Buon funerale, amigos!... paga Sartana (1970)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Giuliano Carnimeo

Writers:

Roberto Gianviti (writer)
Giovanni Simonelli (writer)

Release Date:

19 April 1971 (Sweden)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

After witnessing a brutal massacre, the legendary hero Sartana is ready to do some investigating. Almost...

Plot Keywords:

Sartana | Sequel | Coffin | Investigation | Exclamation Point In Title

Cast

Gianni Garko	...	Sartana
Daniela Giordano	...	Abigail Benson
Ivano Staccioli	...	Blackie (as Antonio Staccioli)
Helga Liné	...	Saloon Girl Mary
Luis Induni	...	Sheriff (as Luis Hinduni)
Franco Ressel	...	Samuel Piggott
George Wang	...	Lee Tse Tung / Peng
Franco Pesce	...	Undertaker
Roberto Dell'Acqua	...	Piggott Brother
Federico Boido	...	Jim Piggott (as Rick Boyd)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fortunato Arena	...	Casino Troublemaker
Aldo Berti	...	Colorado Joe
Jean-Pierre Clarain	...	Piggott Brother
Attilio Dottesio	...	Joe Benson
Rocco Lerro	...	Piggott Brother
Claudio Ruffini	...	Casino Bouncer
Sergio Testori	...	Casino Troublemaker
Pietro Torrisi	...	Casino Bouncer
Antonio Vilar	...	Ronald Hoffman

Also Known As:

A Present for You, Amigo... A Coffin from Sartana
Buen funeral, amigos, paga Sartana (Spain)
Gunslinger
Have a Good Funeral, My Friend... Sartana Will Pay (USA)
Stranger's Gold

Runtime:

91 min | West Germany:96 min

Country:

Italy | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Flora Film

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Red Dead Revolver (2004) (VG)

Typical, if not sub-par, Sartana entry

The first Sartana (1968), by Gianfranco Parolini, is such a dark and brooding spaghetti western gem, that I can't help but wonder what could have happened to the rest of the Sartana entries in his, admittedly, more skillful hands.

Gianni Garko returns for the fourth time to play the titular black-clad anti-hero, after being replaced by the suave George Hilton for A Fistful of Lead. Garko is typically good as the amoral Sartana, in a plot that combines in typical Carnimeo fashion, mystery and action. After old prospector Benson is killed, several people try to get their hands on his land. Nuggets of gold, discovered in his burnt down shackle, suggest that the old prospector hit a motherlode. A corrupt banker and a Chinese saloon owner each will try to convince Benson's niece, now the sole heir of the property, that the land is nothing but acres of sand and therefore worth nothing. Sartana, as usual, is out for himself and will try to play everyone. Of course, things are not always what they seem. There are enough twists and turns to keep things adequately interesting plot-wise.

But plot is barely the reason I love spags. It's the pure style that I look forward, those little moments of pure cinematic gold scattered in the form of stylish shootouts, off-beat characters, weird angles and close-ups, and style-wise, there isn't enough to go around here. The production seems kind of rushed, which probably was, given the low production values. With this being the 4th Sartana entry, everyone seems to be on autopilot by now, and Carnimeo just gets things over in a workmanlinke way. Which is why I wish Parolini would have worked on the sequels. Carnimeo, never an A-list name even by spaghetti standards, seems to be more of an employee instead of an artist, just getting things on budget and on schedule for the producers.

Anyhow, suffice to say there are lots of better spaghettis out there. If you're a seasoned veteran, and need a quick spaghetti fix for a Sunday afternoon, Have a Good Funeral Amigo will do just fine. Just don't expect anything mind-blowing.