Sabata

1969

PG-13

1h 46m

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

114

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Western

Several pillars of society have robbed an Army safe containing $100,000 so they can buy the land upon which the coming railroad will be built. But they haven't reckoned on the presence of the master gunslinger, Sabata.

Directors

Gianfranco Parolini

Writers

Gianfranco Parolini(story by)

Renato Izzo(screenplay by)

Renato Izzo(story by)

Stars

Lee Van Cleef

William Berger

Ignazio Spalla

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Videos5

Photos29

Top cast

Sabata

Banjo

Carrincha

Indio

Stengel

Ferguson

Jane

Oswald

Judge O'Hara

Sheriff

Rocky Bendato

Directors

Gianfranco Parolini

Writers

Gianfranco Parolini(story by)

Renato Izzo(screenplay by)

Renato Izzo(story by)

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Review

Featured review

5/10

Spaghetti Western with Lee Van Cleef in the mold of Sergio Leone’s Man with No Name trilogy. RELEASED IN 1969 and directed by Gianfranco Parolini, “Sabata” chronicles events in a west Texas town when a black-clad gunfighter named Sabata (Lee Van Cleef) teams-up with an alcoholic ex-soldier named Carrincha (Ignazio Spalla) and an acrobatic Indian (Bruno Ukmar) to thwart the town leaders (Antonio Gradoli & Gianni Rizzo) who want to steal $100,000 from their own bank to purchase land that the encroaching railroad will cross. William Berger plays a minstrel of dubious loyalties while Franco Ressel is on hand as the effeminate heavy. Linda Veras appears as the stock saloon babe. This was the first of the official Sabata trilogy released in 1969-1971. There were four other Sabata films released in 1970-1972, but they were considered unofficial imitations. The only other Sabata flick I’ve seen is the third imitation one, "Dig Your Grave, Friend... Sabata's Coming,” with Raf Baldassarre in the eponymous role. While that one lacked Van Cleef, the story is more compelling than this debut. “Sabata” starts promisingly enough with a colorful cast of characters and an innovative bank robbery, but the story bogs down in the second act and tries to make up for it with an action-packed climax and typical Italo Western epilogue (think “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”). Speaking of which, “Sabata” is reminiscent of Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy. Van Cleef simply takes over the Eastwood role while Spalla is basically a re-dressed Tuco. Thankfully, there are original elements, like the acrobatic Native and the effeminate kingpin. Still, as with most Spaghetti Westerns, the characters are cardboard-thin caricatures rather than three-dimensional people, which limits their appeal and prevents the story from having much suspense. The usual goofy absurdities don’t help. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 51 minutes and was shot in Almería, Spain and (studio) Rome. WRITERS: Parolini and Renato Izzo. GRADE: C

Wuchak22 Mar, 2018