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After the American Civil War Keoma Shannon, who fought for the Union, returns to his home town to discover things have changed. The town is now the personal fiefdom of Caldwell, a former Confederate who won't allow anybody to leave. Keoma is of mixed Indian/white parentage and was bullied by his half-brothers as a child despite his father treating them equally... his brothers are now on Caldwell's side. As Keoma approaches the town he rescues a pregnant woman who was being transported to a quarantine camp along with others, including her husband, who had come down with the plague. He returns to town with her and tensions soon rise and it is only a matter of time before he must face his brother and Caldwell; his only obvious allies his aging father and an old friend who is now an alcoholic.
In many ways the story is typical western fare; a hero standing up to a tyrant, but the execution is different. The atmosphere is great with the wind blows dust around and few characters look clean or well groomed... the closest to that are the villains. In some ways it is as much a Shakespearian tragedy as a typical western. The film may be filmed in Italy but the rugged scenery, while not typical of westerns, does fit with the genre and creates a feeling that this town is really isolated from the outside. The cast is solid; most notably Franco Nero as Keoma and Woody strode as his friend George. The action is exciting and varied, if surprisingly bloodless. Many commentators have referred to the rather unusual soundtrack where songs form part of the films narration... I can't make up my mind about it; on the one hand I found it making me laugh when things were meant to be tense; on the other I like a good laugh! Overall I'd certainly recommend this for fans of westerns looking for something a little different to classic Hollywood fare.
score 8/10
Tweekums 29 January 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5444543/ |
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21-2-2021 12:06:15