Seen it last night on Croatian TV. It was 109min version with Italian dub, so unfortunately no Coburn voice, which is maybe his greatest asset (dubs are usually my biggest complaints about sphagetti westerns).
Coburn doesnāt talk too much throughout the film anyway and for me pretty much sleepwalks his performance. Like many said, Bud Spencer steals the show, Salavas does his thing, but his role is almost cameo.
Biggest problem of the movie is dullness of the most part of the film, where no action happens, but also no interesting dialog or plot twists happen. Storytelling is pretty straightforward, Coburn motive is thrown out of blues sky, it would be more dramatic and interesting if they actually showed us some events from the past and connection between Coburn and Salavas. Long first scene where Coburn and Spencer are introduced has a feeling of a stage play. My thoughts were exactly like the review here, that the movies used elements from Dirty Dozen, Where Eagles There and Wild Bunch.
Pluses are fort location and some interesting connotations regarding immorality of war and all sides involved in it.
I think score was also different than some mentioned versions, nothing similar to Morriconeās soundtrack in Leoneās films in this one (no reverb guitar etc.). It was OK, more classical score, but for the most part movie is without music. Picture was to browny and lacked contrast, but what can you do.
My verdict: this movie could have been much better with more imagination in plot details and sharper editing.
I said it before but I prefer the shorter cut of the film. Bud Spencer doensāt have that much unnecessary screentime and thereās not so much dull moments. And the shorter english version has Coburnās own voice.
The first time i watched this, it was the MASSACRE AT FT. HOLMAN VHS rip. Since i picked up the TGG release cheap, i decided to give it another shot. Though the widescreen pic and improved sound did help a bit, especially during the final assault, this one still falls flat for me. Despite a perfectly fun story and actors i like, itās just boring, hardly worth the time i spent watching it. 4/10
Just got around to watching this one. I had read the negative reviews but really wanted to see it cause Iām a big James Coburn fan (I was hoping for a Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid type performance). But yeah, it was a little tough to sit through. The directing was kind of stale, the music too sparse and the characters were just not well written. But the last 25 minutes or so of the film (I watched the 1 Hour 56 Minute cut) were pretty spectacular, looks like they spent their entire budget on the battle scene itself. Iām glad I watched it, never really felt like turning it off at any point. 3 stars for me.
A 3 out of 5ā¦ not bad, I suppose. Being the only champion of the film here, anything less that a 4 out of 5 is disappointing >:(. One day people will realise there is goodness in htis film!
Iāve avoided this one for a long time for a good reason, but I finally took the plunge. Well, all I can say is I pretty much agree with some of the above posts that itās quite boring and uninteresting until the final showdown inside the fort. Coburn and Spencer theyāre just going thru the motions really and the rest of the cast didnāt fare any better. 2/5.
Just found the Wild East disc East Amoeba in Hollywood for $13.99! I love that they donāt know what that disc is goin for. Not a great movie, but I needed it for my collection.
I watched it again last night, still the same minuses for me:
Lack of imagination in plot details, uninspired storytelling.
Too sparse music.
Wasted Telly Salavas - some homosexual connotations of his character seem just shameful.
Copycat plot that never reaches the level of its sources - Unlike Dirty 12, of the dirty seven recruits only Spencer and somewhat that union officer are given any depth, all the others are practically the same character that barely get noticed. Unlike Wild Bunch, massacre at the end is not cathartic or poetical, it just violence for violenceās sake. Unlike Where Eagles Dare, the fort takeover is not as tense and well-filmed.
I didnāt mind too much Bud Spencer screen time. Actually, heās the best thing about this movie and only one kicking some life into it.
Bud Spencer doesnāt usually get enough credit for his roles. Heās not the greatest actor but he doesnāt have to act, just be there in front of the camera. His presence and looks makes believable characters with history.
At least Spencer helped to fill the widescreen images.
Spencer was pretty forgettable in A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die. But he tried to act, while Savalas did absolutely nothing which was worth to be called acting.
It was shown on the German tv not so long ago with a very diffent name: āDer dicke und das warzenschweineā. What a terrible cut. There are scenes mentioned above which I did not see in this broadcast:
The opening scene (the german movie starts with a looting Spencer)
The choice made to be hanged in stead of going with the group
I can not recall a train scene
The death of Savalas (dubbed warzenschweine) was removed
Much is said about the movie in this thread. I fully agree that the usage of the stars could have been much better. But the version I have seen (and my not 100% undersatnding of German as I am Dutch) could have damage the better film.
I watched the movie out of curiousity and interest for getting an English dubbed copy. I found the movie boring in some sense. Spencer talks far too much in his role. Characters were not introduced at all. Death scenes of characters were very poor and the storytelling was very very poor.
For example: getting into the fort: why use a rope to climb to the entrance if the guards are not visible or killed easily by knifing? They only come out of their tent after the group enters the fort.
During dynamiting the inside of the fort there are no soldiers visible whatsoever. I think Valerii blew up a specific section and filmed it from different angles to let it look like there were more section bombed.
And the usage of the Gatlin guns (even when the northern party left them behind) was of course out of place.
NB: dynamite sticks were not used either untill the end of the war.
Agreed. Never mind who directed My Name is Nobody, who directed Day of Anger. Hard to believe it was Valerii judging by his other efforts, when he was more experienced!
Got around to watching this, mainly for the cast, which features James Coburn ( Col. Pembroke) who is the centerpiece.Pembroke must recapture Fort Holman, in order to do so, he is accompanied by seven no good criminals. We later learn that Pembroke has alternative plans in mind. Also, the wild Bud Spencer ( Eli) is great in one of his more serious roles. Eli always seems to look out for Pembroke. We also have Terry Salvas ( Maj Ward) whoās role is minor but important. Itās noticeable that the film borrows from others ( The Deserter, Cut Throatās Nine, and The Wild Bunch) but thatās ok, Coburn and Spencer more then make up for plot/story flaws. The finale is packed full of machine gun fire, and features a showdown between Pembroke and Ward.Couple flaws, I didnāt care for the dancing scene, nor the scene where Spencer talks about peeing, and the climbing of the mountain seemed to take way too long, but other then that the film is pretty solid. For fans of Coburn and Spencer, Iād recommend this.
I havenāt watched it in a while but I remember being extemely disappointed with the ending. I enjoyed the first half of the film quite a bit though. I might give it another viewing at some point. I prefer The Deserter and Kill Them All and Come Back Alone.
