[quote=“flynnparadox, post:60, topic:68”]Exactly. In fact, that’s one of the great things about spaghetti westerns: there’s something for every kind of fan. I love this genre…
Flynn[/quote]
Your passion shows , which of course is not a bad thing!
I’m sure it does! I just recently discovered this forum so I’ve been on here a lot over the past couple days (I was out of town last week so that accounts for my non-appearance then…)
Flynn
Watched the film again this week.
While I enjoyed it, I thought it rambled a bit, character development was weak, although in a comedy (not strictly a comedy), I don’t think you should expect much character development. The characters were entertaining and interesting, especially Jack Palance.
I’m really intrigued by all the marijuana smoking you find in spaghetti westerns. Of course in this film, Palance is an addict, smoking almost continually. It’s not a topic too many American film makers were willing to touch, Easy Rider being an obvious exception.
Was Iris Berben the young revolutionary girl? She was a beautiful woman. Probably still is.
I find myself waffling a bit on this title all the time. Sometimes I think it is brilliant, most of the time I think it is just a good flick. There are things that I absolutely love about COMPANEROS—but, it is (to my mind) very uneven and leans too much towards screwy comedy. Don’t get me wrong…I love comedy elements amid all the drama and action in SW’s; but, here it just gets in the way, sometimes. And I know that the Milian Legions are gonna chase me outta town (after they tar and feather me!); but, I think his performance here is one of his lessor efforts (he pulls too many faces and gets too far over the top, for my taste).
Also, don’t get me wrong about Tomas…I think he is a great actor; but, in this one…and SONNY & JED, as well…he just didn’t reign it in enough. It is nowhere near as terrible as his performance in THE WHITE, THE YELLOW & THE BLACK, though!!
Of course, Morricone’s score is brilliant, Nero is good, Rey is good, Iris Berben is awesome to look at and she plays her part very well, too.
There are some outstanding action sequences in the film, as well!
I am not saying I don’t like the movie…I think it is definitely a top line SW. When I first saw it, several years ago via a buddy’s 16mm print, I thought it was one of the greatest films of the genre! But, after it hit DVD and I have watched it several times…its glow has faded, somewhat.
I actually prefer THE MERCENARY. That is one of my Top Ten favorites of all-time. I can watch it anytime and enjoy the heck out of it!
But, COMPANEROS is one I rarely think about rewatching, even though it might fit into my Top 20…sometimes…depending on my mood!
Companeros is one of my favourite westerns, i think it is exciting and extremely well paced and is one of the films i try to show someone who hasn’t really seen many spaghettis hoping they will get to like them.
Companeros is a good film to introduce to friends who like an “action” orientated movie, for my friends who i would say are more critical i would show them something like Once upon a time in the West (my personal favourite :))
Well, it’s probably one of those films a real aficionado would appreciate more than a novice. The difference between Companeros and The Good, The Bad, The Ugly or Once Upon A Time In The West or even The Great Silence, is you will rarely find someone that’s indifferent to or that didn’t enjoy those films. They’re in a different class, at least in my opinion.
You’ll find people that didn’t like the film or are “so-so” about it.
Without wishing to sound too much like one of the ‘Milian Legion’ ;D I think part of the reason some may play down TM’s work in Companeros is the high standard he set in his other work. It’s like saying Fistful of Dollars is not as good as The Good the Bad and the Ugly. It’s a kind of unfair comparrison in my opinion.
Having said all that, I really like Companeros. I only saw it for the first time recently after a very long wait and was not disappointed.
I also think it is one of Nero’s best performances. But maybe that’s a whole new debate!
Companeros has all things what I love in SWs.
Adventures, great charakters, humor, drama, good lines, double-crossing, fight, revolution, explosions…
Nero, Milian, Palance… ;D Also all what we wish.
For me, just a good flick.
I guess it exagerates a little as slapstick comedy, going even further than The Mercenary.
I admit, the action is great and the photography is amazing!
But the result is only decent for me.
Nice plot, nice acting. 7/10 (3 stars)
If it’s a comedy, it is a very black comedy. Actually, it is a sad movie, although very funny from time to time. It’s defenitely a post-May '68 movie. Corbucci was a marxist (sort of) and to him the failure of the student uprising in May '68 was a major dissapointment. All hopes for a marxist revolution were gone and this affected Corbucci’s movies, for instance The Specialists with the greedy citizens who are prepared to kill in order to protect their financial interest and the unpleasent couple of hippies who act like parasites etc. Compañeros ends with the famous line “vamos a matar, compañeros” shouted by our friend Peterson, when he returns to his friends. Milian plays a character called Vasco, meaning not only ‘beret’ but also ‘Basque’, a people fighting in vain for independence; furthermore he looks a bit like Che Gueverra, who might well be a left-wing icon, but who lost his life in the saddle, if I may say so. It all seems very sad to me, there are no winners, only losers, the film even seems to reflect the downfall of the spaghetti western. And yes, to me it is the last truly great, self-assured Spaghetti western before Trinity and the lot took over. Some good SWs where made afterwards, but they are all a bit half-hearted (even Duck you Sucker).
That said, I share some of the second thoughts people have on the film. It could have been trimmed a bit (I don’t think it is extremely well-paced, Yodlaf, I guess Morriconi’s score gives you that impression) and Milian really, I mean really hams it up here.
I think Musante’s more restrained performance as Paco Roman, formed a better contrast to Nero’s idiosyncratic acting style; the interplay between Nero and Milian got a bit on my nerves.
Yes, I prefer The Mercenary.
Just watched this for the first time. I really enjoyed it…and I’m not a huge fan of the revolutionary-type SWs. I thought Milian, Nero and Palance did a fine job. A great score by Morricone and the whole film had me from start to finish.
This one’s in my top 20, and I gave it 4 stars.
What can i say that has not been written already.
Great scenery, superb direction , Corbucci , Nero, Milian and Palance : Perfect ingredients for a SW.
Great movie but not as awesome as The Mercenary. They are pretty close movies with the except of one of the male leads. Nero, Milian, and Palance all rock in it.
fucking A
one off my all time favourites
i wish every sw was like this
and the music outstanding
A brand new review is available now in the database:
http://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Compañeros_(Vamos_a_matar%2C_Compañeros!)_Review
I like the poster…never seen before 8).
Me too, it looks even better than the one I used in the database article
Maybe I put this one in the database tomorrow, I don’t know yet
I love this movie! Great action scenes, and I especially enjoy watching Tomas Milian and Franco Nero work together. They are the best spaghetti teaming I’ve seen. Franco as the strait man who is also quite goofy, and Tomas as the complete goof. I like this more than the mercenary which didn’t like too much.
Companeros, if not a remake then definitely a sister film to The Mercenary, there are countless similarities between these two films.
They even begin their stories in the same manner, with a short scene followed by a long flashback for the rest of the film, until the very end when they catch up with the first scene.
It’s one of the best spaghettis, no doubt about this, great cast, wonderful score, and so on. Many fans probably find it very entertaining among the Zapata SWs also, since it’s more light-hearted and action-oriented than say Mercenary and Quien Sabe, while still having a certain depth.
But to me the script is a little weak, there really isn’t much of any substance happening from the time Nero and Milian ride out to free Xantos until the time they come back to San Bernardino. A political western of this potential should have offered more I think.
One silly scene that really bothers me is also when John and his gang are waiting by the railway tracks. How the hell could a newspaper already be printed with the details of Yodlaf stealing the locomotive, and a short time later the engine appears with Yod on board. This is just downright stupid.
I also don’t like the scene where Yod has a noose around his neck like Tuco, it doesn’t work here and we’ve seen it before.
What saves Companeros is the whole final episode which is brilliant; Yod’s raid on General Mongo’s gang, the empty safe, Vasco and Lola marrying, the duel, last scene with Yod returning to the revolutionaries.
Top notch all of it, if the rest of the film had been on par it could have topped The Mercenary, as it is Companeros isn’t even in my Top 20, while Mercenary is at #2.
I like Companeros just a touch more than Mercenary.
But if Milian and Musante had traded roles…