Get Mean (1975)

A wisecracking gunfighter is seemingly hurled through time and space as he escorts a Spanish Princess back to her homeland while contending with barbarians, Moors, evil spirits, a raging bull, and a maniacal Shakespeare-quoting hunchback.

Director:

Ferdinando Baldi

Writers:

Wolfe Lowenthal (screenplay), Lloyd Battista (screenplay)

Stars:

Tony Anthony, Lloyd Battista, Raf Baldassarre

Cast

Cast overview:
Tony Anthony	...	The Stranger
Lloyd Battista	...	Sombra
Raf Baldassarre	...	Diego
David Dreyer	...	Alfonso
Diana Lorys	...	Princess Elizabeth Maria de Burgos (as Diana Loris)
Mirta Miller	...	Morelia

Storyline

When an American cowboy stumbles upon a gypsy family in a wind-swept ghost town, they offer him a fortune to escort a princess back to her home in Spain. But this silent Stranger finds himself in over his head (and strung up by his feet) when he gets caught in the middle of an epic battle involving Vikings, the Moors, brutal barbarians, evil spirits, a raging bull, and a diabolical Shakespeare-quoting hunchback. Tired of their never-ending attempts to kill him, the cowboy arms himself to the teeth with guns, dynamite and a special surprise. Now it's the Stranger's turn to GET MEAN!

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Plot Keywords:

cannon | rescue | quoting shakespeare's richard iii | skeleton | shot to death | 

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Taglines:

Fights Moors for treasure and beautiful Spanish Princesses

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

May 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beat a Dead Horse

Filming Locations:

Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Strange Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tony Anthony's then-girlfriend, Diane Dobronte, filmed some behind the scenes footage of the making of the film. Interest in the obscure production was revived when Dobronte made her footage available on the internet in 2007.

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Goofs

When The Stranger shoots the first of Diego's two henchmen during their final confrontation, the wire pulling the actor backwards is clearly visible.

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Quotes

The Stranger: [preparing his weapons] Now, when things are even up... a man really should fight fair. But, oh, when they just keep puttin' it to ya, buddy, and they're stompin' on your ass... there's only one way to fight. GET MEAN!

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Connections

Featured in Tony And I (2015)

User Reviews

Not your average spaghetti western

This movie is a lot of fun, and deserves more credit than it gets. It is quite unique among westerns, or even spaghetti westerns. It's so odd, in fact, that it really defies categorization.

Though it is without question a gloriously over-the-top spaghetti western, it actually relates more closely to "Army of Darkness." In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Sam Raimi was influenced by this film before he directed that great third installment in the "Evil Dead" series. In this film, Tony Anthony plays his usual role of "the stranger" (kind of a "man-with-no-name' type of character). We learn right away that there is something supernatural going on here as the movie opens with the stranger being dragged by his horse into a ghost town. On the way there, they pass a strange silver orb, then when they get there, the horse has a heart attack and dies as the town bell tolls unexplainedly. Anthony walks into a building where he meets a witch who has the same silver orb at the table where she sits. He finds out he's been summoned to escort a Spanish princess back to Spain and help her regain her throne from "barbarian" invaders who appear to be from another time. This all happens in the first five minutes! I don't want to give away too much of the story, so I'll just say that the stranger's tasks are to deal with the barbarians, rescue the princess, find a treasure that is guarded by ghosts, and collect money that was promised to him by the witch. The movie is quite comical and full of slapstick, and just like Ash in "Army of Darkness," the stranger unloads a huge can of whoop-ass on an army of foes. I would love to see the plot of this movie "borrowed" for a sequel to the Evil Dead series. Ash could once again be sent back in time, but this time to the old west where he would be the stranger. Change the treasure to the Necronomicon, have it guarded by Deadites, and bam you've got Evil Dead 5! They wouldn't even have to change much of the dialog as most of the stranger's lines would be perfect for Bruce Campbell as Ash.

Tony Anthony is great, as usual, in this one. He's like the Rodney Dangerfield of spaghetti westerns in that he doesn't get the respect he deserves. Eastwood's "man-with-no-name" may be the king of "cool," but Tony Anthony's "stranger" is more of a character, and just as tough. The other actors and actresses in the film do an excellent job also. I especially liked the character of "Sambra," a crazy Hunchback who thinks he's the reincarnation of Richard III.

This movie isn't for everyone. If you go into it thinking it is just a wacky late-era spaghetti western, and try to fit it into that mold, you will think it is trying too hard, and will probably find it to be just slightly amusing and nothing more. But if you can understand and appreciate the film for what it really is, and especially if you've enjoyed "Army of Darkness," you should definitely enjoy this one.