Un par de asesinos (1971)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Rafael Romero Marchent

Writers:

Mario Alabiso (writer)
Santiago Moncada (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 March 1971 (Spain)

Genre:

Western

Plot Keywords:

Spaghetti Western | Bounty Hunter

Cast

Gianni Garko	...	Sartana (as John Garko)
Guglielmo Spoletini		(as William Bogard)
María Silva
Carlos Romero Marchent
Luis Induni
Raf Baldassarre
Francisco Sanz		(as Paco Sanz)
Cris Huerta
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charly Bravo		(as Carlos Bravo)
Álvaro de Luna
Alejandro de Enciso
Jesús Guzmán
Cristina Iosani
María Martín
Andrés Mejuto
Lorenzo Robledo

Also Known As:

Lo irritarono... e Sartana fece piazza pulita (Italy)
Sartana Kills Them All

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Spain | Italy

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:18 (cinema release) (cut) | Germany:18 (re-release) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

DIA P.C.

He's Not Really Sartana This Time, But He's Still Killin' Em All

As it was the case with many Westerns starring Franco Nero after his success with "Django" (1966), this film starring Gianni Garko has a 'Sartana' in its name, even though it has little to nothing to do with the popular "Sartana" series that Garko is most famous for. "Un Par De Asesinos" aka. "Lo irritarono... e Sartana fece piazza pulita" aka. "Sartana Kills Them All" is doubtlessly an entertaining Spaghetti Western that my fellow genre fans should enjoy. And yet this Spanish/Italian co-production cannot possibly compete with the famous 'Sartana' films. As it is arguably the case with most of my fellow Spaghetti Western buffs, I'm a great fan of Genre-icon Gianni Garko, and Sartana is doubtlessly the role he is best known for. Even though he plays a character of the same name here, the role is completely different from the Sartana known from films like "Light The Fuse... Sartana Is Coming" or "Have A Good Funeral My Friend, Sartana Will Pay". The original Sartana is a kind of Spaghetti Western James Bond who uses eccentric gimmicks and tricks to beat his opponents. The only thing Garko's character in this film has in common with Sartana is that he is a quick shot. Due to the difference of the characters, the name of the character in this film was even changed to 'Santana' in the German language version. This is not to say, however, that "Sartana Kills Them All" is not an enjoyable Spaghetti Western in its own right.

In many aspects, the film bears a lot of resemblance to the great and hilarious Westerns starring Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. This film is more violent than most of the Spencer/Hill Westerns ("God Forgives, I Don't" of 1968 is about equally bloody), slightly less comic, and it also doesn't reach the cult-value of the Spencer/Hill films. Yet, as a fan of this kind of cinema, one cannot help but immediately compare the films, as this is a somewhat satirical Italian buddy-flick set in the Wild West. Gunfighters Sartana (Gianni Garko) and Marcos (Gugliemo Spoletini) are best friends, and yet they are not ashamed to constantly try and trick each other, no matter if it is over women, money or anything else. Fleeing from the law they make the encounters of several memorable folks, including the crafty young lady (played by the beautiful María Silva), who is just as tricky as the two outlaws are... What makes this film quite interesting for a Spaghetti Western enthusiast is the fact that it is both comical and violent. On the one hand it is generally a funny film, which even has a bit of romance in it. On the other hand, the protagonists Sartana and Marcos, who are very likable characters, are also capable of all sorts of things, including cold-blooded murder. The film has elements both of the gritty and nasty Spaghetti Westerns (such as "Django" or "Mannaja") and the more comedy-related films (such as the "Trinity" films with Spencer/Hill), and therefore don't exactly fit either 'type'. The film's storyline is comparatively weak, but other elements, such as loads of fun, a fair amount of violence, and good performances make up for this. Garko is great as always, and so is Spoletini (who passed away in 2005). María Silva is both beautiful and funny in the female lead, and the supporting cast includes several familiar faces for Italian Western fans, such as Raf Baldassare, Chris Huerta, Luis Induni and Carlos Romero Marchent (brother of the director Rafael Romero Marchent). The score is also very good, except for the dreadful singing in the main theme in the beginning. Overall, "Sartana Kills Them All" is certainly no genre-highlight, but it is a worthwhile Spaghetti Western that is recommendable to fans. 6.5/10