Light the Fuse... Sartana Is Coming

Sartana infiltrates a sadistic frontier prison in order to bust out an inmate accused of stashing half a million dollars in gold. However, getting the inmate out proves to be easier than uncovering the whereabouts of the missing loot, located somewhere in a town full of crooked characters with shady intentions.

Another fast-moving entry in the official Sartana series, starring Gianni Garko, there's a lot of twists and turns, with Sartana seemingly able to read minds, tell the future and see in all directions at once!

There's loads of gun-play and a fairly interesting mystery regarding who exactly has the gold. It's not quite groundbreaking cinema, but it'll do.

One gripe though, there isn't one single likable character in the whole movie, not even Sartana!

The fifth, and final if I'm not horribly mistaken, official entry in the Sartana series, sees director Giuliano Carnimeo (Anthony Ascott I'm looking at you) and regular Gianni Garko teaming for yet another spaghetti western mystery-cum-action extravaganza.

The plot is crafted in typical Carnimeo fashion, occasionally makes no sense, but is fun to watch as it unfolds its twists and turns, with a myriad of people trying to get ahold of 500,000$ dollars and $2 million counterfeit money. The whole cast puts in a good performance, the gorgeous Nieves Navarro (aka Susan Scott, known from A Pistol for Ringo and giallo efforts) easily standing out, not necessarily for her acting abilities though.

The final showdown in the empty streets of a town is as close to offering a monumental spaghetti western moment, the Sartana series will ever come. After Parolini's insurmountable original from 1968 that is. It's obviously, strongly influenced by Corbucci's Django (1966), but that doesn't detract from its psychotronic charm. Watch it and find out. Bruno Nicolai's score is like a second grade Morricone, but given Il Maestro's genius, even a second grade Morricone is a good thing. Combined with plenty of gunfights, greasy villains, conniving women and enough quirks and tricks to keep fans happy, this is a worthwhile second tier spaghetti western entry and Carnimeo's best in the Sartana series. Great for a Sunday afternoon...

SARTANA is a fundamental archetype in Spaghetti/Paella genre as well as James Bond in spy-genre , here Gianni Garco-Sartana stars an entertaining SW with lots of action , gun-play and fun . As always , the mythic personage appears elegant and dressed in black and with a killer look . Gianni Garco's Sartana is the standard by which every spaghetti antihero is measured along with Lee Van Cleef's Sabata and Franco Nero's Django . The film deals with a cache of gold and counterfeit money that has disappeared turning into several hands . The dark , elegant hero , a freelance gunman named Sartana (Gianni Garco or John Garco) appears to chase the nasty thief , discovers the robberies and settles disputes by shooting . Bemusing Spaghetti Western with Sartana as a tough and stranger protagonist , he's an efficient gunslinger acting as judge , jury , and executioner . At the beginning Sartana arrives in a small town named Sandy Creek where occurs a slaughter by two nasty deputies (Luis Induni and Dan Van Husen) who kill a judge (Francisco Sanz) and he then seeks vengeance . Sartana is taken prisoner and locked along with Grand Full (Piero Lulli) . It follows the seemingly endless adventures of Sartana in search of a cache of stolen gold . The confrontation will be inevitable among the town's ambitious sheriff (Massimo Serato) , an astute widow named Belle (Nieves Navarro) , a cruel murderous Mexican general named Monk (Jose Jaspe) and of course Sartana . At the end takes place a spectacular showdown in the streets of a town in which Sartana contends against all .

This co-production Italian/Spanish is an exciting Sartana movie starred by Gianni Garco , it is plenty of action , shootouts , double-crosses , twists and loads of violence and blood . Sartana himself is like a crossover between Clint Eastwood's The Man with no Name and ¨Django¨, a black-clad amoral anti-hero ; adding the special characteristics from James Bond , his quirky gadgets and elegance . Sartana character is in equal parts mysterious , cool and deadly ; he is not out there to chase the bandits like a simple bounty hunter , he is just out for money and blood . His quirky gadgets often bring to mind the other similar character , Sabata played by Lee Van Cleef and Yul Brynner . The first Sartana was ¨Gunfighters Die Harder" or "If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death" a trend-setting film by Gianfranco Parolini with Gianni Garco , Klaus Kinski and Fernando Sancho . The best Sartana are directed by Giuliano Carmineo , alias Anthony Ascott, he realized various with George Hilton who replaces to Garco . Hilton played more natural and roguish than Garco who was cold and peculiar . The later "Sartana" movies directed by Anthony Ascott became increasingly cartoonish and humorous . It was followed by director Alfonso Balcazar with ¨Sartana non Perdona or Sonora¨ with George Martin , Jack Elam and Gilbert Roland . Miles Deem directed two Sartanas deemed lousy and cheesy . Furthermore , a string of sequels and rip-offs with other Z-series directors.

The movie gets the usual Western issues , such as greedy antiheroes, violent facing off , quick zooms , exaggerated baddies and musical score with Ennio Morricone influence , among them . There appears as secondaries the habitual at Italian Western and Peplum genre , a cast played by the customary plethora of Spanish actors : Jose Jaspe , Maria Vico , Francisco Sanz , Frank Braña , Fernando Bilbao , Luis Induni ; and Italian players : Piero Lulli , Bruno Corazzari , Sal Borghese , Renato Baldini . Furthermore , the Eurotrash goddess, the babe named Nieves Navarro or Susan Scott as a cunning and killer widow . Special mention to Franco Pesce, Spaghetti's customary, and occasional comic relief as an old inventor who provides strange gadgets to Sartana . Very good Spag musical score , it's composed and conducted by Bruno Nicolai, Morricone's usual collaborator . Appropriate cinematography by Julio Ortas , photographed on location in Hoyo de Manzanares, Madrid and Rome, Lazio . The film is well produced by Eduardo Manzanos Brochero with his company Copercines financed a lot of Westerns , he built a Western town in Hoyo De Manzanares (Madrid) , today disappeared , called ¨Golden City¨ where filmed several Chorizo Western and various ¨Zorro¨ films as well as Sartana movies . The picture is professionally directed by Anthony Scott or Giuliano Carmineo who made several Spaghetti as ¨The moment to kill¨, ¨Find a place to die¨ , ¨They call him Cemetery¨ , ¨They call me Hallaluya¨ , and the Sartana movies : "Have a Good Funeral, My Friend, Sartana Will Pay" , ¨Sartana the gravedigger'(69) ,"Sartana's Coming, Get Your Coffins Ready" , ¨Light the fuse Sartana is coming¨(71) . Overall, this is a must see for SW aficionados . A cult Spaghetti , essential for the genre lovers.

From early scenes of sadism to light hearted duplicity this movie is the entire genre's trajectory of tone and attitude. (Excepting the political phase) Supercool hero, good soundtrack, epic body count in a fantasy American west . Silly genre exercise but entertaining. Lets partner up!

Half a million dollars in gold and twenty million dollars in counterfeit money are enough reason for Sartana to be relaxed with the gun. His opponents are gangs, a fake general with an army, a sheriff and the seductive widow of an accomplice. According to the motto "It's better to stink than die early", he delivers a fight that is second to none with the help of his robot Alphine and his bulletproof death organ.

Just reading the above and you know what you are in for: double twists, triple twists, deception, greed, endless gunfights and a high body count. From the opening to the end "Light the fuse ... Sartana is here" is one fun ride. It has a standard spaghetti western premise but done with panache and energy. The plot moves along as Sartana gets into one trouble to the next. He's like Sabata with his array of gadgets ( such as the big piano where he lets out a tune with gunfire). It's wacky, sometimes bizarre (robot) but it's imaginative and its OTT approach is part of its charm. I reckon this is the second best Sartana western, the first best is "I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death."