! You have to be in love with the Genre of Italian/Spanish spaghetti westerns. Is it GBU or Once apon a time in the west? Hell NO. It is however an excellent Spaghetti and let me add.... I love Garko and every spaghetti he ever appeared in. I just like the story and Hilton better in this one. Another spaghetti they always pick on that i always find myself going back to watch is the second Arizone Colt, made in 1970 The Hired Gun with my boy Anthony Steffen that clowns call a wooden actor! LOL, what you think Clint Eastwood was half the time in the 3 classics? Steffen was born to be a Spaghetti star, perfect actor with the right looks for the job. Watch VIVA DJANGO with Steffen not the one with sometimes the same title referenced with the great Terrence Hill. Then tell me Anthony Steffen movies are not fantastic! I don't do many reviews but since whenever i find myself free i watch a few over and over, reading the other reviews gave me a case of the ass. Hence hadda put my 2 cents in. Peace.....

There's so much insane gun play in this film I was hardly in need of a plot. At one point, there's a bandit lighting matches stuffed between his toes for a laugh, and then along comes Sartana, knocks the guy out by shooting a sign that falls on the guy's head, then Sartana lights the last match by shooting it, then sparks up a cigar using the match! Why didn't this film win dozens of Oscars?

You've got Sartana after gold, the bandits after gold, some shady businessmen after gold, the gold miners after their own gold (how dare they!), and a bar owning chick...after gold. Oh, and another gunslinger called Sabbath after gold. He carries a white parasol, reads Shakespeare's sonnets, and constantly refers to his mother. Again, why no Oscars?

There's also a running gag where the bandits constantly try to get the drop on Sartana, but Sartana's always got a pistol hidden somewhere. I can't think of a single slow spot in this film at all, and Stelvio Massi's hyperactive camera-work coupled with Carnimeo's direction make for one of the more entertaining Italian Westerns.

On the third sequel of Sartana left by Gianni Garko and was replaced by the akin George Hilton ensures the same pattern, somehow we don't perceived the changing over such sameness on both, the plot is about a stolen gold, Sartana as bounty hunter observes the robbery, discerns the modus operandi of the gang and headed to find the truth, who are stealing who and something like that, a bit complex screenplay, Sartana will finds clues until reach at gold prospecting area, the city is handled by a Baron of gold, sustained by a Mexican gang led by the filthy and bloody Mantras, Sartana offers to Baron himself to protect the gold shipment, he accepts but plays on both sides when he also contracts the skillful quick draw Sabata (Charles Southwood), also a female presence of the Saloon's owner the attractive Trixie (Erika Blanc), the producers and the writer willfully an incongruent proposal on Sartana's character, foster an unmatched abilities and tricks that reduces the genuineness and hence the decaying process of likelihood, on early sequence to extinguish the burning dynamite's wick he throw his water canteen and shoot up on it and all water falling down and cease the fire, many far-fetched and contrived sequences like that were scattered along the movie, thus staying shapeless in many senses, stylized nevertheless too much foolish, whoever insert it doesn't was enough smart certainly!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6.5

This is a fun movie with interesting characters, and lots of spaghetti western style. I found it very entertaining, although it has some story elements that don't seem to make a lot of sense.

George Hilton does a fine job of portraying "Sartana," the bounty hunter/detective/vigilante more often played by Gianni Garko. Hilton's style is slightly different, but he plays the part equally as well as Garko. The real show-stealer here is Charles Southwood as "Sabbath," a bounty hunter who dresses in all-white, carries a white parasol, and lives by the values taught to him by his mother. Sartana and Sabbath are both oddballs, each in his own way, but Sabbath is so eccentric he makes Sartana look normal. One of the many amusing parts of the film is when Sabbath comes riding into town with his parasol, and one of the townsfolk sees him and says "what's the west coming to?" Sartana and Sabbath play off of each other quite well, and their interactions are fun to watch, especially when they square off near the end of the film.

A great music score by Francesco DeMasi, along with some excellent camera work, help make this euro-western above average in the style department, but the somewhat muddy plot doesn't do it justice. It's basically about how a crooked town boss is taking gold from the local mines and replacing it with sand before it is shipped. Then he hires Mexican bandits to "rob" the shipments so that nobody will know that they were ever replaced with sand. In comes Sartana to save the day, though his motives for wanting to find the gold are selfish. A little while later, Sabbath shows up, supposedly for the same reason. That much is pretty cut and dry, but the problem is with the details. While the basic idea of the scam going on with the gold is easy to understand, some of the actions of the characters in the story don't make any sense, or perhaps aren't explained very well. Maybe the American version is poorly edited. That would explain a lot, but I don't know if it's the case.

The best way to watch it is to sit back, relax and enjoy the cool characters and style of this spaghetti western without trying to make sense out of everything that happens. When viewed with that attitude, it's actually one of the more memorable and entertaining films of the genre.