Shoot First... Ask Questions Later (1975)

In the 19th century, when the Japanese Emperor sends a gift pony to the US President it gets stolen and ransomed by Indians but Sheriff Gideon aided by an inept Japanese servant offers to deliver the ransom.

Director:

Sergio Corbucci

Writers:

Antonio Troiso (story), Marcello Coscia (story)

Stars:

Giuliano Gemma, Tomas Milian, Eli Wallach

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Giuliano Gemma	...	Blanc de Blanc / Stetson
Tomas Milian	...	Sakura
Eli Wallach	...	Sheriff Edward 'Black Jack' Gideon
Manuel de Blas	...	Major Donovan
Jacques Berthier	...	Kelly Butler
Romano Puppo	...	Kady
Nazzareno Zamperla	...	Sgt. Donovan (as Nazareno Zamperla)
Edy Biagetti
Hideo Saito	...	Yamoto (as Ideo Saito)
Frank Nuyen	...	Japanese Consul
Lorenzo Robledo	...	Colonel
Giovanni Petrucci	...	(as Giovanni Petti)
Tito García	...	Watson Brother
Franco Tocci	...	Soldier Guard on Train
Cris Huerta	...	Robinson Watson 'Grasso' (as Chris Huerta)

Storyline

In the 19th century, a Japanese delegation arrives in the USA to present the American president with a gift pony from the Japanese Emperor.The Japanese consider the pony to be divine and it is guarded by Japanese Samurai.A tribe of renegade Indians attack the train and steal the pony with the intention of ransoming it.In order to retrieve the pony, the Japanese delegation offers one million dollars in ransom money, to be delivered to the Indians by the local Sheriff Gideon assisted by the inept Japanese servant Sakura, who believes he is a true Samurai.On the way, the duo runs into the drifter Blanc De Blanc, who is Swiss and has plans of his own concerning the ransom money.

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Plot Keywords:

giallo | pony | samurai | ransom | spoof | 

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Taglines:

You'll Laugh Your Saddle Off!

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Genres:

Western | Adventure | Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy Spain France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

17 January 1975 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Shoot First... Ask Questions Later

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,005,885, 31 December 1975

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmel, Mundial Film, Tritone Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film crew traveled around Spain, looking for a pony with special features. The small horse was a key piece of the film plot. Finally, it was found in a town of Region of Murcia (Spain) .

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Quotes

Cleme: [Opening lines from Italian version] For a fistful of dollars. For a miserable fistful of dollars that are not even already your share! At least I did that for a few dollars more... but "vamos a matar", compañeros! Always around in the good, the bad and the ugly times! Head down, dear; you're at the day of reckoning, now!

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Connections

Referenced in DVD (2006)

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Soundtracks

White Yellow And Black
(uncredited)
Written by Guido De Angelis, Maurizio De Angelis and Susan Duncan-Smith
Performed by Guido De Angelis and Maurizio De Angelis (as Dilly Dilly)

User Reviews

Sergio Corbucci's Western parody is packed with noisy action and silly humor

A very funny Western about some roguish adventurers who attempt to rob a fortune of a rescue . Italian-Spanish co-production full of action , exaggerated characters, shootouts and lots of humor . This Spaghetti Western concerns about robbing a valuable Japanese pony from a train crossing American West and the Japan Ambassador had for gift to US . The thieves result to be some rebel Indians . Then a Japanese named Sakura (Tomas Milian), ¨the Yellow¨ along with a rogue thief Swiss(Giuliano Gemma) ¨the White¨ , and a sheriff (Eli Wallach) ¨the Black¨ team up as three unlikely heroes . This is a surprisingly low-key Spaghetti Western in which three diverse characters joining forces to find the sacred horse and rob a rescue .

This amusing picture contains an entertaining plot , action Western , shootouts and bits of campy and refreshing humor . It's an improbable blending of standard Western, tongue-in-cheek and Chop-Socky . A bemusing premise , gunslingers against samurais , and interesting casting full of usual Spaghetti make this oater well worth the watching . Delightful Western satire in which the grifter Giuliano Gemma using his wits , breaking all the rules and kicking virtually every cliché in the pants , as he relentlessly deceives, plunders and robs . Amiable but sometimes lumbering Western satire goes on and on about the same premise , as a lot of minutes are superfluous ,it has half hour of excess , as it packs overblown jokes and antics and some moments turns out to be dull and tiring . Tomas Milian steals the show as Sakura, he is very fine, he ravages the screen, he jumps, bounds and leaps, hit and run , besides receives violent punches, kicks and is ultimately buried . Furthermore, appears ordinary secondaries of Spaghetti/Paella Western as Chris Huerta , Tito Garcia, Victor Israel ,Dan Van Husen, Rafael Albaicin, Lorenzo Robledo, and many others . The film mingles slapdash, pursuits, high body-count and it's fast moving and quite entertaining. There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing shootouts, fights or stunts every few minutes . The musicians Guido and Mauricio De Angelis, compose a jolly soundtrack with catching leitmotif and well conducted ; it's full of guttural sounds and commercial songs. Striking cinematography by Luis Cuadrado in Eastmancolor with negative well processed . Interior filmed at Paolis Studios , Rome ,and Ballesteros studios ,Madrid and outdoor sequences filmed , of course , at Almeria, Spain. The film follows in the wake of ¨ Hallelujah trail (65) ¨ by John Sturges ¨ Support your local sheriff ¨ and ¨ Support your local gunfighter ¨ by Burt Kennedy and of course ¨ Blazing saddles (74) ¨ by Mel Brooks , all of them are engaging Western satire and very fun . The picture takes part of a sub-genre in which during the period of the 70s combined Spaghetti Western and art martial with original influence of ¨David Carradine's Kung Fu ¨ series , for example ¨ Karate law in the west ¨(Tonino Ricci), ¨ My name is Shangai Joe¨(Mario Caiano) and ¨ Return of Shangai Joe ( Bitto Albertini)¨, in addition ¨ Red sun (Terence Young )¨ that bears remarkable resemblance to this one .

Sergio Corbucci's direction is well crafted, here he's more cynical and humorous and less inclined toward violence and packs too much action , but especially this slapstick Western contains broad comedy . The other Sergio made several Spaghetti classics as ¨ Django¨, ¨The great silence¨, ¨Hellbenders¨, ¨The specialist¨ , and Zapata Western as ¨The Mercenary¨, ¨The Compañeros¨ and ¨What am I doing in middle of the revolution¨ . In addition Sergio directed other inferior S.W. as ¨Far West story¨ ,¨Johnny Oro¨, ¨The white the yellow an the black¨ and ¨Minnesota Clay¨. It's an offbeat , muddle and uneven Western but will appeal to Corbucci aficionados . Rating : 5,5 , riotous Western spoof in which there's too much silly comedy and enough excitement