Customer Reviews

Spaghetti Western Bible Presents The Fast, The Saved, and The Damned

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

 

 

I figured a list of what's actually included in this set might be useful for anyone thinking of buying it, and if you've tried Video Asia's stuff before you might have some concerns about quality, so hopefully I can help. I haven't actually watched any of the films yet, but I did a quality check and took down the runtimes, so here ya go:

One Dollar Too Many (1 hr., 31 min.) letterboxed, looks like a sharp VHS dub.

The Beast (1 hr. 23 min.) fullscreen, slightly faded print, looks like a fairly good 2nd generation VHS dub. The onscreen title is "Rough Justice."

Blindman (1 hr. 24 min) letterbox, very sharp VHS quality. IMDB lists a longer running time for this, so it may be cut.

Massacre Time (1 hr. 29 min. 30 secs.) letterbox, sharp VHS quality.

Bounty Killer (1 hr. 30 min.) letterbox, looks like a sharp VHS.

Minnesota Clay (1 hr. 27 min. 30 sec.) letterbox, very sharp

7 Dollars on the Red (1 hr. 35 min.) letterbox, sharp VHS.

Apocalypse Joe (1 hr. 30 min. 30 sec.) latterbox, sharp VHS quality. Onscreen title is the "Man Called Joe Clifford" retitle.

They Call Him Graveyard (1 hr. 28 min.) letterbox, sharp VHS quality.

Price of Honor (1 hr. 47 min.) letterbox, sharp VHS quality, print looks a bit dark.

Overall, this looks to be a great set for the price. Most of these titles are pretty obscure, and the quality is far better than average for Video Asia. Most Spaghetti Western fans will be happy with this one.

The Fast, The Saved, And The Damned, is actually a good box set from Videoasia, three disc with ten spaghetti westerns, westerns that are seldom seen, and bold scenery there is of the Madrid throughout, with plenty of classic shootouts, lots of tequila, and pretty Italian chicks galore. Here's a format of the ten films. 1.1970 - "Rough Justice" a.k.a. The Beast - Klaus Kinski is the deranged gunmen. 2.1971 - "Blindman" - Ringo Starr, Tony Anthony steals the show as the blindman. 3.1966 -"Massacre time" - Django star Franco Nero finds out things are not what they seem. 4.1966 - "Bounty Killer" - Tomas Milian in one of his better roles. 5.1971 - "They Call Him Cemetary" a.k.a. or Graveyard - starring genre greats John Garko, William Berger. 6.1970 - "Price Of Power" - Day Of Anger star Guiliano Gemma takes on a political ride. 7. 1968 - "One Dollar Too Many" - western comedy with John Saxon, Frank Wolff. 8.1971 - "Apocalypse Joe" - Anthony Steffen is in disquise armed with deadly guns. 9.1965 - "Minnesota Clay" - Cameron Mitchell is an aging gunfighter losing his sight, directed by the great Sergio Corbucci. 10.1966 - "Seven Dollars On The Red" - Anthony Steffen seeks revenge and his lost son. The audio varies from film to film and the video transfers are not bad, a "slight" improvement over the Sartana saga, at least none of the above films cut out in the middle, you can't go wrong for the price. "The Beast" is presented in full screen, the rest of these seldom "scene" spaghetti's are letterboxed widescreen. The two Anthony Steffen films are worth the price of admission alone, plenty of gunplay, excellent music scores, Italian western action at it's finest.

Disappointingly, the last few minutes of "Minnesota Clay" are in Italian only; there are no other audio tracks, and no subtitles. Apparently Asia Vision don't care about these films. I didn't expect great quality at the price, but I did expect the English dubbing to be throughout the movie! In addition, "Minnesota Clay"'s original aspect ratio was 2.35:1, not the approximate 1.85:1 on this disc. It's better than "pan & scan", but it's not as it should be. It is otherwise quite watchable, although not sharp, especially on a large screen. "Blindman" is cut, so the Koch Media DVD of that title is a much better bet. I haven't watched the rest yet; As to the other movies, they may be OK, but with a company that's as careless as Asia Vision, that will surprise me. I'm looking for a better version of "Minnesota Clay" Anyone who wants to see these films as they were intended to be seen would be better off not buying this mess. If price is the only issue, go right ahead.

Disc 1: BLINDMAN, MASSACRE TIME, THE BEAST, and ONE DOLLAR TOO MANY.
BLINDMAN is an enjoyable if hokey romp starring Tony Anthony as a blind sharpshooter. Very unbelievable but entertaining. Cut by 20 mins if you believe IMDb. MASSACRE TIME is Franco Nero at his intense, brooding best, the best film on this set. THE BEAST would be a standard heist film except one of the crooks, Klaus Kinski, is a rape-crazy sex fiend that fouls up the works. Bizarre in that there is no real protagonist to root for, but mesmerizing. ONE DOLLAR TOO MANY is a very likable and easy-to-watch comedy-western from veteran director Enzo Castellari. Antonio Sabato, Frank Wolff, and John Saxon are three different types of con men (Sabato: handsome peasant Lothario, Wolff: scruffy master of disguises, Saxon: dandy cardsharp) out to get a bag full of money stolen from a bank. Slapstick antics ensue, as you might imagine, involving a false suitcase holding not the money but an old man's picnic lunch; a young lady tucking the loot under her dress and faking a pregnancy; and numerous double crosses and fast getaways. Much of the action is centered around fistfights and stunts rather than gun-play; this is a welcome change from the usual Spaghetti Western fare. The film is fast-paced and boasts fine work from the three leads. If you can find a good copy of this, it's an agreeable if lightweight bit of entertainment for the Italo-Western enthusiast.

Disc 2: THEY CALL HIM GRAVEYARD and PRICE OF HONOR.
First and foremost: the DVD presentation of each of these films is poor. The picture is murky and overly dark, making it difficult to follow the action at times. The dubbing track on GRAVEYARD is a little overmodulated, making it garbled if you turn it up too loud. That said, these are two enjoyable Spaghetti Western entries. GRAVEYARD features Gianni ("Sartana") Garko and William ("Banjo") Berger as dueling hired guns: one set on protecting a rancher and his family, the other hired to kill them. Their characters have a friendly rivalry which is a hoot. Both men are in top form, especially Garko. Directed by Giuliano Carnimeo, who brings the mixture of whimsy and intensity he had in the SARTANA films. PRICE OF HONOR aka PRICE OF POWER is an ambitious Western melodrama, light on the action, which seeks to tell an Old West version of the JFK assassination. In 1881, the president travels to Dallas and is shot from a window while parading thru town in his carriage. Corrupt officials have carried out the murder and have a humble slave take the rap. Our hero, the earnest but bland Giuliano Gemma, aims to unravel the conspiracy. An engaging story, audacious for its subject matter, but entertaining despite the paucity of shoot-em-up action. Each film is a 3.5 out of 5, but half a point deducted for the poor presentation of this DVD.

Disc 3: MINNESOTA CLAY, APOCALYPSE JOE, BOUNTY KILLER, and 7 DOLLARS ON THE RED.
Funny, another fan lists MINNESOTA CLAY as the best on this disc; I liked that the *least* of this lot! CLAY is colorful and dramatic but feels more like a BONANZA-style pic than a Eurowestern. The two Anthony Steffen films are very entertaining, especially APOCALYPSE JOE, here titled A MAN CALLED JOE CLIFFORD. (Steffen gets to dress up in disguises Peter Sellers-style to outwit his foes; funny moments dropped into a good action pic.) I liked BOUNTY KILLER the best. Tomas Milian is very charismatic as an outlaw bandit but the show is stolen by Richard Wyler as the tough-as-nails hero out to bring him to justice. Beautifully shot and very dramatic. The first three titles: 4/5 each; MINNESOTA CLAY: 3/5

The Name says it all Spaghetti Westerns. Bought this to watch westerns I have not seen at all or have not seen in many many years. It is what it is.Any fan of these type Westerns will enjoy this. Its a must have for the fans.

Well worth the price for a little over a buck a movie . Eight of the ten moveies were very watchable, other two were so-so.

If your a fan of Spaghetti Westerns. If you think that The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is a 10. Then here's a box set of 8 & 9 n's.

This series continues the conviction that one carries when living the life of an outlaw as defined by society at large; a gnawing urge to deal with any problem that comes along as quickly as it arises, regardless of what the law of the land states. It's the rule of individuality vs. the group. In the end, we must realize that one's own personal convictions will always outweigh the hierarchial rule of any oligarchical collectivism imposed on humanity. No matter how far he lives outside the norms of "society", the sheriffs and organized crime will always consider him a threat, simply because he expresses his individuality. So, we naturally root for the lone gunman who dares to defy a corrupt social structure based on the herd mentality imposed on the people by those groups who wish to rule over the masses, thus reaping the profits of the many for the benefits of the elite few. Anyone who sees through this facade and rebels against it, whether by self-imposed exile or simply refusing to pay homage to any social structure, this person is considered an outlaw, or any other term defining an outsider who has his convictions to express his individuality.