Companeros (1970) Vamos a matar, compañeros (original title)

Director:

Sergio Corbucci

Writers:

Sergio Corbucci (screenplay)
Sergio Corbucci (story)
(more)

Release Date:

April 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Comedy

Tagline:

Fate brought them together. Greed made them inseparable, and violence made them Companeros!

Plot:

Arms dealer Yolaf Peterson aims to make a sale to guerilla Mongo, but the money is locked in a bank safe...

Plot Keywords:

Pacifist | Hawk | Spaghetti Western | Zapata Western | Mole

Cast

Franco Nero	...	Yodlaf Peterson
Tomas Milian	...	El Vasco
Jack Palance	...	John
Fernando Rey	...	Prof. Xantos
Iris Berben	...	Lola
José Bódalo	...	Gen. Mongo (as Francisco Bódalo)
Eduardo Fajardo	...	Colonel (as Edoardo Fajardo)
Karin Schubert	...	Zaira
Gino Pernice	...	Tourneur (as Luigi Pernice)
Álvaro de Luna
Jesús Fernández
Claudio Scarchilli
Lorenzo Robledo	...	Man Dancing with Zaira
Giovanni Petti
Gérard Tichy	...	Lieutenant
Gianni Pulone		(as Giovanni Pulone)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ramón Fernández Tejela
Simón Arriaga	...	Mongo Henchman (uncredited)
José Canalejas	...	Mongo Henchman (uncredited)
Tito García	...	Pepito Tigrero (uncredited)
Víctor Israel	...	Rosenbloom Henchman with Brown Suit (uncredited)
Vicente Roca	...	Rosenbloom Henchman with Tropical Hat (uncredited)

Directed by
Sergio Corbucci

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sergio Corbucci		screenplay
Sergio Corbucci		story
Massimo De Rita
Fritz Ebert
José Frade		dialogue
Arduino Maiuri		(as Dino Maiuri)

Produced by
Antonio Morelli	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by
Alejandro Ulloa

Film Editing by
Eugenio Alabiso

Production Design by
Adolfo Cofiño

Costume Design by
Jürgen Henze

Makeup Department
Giuseppe Capogrosso	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Maria Alabasio	....	unit manager
Enrique Bellot	....	unit manager
Norberto Soliño	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sabatino Ciuffini	....	assistant director
Ricardo Huertas	....	assistant director
Manfred R. Köhler	....	assistant director (as Manfred Köhler)

Sound Department
Nick Alexander	....	dubbing engineer
Antonio Forrest	....	sound engineer

Camera and Electrical Department
Giovanni Bergamini	....	camera operator
Ruggero Radicchi	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Osanna Guardini	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Giuseppe Romano	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Bruno Nicolai	....	conductor

Other crew
Lamberto Andreani	....	production coordinator
Francisco Bellot	....	production coordinator (as Paco Bellot)

Production Companies

• Tritone Cinematografica
• Terra-Filmkunst (co-production)
• Atlántida Films (co-production)

Distributors

• Atlántida Films (1970) (Spain) (theatrical)
• GSF (1972) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Constantin Film (1971) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Reserva Especial (Brazil) (VHS)
• Terra-Filmkunst (2005) (Germany) (all media)

Also Known As:

"Vamos a matar, compañeros" - Italy (original title)

Runtime:

118 min | Spain:110 min | Germany:115 min

Country:

Italy | West Germany | Spain

Language:

Italian | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (1971) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2005) | West Germany:18 (nf) | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Norway:16 (1970) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1995) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Tritone Cinematografica

Trivia:

At one point, Tomas Milian is seen dragging a coffin out of a graveyard. This is a reference to Sergio Corbucci and Franco Nero's previous collaboration Django (1966) in which the title character drags a coffin behind him.

Quotes:

Yolof Peterson:Your friend is right, compañero. When you're about to die, don't ask so many questions.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

Spaghetti heavyweights Franco Nero and Tomas Milian join forces in fantastic Mexican revolution escapade

With a dream cast of Franco Nero (as Swedish mercenary Yod Peterson aka "penguin") and Tomas Milian (Mexican rebel Vasco), a soundtrack by Ennio Morricone and Sergio Corbucci at the Directors helm, this film was always likely to deliver. And it delivers 100%.

The story centres around the town of San Bernardino, and a fight for power between General Mongo (Bodalo) and Professor Xantos (Fernando Rey). Xantos, a pacifist with a young and dedicated following, has been imprisoned at Fort Yuma by the Americans. His absence has left the town, and its safe, at the mercy of Mongo. However, without the combination for the lock, he is unable to access the wealth of the town.

Mongo enlists the help of Peterson to rescue Xantos, for both the combination code and probable execution. Vascos is sent to accompany him, having already suffered much humiliation as a result of an earlier confrontation with the Swede. This makes for a very uneasy relationship.

A brief fracas with Xantos' followers at a hold-up on a train enables Peterson to escape from Vacos' close watch. However, he is soon relying on his companion to rescue him, after he is captured by a former partner John (Jack Palance) - who he had previously betrayed some years ago to save his own skin. This betrayal had resulted in John being nailed to a tree, and relying on his faithful pet falcon, Marsha, to rescue him by biting off his hand. Not surprisingly, John holds a grudge (as well as a wooden hand!).

On escaping John's grasp, the two make an assault on Fort Yuma in an attempt to free Xantos from the Americans. As the adventure really heats up, they're paths will soon cross with the American army, General Mongo, Xantos' followers and, of course, John and Marsha.

The first third of the film is perhaps a little slow and episodic, but does successfully reveal the characters of Peterson and Vasco to the viewer (with fantastic character play by Nero and Milian respectively). Once the background is established, the film soon explodes into action with a series of exciting and highly effective chases and battle sequences. Corbucci at his best.

Probably the strongest element of this movie however is its subtle use of humour. Much of this is provided by the chemistry between the two leading roles, but the laughs really reach a crescendo with Peterson and Vasco's final liaison with Jack's falcon Marsha. Just one great scene in a film full of them.

It is no doubt a crime to have got so far into my review without mentioning Jack Palance's performance in much detail, because his performance as the unhinged, marijuana smoking John is scene stealing. Quite possibly one of the greatest villains of all the Spaghetti Westerns I have seen.

Music is provided by Morricone, and as always the score is a perfect accompaniment to the action - both memorable and rousing. In fact it always amazes me how the man could be so consistent! In summary, this is a must view film from the ever reliable Corbucci. And my mouth waters at the prospect of watching his other Mexican revolutionary movies ('A Professional Gun' and 'What Am I Doing in the Middle of a Revolution')..... very shortly, hopefully!