John Ireland is very tarantinoesque in it 
Yeah. 
Great word, BTW. 
Watched it for the first time last weekā¦I found it to be a pleasant surprise.
The film does have a lot of shortcomings, including the convoluted plot. Sometimes I lost track of the subplots and how they should tie togetherā¦maybe this was the result of poor editing, but halfway through, I quit worrying about most of it and just went along for the ride. Perhaps a second viewing would help the story make more sense.
The music, specifically the Hammond organ, is indeed very irritating. The keyboardist seemed to be just doodling, playing every jazz and blues riff he knew, and making a few up as he went along. But underneath it, the music itself wasnāt bad at all, and would have been very acceptable if the organ part had been left out.
The action sequences are just so over-the-top that they are hilarious and fun to watch. When the hero, tied up and used as a punching bag, managed to free himself and swing right onto a horse to make his escape, I couldnāt stop laughing. Even bullet wounds seem to be a minor annoyance to the hero, and his durability and wile add a comic book feel to the movieā¦but in a good way.
No subtitles on the Italian audio track? Oh well. The English track was ok, even with the occasional insertion of Italian-only scenes. For the most part, it was a very good print.
Despite the low points, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I gave it 4 stars and would probably place it in my own top 20.
I just watched the āDoradoā release yesterday and felt the same way. For a Spaghetti Western it had a lot going on story wise. Lots of characters and sub plots to keep track of. I found it to be a bit confusing at times, but usually knew what was going on.
I felt the music was standard 60ās/ 70ās stuff. Not that great but not horrible either. It would have been decent for any other movie of the time, but quite a let down as far as Spaghetti Westerns go.
It took it a while for the action to get going but when it did, it was certainly entertaining. As already mentioned the scene where he was hanging from the rope was hilarious, the gory scene where he dug the bullet out of his hand was awesome, and the dynamite in the mine was entertaining.
I didnāt think it was a fantastic SW and certainly not one of my favorites, but it had its moments. It seemed to have a bit too much going on that dragged it down to an uneven pace.
One thing I really REALLY appreciated about the movie were the framing of some of the shots and some of the transitions. They were really well done and probably some of the best I have seen in a SW. There were several that really made an impression on me:
The first scene was at the beginning where the camera is exploring the fort and then suddenly a knife pops up into view. You not sure what to expect, and then you realize that it was a guard and he throws it down onto the table. It was well placed and helped the establishing shot explore the fort smoothly.
A short while later there is the scene where Tarpaās men are going after the 3 people sent to protect Gatling. One by one they break into their rooms and when they get to the third room they kick open the door and it cuts to them flinging the door open to Tarpaās place and telling him the job was complete. That was an awesome transition that added a lot of punch to what was going on.
Then there is the odd scene afterwards where Tarpa and his ābossā are talking about witnesses and his ābossā is leaning against the mantel piece. His face obscured by his arms and the light from the fire flickering all different colors off his clothes as he speaks. In the background you could see Tarpa standing looking insignificant. An awesome shot to say the least.
Another shot that really stands out it when Tarpa goes to see his woman and tells her to wear the dress and he throws the dress at her. The film keeps the momentum of the scene moving when it cuts to her (now in the dress) being shoved into a gate/ banister.
The movie was very well edited at times, but at other times was just as sloppy. There was a lot of good stuff at work it just didnāt always come together.
I picked up Gatling Gun (along with Django Shoots First) from Dorado Films when I met them at a local convention here in Portland earlier this year, and I REALLY enjoyed it. I found the two leads - Ireland and Woods - to be EXCELLENT, and I only wish that they had had more scenes together as when they do actually interact with one another . . . they had solid chemistry.
I was shocked by the murders at the start of the film, and I didnāt have an issue with the music - it just kind of washed over me, which, I suppose, is what a film score is supposed to do. Outside of the performances of Ireland and Woods, I also found the direction and overall storytelling to be captivating enough to bring me back for a second viewing.
(Iām actually working with Dorado Films now to help present this movie - along w/ Any Gun Can Play - at the Clinton Street Theater here in Portland, OR, and Iām REAL eager to see how Gatling Gun plays on a big screen with an audience! If anyoneās in the Portland-area and is looking for a great way to spend a Saturday night at the end of December, maybe Iāll see you there! [url]http://cstpdx.com/show/spaghetti-fest-euro-western-night[/url])
One warning about thai dvd(classic western collection); Cover states it has english audio but it does NOT, only italian and thai. And no english subtitlesā¦grrr, I have to pick USA release from ebay. I watched few scenes and it looks like good movie.
:-[ :ā(
This is one that gets better with repeated viewings. Itās well paced, good acting from a good cast, good story, and good action scenes. (Good is the word) 8)
I thought the direction was excellent. Nice inventive work, real slick and well done
I found the music awful, some of my least favorite in any sw Iāve seen so far, a big disservice to the film.
And for whatever reason, Iām just not that into Robert Woods. He doesnāt āclickā for me like he does for most others.
Direction is good enough that it might get into my top 20.
Iāve had the tape for ages but I never bothered to watch it. Iāve decided to go through all the spaghettis I havenāt watched and thought Iād give this one a try. I found the story difficult to get into at first but it picked up a lot. Thereās some really good scenes in this. I thought some of the locations were unusual for a spag, especially the rich ladyās mansion. By no means a masterpiece but definitely worth a watch. I would rate it 3/5.
In the DVD section for this movie the first listing under Germany is for a similarly-titled early-70s US western starring Woody Strode.
I keep seeing that on store shelves and thinking for a split second that itās this film.
The BluRay seems to show a discrepancy compared to the German DVD (which is I think identlical with the Dorado DVD)
Revisited this one yesterday for the third or forth time and I enjoy it as much as the first time still. I rate it pretty high but I do however feel that it had the potential to be even better.
Edit: Watched the Savoy DVD which looks very good, I have nothing to compare with but I found it to be nice and clear
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This movieās page in the SWDb has been updated to the new āSWDb 3.0ā format .
Please have a look and let us know if thereās something you can add (information, trivia, links, pictures, etc.).
@Admin
I have updated the database page .
Because the Blu-ray will be released in Japan on June 29.
Amazon | č±ēć®ēØåæę£ blu-ray | ę ē»
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excellent, domo arrigato
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ć©ćč“ćć¾ćć¦ć (=Youāre welcome.)
finally thereās the cover!
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The promotional video has been posted today.
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Looks like a colossal improvement over the crappy Mill Creek blu-ray. I hope this gets a proper re-release over in the West!
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