Customer Reviews

Adios, Sabata

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The director, writer, and producer are all the same, and we have several supporting players returning, but Brynner supplants Van Cleef as The Man With The Gunsight Eyes. Does it work?

Well, yes, to a point. ADIOS SABATA is, like the other movies in this series, a densely plotted, somewhat tongue-in-cheek western yarn. In each of the Sabata films, I promise you, you will lose track of who is plotting against whom, and with which ne'er-do-wells on his side. There will also be moments of wry humor, along with acrobatic stunt work. And stuff will blow up, and people will be improbably shot from a long distance away.

All of that happens in ADIOS, but it happens with Brynner at the helm, so the charisma factor is lessened by a notch or two. Where Van Cleef had steel-eyed machismo and a barbed tongue, ol' Yul provides an exotic gypsy-style appeal, all flowing frills and phallic rifle. For real, this Sabata looks like a backup dancer in a Vegas revue, with his all-black outfit and open-shirt styling. As for the sense-of-humor aspect of the character, Brynner's unusual accent tends to give those sardonic Sabata one-liners a bit of a Schwarzenegger feel, but still yet, he's charming, so it works.

Brynner, like LVC, has a great supporting cast to back him up. Returning from the first film (in different roles) are the stolid Gianni Rizzo and the boisterous Pedro Sanchez. American ex-pat Dean Reed is present as a handsome, sleazy sidekick; Gerard Herter portrays a cruel Colonel; and the wonderful Sal Borgese shines as Sabata's mute, music-box-obsessed cohort. All are excellent, with Borgese and Sanchez really notable for fine work.

Gianfranco Parolini/Frank Kramer, who handled the direction of all three Sabata flicks, is equally capable of staging big, booming explosions and a subtle eyebrow tilt; I'd say he's more adept at the latter. He gets a lot from a knowing glance, curious peek, or simple crossing of legs, putting each actor's business to great use in moving the story.

At 1 hour 44 minutes, ADIOS SABATA gets a little long, with its protracted showdown and search for gold. That said, the pic is an ably-produced, entertaining Spaghetti Western, good of its type, and recommended to fans of its star and genre enthusiasts. 7/10.

Disclaimer: I viewed this film as a streaming rental. As such, I cannot comment on the audio or visual quality of this disc - my review concerns the entertainment value of the film only.

In a very (very) general way, it seems to me that the golden age for Italian westerns began with Django in 1966, but by the time the seventies rolled around the genre had started to peter out. Surely there are worthwhile films on both sides of that time, but with films like ADIOS, SABATA, the problem seems to be that the filmmakers were trying to out-spaghetti themselves.

ADIOS, SABATA isn't a bad flick - it has a few of those quirky moments that set the genre apart from more traditional westerns, and, taken singly, none of its flaws are any worse than those that plague some of the classics. But, as with other films I've seen from this later period, it seems as though it became almost cartoonish in its attempts to top the unique style developed by Corbucci and Leone. Yul Brynner adopts the nearly supernatural demeanor of the imperturbable, invincible gunslinger, and while he has a couple of neat tricks up his sleeve, he doesn't carry it off with the panache of an Eastwood or Nero. Nor does he have the moral ambiguity of Van Cleef, which puts this incarnation of Sabata on a decidedly lighter plane than its nihilistic counterparts in other films.

As if there were any other plot in an Italian western, this one also involves gold and greed. Sabata is hired to help steal a gold shipment from a ridiculously evil Austrian colonel and buy guns with the loot to help Mexican revolutionaries. Few things go according to plan though, and Sabata is caught between Austrians, revolutionaries and a persistent ne'er-do-well all trying to lay their hands on the gold. Turnabout follows turnabout - and while the details may be unlooked for, there was never any doubt that Sabata would set everyone to rights.

In the end, ADIOS, SABATA comes across as just average, especially since I've seen many other Italian westerns to compare it to. Those who have limited experience with this peculiar brand of western may find it strangely charming yet, or, because of the difference between it and the more established style of western, have a very negative reaction to it. Yet even for those viewers I wouldn't recommend starting off with ADIOS, SABATA, and would instead point them toward some of the classics, such as the aforementioned Django or The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

This was my first foray into non-Leone Spaghetti Westerns. This one features Yule Brynner instead of Lee Van Cleef in the title role.

It's not a great film. But it does have some really cool bits of style and creativity that are hallmarks of the genre.

Gimmicky weapons: check. Sabata has a shortened rifle similar to Josh Randall's in Wanted Dead or Alive, though this one is clip fed for some ridiculous reason. Honestly, it doesn't make a lick of sense. Allow me to nerd-out on the gun for a moment: Sabata has to use his other hand to push the clip through manually, and it doesn't appear to increase his magazine capacity by more than one or two rounds. What's more, it would make the gun even more inaccurate since he wouldn't be able to steady the gun with his fore hand. Of course, we still see Sabata making amazing shots from hundreds of yards away. This makes Blondie shooting Tuco's rope look like stark neo-realism.

Further weapons gimmicks: the Hungarian (right?) Colonel uses a model ship with working cannons to dispatch a dude he doesn't want to pay. One goofy mute guy who likes to flip around like a monkey is also a dead-eye with the ol' "iron ball on the toe of your shoe."

It features a very creative villain death: the Colonel has had a portrait painted of him, and at the end he is facing off against Sabata in the same room as the portrait. The Colonel ducks behind the portrait just as Sabata whips a knife at him, which stabs into the portrait and then is dragged diagonally down it as the Colonel falls behind it. Pretty cool.

There are some other elements (Sabata's costume, the "Dance of Death," and the fat revolutionary dude's speeches whenever someone dies) that are half cheesy/ half funny.

Worth a rent if you like the genre and aren't expecting a Good Film.

If the Yul Brynner costume puts you off this western you are missing the entire campy gay feel of this outrageously over the top spaghetti western. Yul struts and spins with his tassels circling him in an over the top parody of Van Cleef or Eastwood. I keep ecpecting him to blow a kiss. This movie is good fun but is also iconic of what brought the genre down with every B star and second string tough guy thinking anyone with an italian sur name can be Leone and they are not. But I still can not help smiling at the gimmicks, the acrobatics, and the costumes. Throw in a few scenery chewers and it is perfect rainy afternoon fun.

Who is this guy? He is not Sabata. Sabata was cool

Adios Sabata proves that just one seemingly innocuous thing can just about ruin an entire film - something - lets say - like a costume. Someone decided that poor Yule wear a cross between a Las Vegas show costume and an S&M outfit complete with outrageously long tassels a plunging neck line and flared pants. This is so embarrassingly uncool for a Spaghetti western anti-hero that it almost ruins the entire film. Otherwise the film is actually not bad - it has a coherent plot and lots of action and color. Adios Sabata has a darker tone then the original Sabata due to Brunner's hard nosed performance, political overtones and ultra cruel bad guy. The film is even more tongue in cheek and looks more expensive then Sabata. There are more plot twists, acrobats, outlandish gimmicks and gadgets. Yule's overly series performance in that outfit just doesn't make it as Sabata although the rest of the cast is excellent. The soundtrack by Bruno Nicolai is one of his best and perfect spaghetti western fair. The film could have been great.