Mio nome è Shanghai Joe, Il/Opinions

Mini review

Director Mario Caiano, best known for the gorgeous horror film Amanti d'Oltretomba, made eleven Westerns in his career, but none as strange as this one. Perhaps it might help some to recall that the TV-series Kung Fu was enjoying great popularity at around the same time employing a similar East-meets-West theme. This film is much more grim and bloody, however, as it tells the tale of a Chinese man (Chen Lee) who travels to San Francisco in 1882. Looking for a better life, all he finds is scum -- racists, perverts, slavers, greedy conmen and mercenaries. Naturally, the gentle mystic must fight to find inner peace. Lee's major weapon -- aside from knives and lethal yo-yos -- is a devastating punch that rams all the way through his opponents' bodies. But that isn't the half of it. A cardshark gets his eyes gouged out in revolting detail, people are beaten to bloody pulp, and the villain of the piece (Klaus Kinski in a fascinating performance) is Scalper Jack, a mincing, sadistic bounty-hunter who tortures and skins his victims alive. A depressing and violent film, this exercise in bloodletting is powerful stuff and well-acted by a veteran cast including Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Claudio Undari and Gordon Mitchell, who also appeared in Caiano's Erik IL Vichingo. Adalberto Albertini made an unfortunate comic sequel the following year with Kinski (in a different role) and Lee. - unknown

Opinions

One of the best kung fu-spaghettis there is. Lots of action, lots of blood and violence and a bunch of weird villains. Story is quite simple: it's basically about Shanghai Joe facing a bunch of hired killers one after another but it works very well. Klaus Kinski makes a brilliant special appearance as crazed bounty hunter. Music by Bruno Nicolai is excellent. Rating: 4/5 --Bill san Antonio 19:22, 18 August 2006 (CEST)

Comment

After a six year gap, Mario Caiano returns to the SW with this uneven west meets east variant. Chen Lee fights his way successfully through a west filled with racists while director Caiano unsuccessfully fights with his directorial talents against an episodical screenplay with too many shortcomings and stupidities in it. Often well directed with some hearty gore effects, some bizarre guest appearances and a beautiful Bruno Nicolai score (which was already used more strikingly in Have a Good Funeral, Sartana Will Pay), this one gives me the feeling of a superior Fidani trash movie. / by Stanton