| Despite less-than-stellar reputations, the three film that comprise the official "Sabata Trilogy"** - Sabata (Ehi amico...c'e Sabata, hai chiuso!, 1969), Adios, Sabata (Indio Black, sai che ti dico: Sei un gran figlio di..., 1971), and Return of Sabata (E tornato Sabata... hai chiuso un'altra volta, 1971) - overall aren't bad for what they are, superficially good imitations of director Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns, yet distinctive enough on their own. The first film is far and away the best, but Adios, Sabata is okay if unmemorable; Return of Sabata is pretty lousy, but not so bad to justify its place in Harry & Michael Medved's The Fifty Worst Films of All Time...
...The Sabata Trilogy might be considered a bridge between the darker Leone/Django-inspired Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s and the Terence Hill/Bud Spencer Spaghetti comedies of the '70s. Two out of three ain't bad, and even the third picture is bearable if only for the good will generated by the first two, and the fun of watching director Gianfranco Parolini's stock company trying their best. Fans of Hong Kong action comedies will especially want to catch these films, as they very clearly were a major influence on that genre. Recommended.
**Just as unscrupulous Europeans co-opted the name "Django" for innumerable rip-offs of that seminal Spaghetti, the success of the first Sabata led to several unofficial "sequels" apparently made without the consent of the original producers: Sabata the Killer (Arriva Sabata!, 1970), Wanted Sabata (1970), and Watch Out Gringo! Sabata Will Return (Attento gringo, e tornato Sabata, 1972). |
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