Mighty fine spaghetti western
After years of being cast as heavys and in other supporting roles (High Noon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance), by the time Lee Van Cleef was considered a true star, it seemed he'd stick himself in all kinds of garbage for the accolade of top billing. While always giving a good performance, many of his films ARE trashy. This is not one of them...Lee Van Cleef stars as the mysterious gunslinger of the title, dressed in black. *POSSIBLE SPOILER* He's out to get the town of Daugherty's elite, who at the start of the film, rob $100,000 from an army safe to buy up the land over which the railway is gonna pass. His character here is not dissimilar from the Colonel in "For A Few Dollars More", as he comes fully equipped with a crack shot arsenal of weapons. In fact, I don't recall him missing once in the movie.
William Berger (a spaghetti western regular) stars as Banjo, a guy who'd double cross anyone if the money was good. The character of Banjo is also enigmatic, and perhaps even more interesting than that of Sabata; it's a shame he wasn't bought back for the sequels.
All in all, Sabata makes for perfect late night escapism. As a spaghetti western, it's up there with "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and is a thoroughly enjoyable movie that keeps it's tongue firmly in cheek. If you're looking for a stylish spaghetti western outside of Sergio Leone territory, this is the one. Try to see it in widescreen.
score /10
johnwaynefreak 20 September 2002
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0108929/34510
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