Spagvemberfest 2023 - or the crows will drink our beers

Sapevano solo uccidere (1968) - Director: Tanio Boccia - 4/10.

The movie is not anything special, yet in spite of its meager resources, rather flabby narrative flow and the general somnolence of storytelling, there was still something which inexplicably kept me watching the flick. I guess part of the reason why I stuck with it might have been that the story turned out somewhat different; the original source material originating from another genre is accommodated here to fit in with the western formula which results in some bizarre blemishes and thus, a certain element of surprise in the way the whole tale unfolds.

One could say it is mediocre in the best sense of the word in that it is not going to top anybody’s list of favorites, but at the same time, it does not vex with any inordinate stupidity, may very well be used as background noise or viewed as a soothing piece of insignificant escapism in its own right, should you so wish. The acting is so wooden you could almost make a hefty cupboard out of it, but honestly, who cares, this is just another one of those two-bit productions with not a whole lot of assets or substance, it might not redefine the genre, but Boccia weaves the tale in a predominantly solid fashion, the film is framed in so munificent a manner that you can clearly make out the actors and the action; Lavagnino’s score turns out fine too and though the storyline begins to run thin towards the end, it might be reckoned not a total joke, plus badass-looking Mitchell attired in a black cape pops in just to drop dead ten minutes later. Given that some maleficent turkey might be around the corner for me, methinks I’ll take it.

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