One of the first Spaghetti westerns I purchased on dvd, and at the time had no idea what region 1 meant.
I have the BU release of this and it is definitely Region 1
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Although just checking the DB I see that my copy is apparently the AB re-release on BU. The more recent one listed as ‘remastered’ I don’t have so maybe that one is Region 0
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This was always one of my top 6 spaghetti westerns. I recently re-watched it and it didn’t have the same impact on me. I hope that it was just the mood I was in but I felt like there was a lot lacking. I like the script a bit more in this film than I do in the Mercenary. I’ve always given The Mercenary 4 stars and Companeros 5 but the visual side of The Mercenary is superior in comparison. If the script from Companeros could have been mixed with the visuals in The Mercenary, I feel like it would make the perfect spaghetti. Companeros just looks like a cheaper film in comparison.
Hmm, but the Script of Companeros is often as lazy as the directing of the lesser scenes.
Isn’t that the Corbucci disease? And is it really worse here? (Hughes seems to agree with you). There are a few uninspired moments in Companeros, of course, but much more than in his other ‘great movies’?
Compared to Il mercenario and Il grande Silenzio definitely.
I love Companeros, but the film has several bigger flaws. But even without all these flawed stuff it would remain a somewhat lukewarm variation of Il mercenario. As long as it remains basically the same film in regard of its content.
I definitely like this film a lot more than I used to.
The shootout scene at the end is amazing, with the music, editing and energy level etc.
Same. I think I did the reverse of user The_Man_With_a_Name on this one. I wasn’t overly-keen the first time I saw it, but after repeated viewings it’s become one of my absolute favourites and I think it’s one of only four that can compete with Leone’s top three. It’s just another Mercenary, but when both films are so good who cares?
Yeah I just used to see it as a more comedic re-hash of The Mercenary, but now I thoroughly appreciate it on its own terms.
It’s just some scenes with the students that annoy me. Wasn’t keen on the part with the US soldiers, either. I do still rate it very highly.
Anyone else prefer this and The Mercenary over The Wild Bunch?
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I probably do prefer those two over WB, even though I am a huge Peckinpah fan (I prefer his 70s output over his first several movies).
I used to love The Wild Bunch, it was a favorite movie when I was a lot younger. The last time I rewatched it, a couple of years ago, I noticed that large parts of it left me rather cold. But it’s still a movie with some terrific action moments and a couple of good performances, notably by Robert Ryan and William Holden (but talking about Peckinpah I prefer Ride the High Country and The Ballad of Cable Hogue these days).
On the other hand I like The Mercenary and Companeros better with each viewing
TWB is for me still one of the best films ever.
The Merceanry is also some kind of master piece, and at least the best Spag after OUTW and GBU. Which is something.
Companeros is mostly great fun, except for the flawed parts, and there are some in it. It is a lesser variation of The Mercenary, but with several brilliant scenes.
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If you watch these two movies it’s hard to understand why the quality of Corbucci’s work went so fast downhill afterwards
[quote=“stanton, post:235, topic:68”]
the best Spag after OUTW and GBU[/quote]
Interesting!
“No Way, Boy!”
The Wild Bunch is a… “Grand Masterpiece” with better actors and such in my book.
Mercenary and Companeros they are both very good Spaghs though.
But the tendency is already there in Companeros. It has in parts already this “Idon’tcareanymore” stamp on it.
Same, I re-watched The Wild Bunch a few months ago and it’s a great film but I can’t help but feel that a big part of it’s legacy is because of how ‘different’ it was for American audiences, even though I think Leone and Corbucci had already broken most of this ground a few years earlier. I re-watched TM and Companeros last week and they keep on becoming more engrossing.