Indio Black, sai che ti dico: Sei un gran figlio di.../Opinions

From The Spaghetti Western Database
< Indio Black, sai che ti dico: Sei un gran figlio di...
Revision as of 15:10, 18 January 2009 by Admin (talk | contribs) (Text replace - 'à³' to 'ó')
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to: navigation, search

Review by Pete R.

This sequel to Sabata was actually supposed to be the beginning of a new Spaghetti Western series with a character called Indio Black to be played by Yul Brynner, but Director Gianfranco Parolini decided to rename the film Adios Sabata instead. This Spaghetti Western was based around the Mexican revolution and so it is actually part of the Zapata Western subgenre.

Sabata (Brynner) is hired by a group of Mexican revolutionaries to help them rob the occupying Austrian government of a large cache of gold dust. Sabata is joined by a gang of misfits including Escudo played by Ignazio Spalla who we saw previously in the original Sabata. The other men are Septiembre (Sal Borgese) who's method of killing involves dropping steel ballbearings onto his specially made cup shoes and firing them at his victims and Gitano (Joseph P. Persaud) a gypsy who does a flamboyant flamenco dance of death before he strikes. Gianfranco Parolini certainly continues his unique style of action in this film as well featuring acrobatics and some very interesting weaponry.

Taking Banjo's place as the main foil for Sabata is Ballantine (Dean Reed) a shady character who moonlights as a painter to get Sabata information on the dirty dealings of the Austrian occupation, led by Colonel Skimmer (Gerard Herter). Sabata and his gang try to steal the Austrian gold, but they find out that the wagon they stole was actually a decoy and the barrels are filled with sand. The real gold is hidden somewhere at The Austrian fort.

The majority of Adios Sabata is a big game of cat and mouse as the Austrian troops and Sabata's men battle back and forth, each trying to get the gold. The final battle at the end of the film has some really outstanding action. Its a very exciting gunfight and delivers on the thrills. It also has alot of great comedic moments especially in the scenes between Ballantine and Sabata. The last sequence is definitely inspired by the end of Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948). Spaghetti Western fans will definitely enjoy this unofficial sequel.

Composer Bruno Nicolai created this score and overall it has a more traditional Western sound with some slight nods to Morricone in regards to Sabata's main whistling theme.

Reviewed by Pete R - 6/9/07

More reviews

Adiós Sabata is rather odd entry in this spaghetti Western series. It continues the story of Sabata and boasts a plot that closely replicates the first film's key elements, from the cool and mysterious gunslinger hero down to the stunts, the gimmicky weapons, and the presence of a potentially traitorous sidekick for Sabata. However, Adiós Sabata introduces a new actor with an entirely different persona into the role of Sabata: Yul Brynner is as terse with his dialogue as Lee Van Cleef was in the first Sabata, but he brings a brooding, ominous undercurrent to the role that gives the film an added bit of tension. Thankfully, this tension between the familiar elements and Brynner's intense presence works in favor of Adiós Sabata instead of against it. Other highlights include a fun supporting performance from Pedro Sanchez as a mouthy revolutionary-turned-bandit and a rousing finale packed with plenty of stunts and gunplay. On the downside, Frank Kramer's direction, while stylish, is erratic in its pacing, and this leads to the occasional dull stretch, but the film's sense of color and lighthearted tone keep it from going off the rails. In short, Adiós Sabata might not be an obvious first choice for a spaghetti Western novice, but it is solid, engaging fare for someone already into the genre.

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.