O’Cangaceiro (1969) - Director: Giovanni Fago - 6/10.
If the movie qualifies as a spaghetti western stylistically, though obviously not in terms of plot’s overall setting and time period, then it must be the most exotic and extravagant of them all. As opposed to most Zapata westerns, to which it arguably bears comparison, the work actually mystifies rather than demystifies central revolutionary’s persona which in turn entails that the storyline assisted by Fago’s impressionistic direction acquires a certain poetic allure. Film’s biggest issue resides in that on ridding itself of the revolutionary as the driving force behind the narration, it does not assign this narrative role to anybody else, the Dutchman for instance.
As a consequence, it turns into a bit of a heroless epopee, becoming both superficial and indistict subject-wise. Narrative’s elliptical facets and outlandish atmosphere are compounded by a host of bizarre situations and Milian’s outrageous antics which seem to be cut out for this sort of material and highlight its exceptional status. One could argue that by virtue of its eminently whimsical nature, pic’s social backdrop does not have the punch and immediacy of similar ventures, notwithstanding, what it lacks in this regard is partially offset by its unignorable salience, imaginative choreography, Ulloa’s striking cinematography and Ortolani’s wonderfully flamboyant soundtrack.