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As Good As It Gets

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

RELEASED IN 1970 and directed by Sergio Corbucci, "Companeros" chronicles events during the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s when a Swedish arms supplier (Franco Nero) and a Mexican radical (Tomas Milian) agree to an uneasy alliance in order to rescue the highbrow leader of the counter-revolution, Prof. Xandos (Fernando Rey), who's a prisoner in Texas. Unfortunately for them, a former business partner of the Swede puts a wrench in their plans (Jack Palance). Jose Bodalo plays revolutionary leader General Mongo while Iris Berben is on hand as the babe of the counter-revolution. Karin Schubert has a support role as a sultry prostitute. In the wake of the surprising success of Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966) filmmakers in Europe and elsewhere tried to repeat the success using the same playbook. As such, "Companeros" is similar to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" with Nero basically in the Eastwood role, Milian in the Wallach part and Palance in the Van Cleef role (generally speaking). Add a catchy score by Ennio Morricone and - voila - you have a new version of that classic Italian Western.These types of Spaghetti Westerns melded the hysterically overdone Italo grand opera with Spanish picaresque convention. A Spanish term, 'picaro' means "rogue" or "rascal", and the picaresque yarn is usually sardonic, featuring the misadventures of roguish protagonists of low stature who live by their wits in a crooked world; and told with realistic and humorous detail. Here Yodlaf Peterson (Nero) and Vasco (Milian) are the two picaros with Palance as the wooden-handed foil.While you can't beat Morricone's iconic score to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," I actually prefer this Western because it has better characters, a better story, WOMEN and superior mindfood. Concerning the latter, "The Good..." had no depth or moral, unless you count "lucre is the all and end all of life." Here there are serious deliberations on the rationalization for revolution and the justification (or not) of its proper or improper execution.Those who favor picaresque Westerns (or stories in general) will appreciate "Companeros" more than me. I mostly don't like the occasional goofiness, but I can roll with it if I have to, which I did. Thankfully, the movie's mostly quasi-realistic, akin to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." It is well done for what it is with several highlights and novelties, including Marsha the hawk and some little turtles (you'll see what I mean).THE MOVIE RUNS 118 minutes and was shot in Almera & Madrid, Spain, and (studio) Rome. WRITER: Too many to cite. GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)

Italian actor Franco Nero gained some new fame recently thanks to the release of Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained", based on Sergio Corbucci's 1966 spaghetti western starring Nero as a gunfighter. Nero had a bit part in Tarantino's movie as the man who knows that the D is silent. Corbucci's "Vamos a matar, compañeros" (simply called "Companeros" in English) casts Nero as a Swedish mercenary who comes to revolutionary Mexico to sell guns to a general, only then finds himself having to rescue a professor, with peasant El Vasco (Tomás Milián) accompanying him. Definitely a feeling of Django Freeman and King Schultz.It's a very fun movie, as can be expected. There's something energizing about Django's and El Vasco's trip across the border. One of the most surprising cast members is Jack Palance as Nero's former business partner out for revenge. I'm not sure whether his character's wooden hand recalls Dr. No or Han (from "Enter the Dragon") more, but his pet hawk has a cool personality. Also starring is Fernando Rey. Basically, the movie has the original Django co-starring with Curly Washburn and the "French Connection" villain! And Tomás Milián? Born in Cuba, he spent a number of years starring in Italian movies. Since returning to the US, he's worked with Sydney Pollack (in "Havana"), Oliver Stone (in "JFK"), Steven Spielberg (in "Amistad") and Steven Soderbergh (in "Traffic"). What a combination. It's a movie that you're sure to love.PS: Franco Nero also co-starred in "Camelot" with Vanessa Redgrave. He and Redgrave had a son who directed her in an adaptation of Wallace Shawn's politically charged play "The Fever", co-starring Michael Moore and Angelina Jolie.

In 1968, Sergio Carbucci directed "The Mercenary" (also called "A Hired Gun"). It starred Franco Nero and one of the baddies was played by Jack Palance. And, the story was about an amoral European who comes to Mexico during the civil war to make his fortune--regardless of who he helps. Now, Carbucci does something radically different! Instead, it stars Franco Nero as an amoral European trying to sell arms to folks during the Mexican civil war--and one of the baddies trying to stop him is, gasp, Jack Palance!! Huh?! In other words, Crabucci pretty much made the same film all over again--with a few minor cast changes (such as Tomas Milian cast instead of Tony Musante) and the addition of the Professor character (Fernando Rey). And, like the other film, the plot has a bit of comedy, there's TONS of killing and the film has a decidedly populist bent. Because the film is essentially a re-tread and the music is a bit too repetitive and annoying, I really can't recommend this film unless you are such a huge fan of Italian westerns that you must catch 'em all (sort of like Pokemon, huh?). As for me, I wish I hadn't bothered. I probably should have just watched "The Mercenary" twice...as it was a bit better and more original.

By 1970 the initial gold rush of the spaghetti western was over and directors were seeking new ways to push the genre forward. Trinita opted for a satirical approach while Sabata brought James Bond sensibilities to the classic anti-hero. Others chose to use the Mexican revolution as the backdrop for the escapades of their heroes. That is the case for Sergio Corbucci's Companeros.It is essentially a remake or a reimagining of Corbucci's The Mercenary, using much of the same cast, and swapping Tony Musante as the Mexican revolutionary for the great Thomas Milian. Franco Nero plays once again the European (this time a Swede) and Jack Palance returns to the fold as the ruthless if not semi-insane baddie. All of them hit all the right notes and Nero and Milian's interactions are a joy to behold. The story opens with a duel between the two in a dusty Mexican village and the whole movie is a flashback that leads us to the events at the start of the movie, again as in The Mercenary two years earlier. Nero and Milian are employed by corrupt Mexican General Mongo to travel to the US and free the Mexican professor Xantos that is held captive in Fort Yuma. Xantos is the leader of another small group of student revolutionaries, but General Mongo wants him for more practical reasons. Xantos knows the code to a safe that is impossible to open and with the gold General Mongo hopes to finance the revolution against Porfirio Diaz. Or does he? Each one has his own personal agenda of course. As they make their way back to Mexico, a semi-insane Jack Palance with a wooden hand (do I sense a small Son of Frankenstein tribute here?) and a hawk will hunt them down and the two companeros will slowly begin to take to the more noble attitude of the professor.Here Corbucci goes for a more Leone-esquire approach, leaving the dark and brooding nature of his previous westerns (like Django and The Great Silence) behind. As Leone used to say, this is a "fairytale for grown ups". The story takes us from the Mexican revolution to the Fort Yuma prison to the Rio Grande to a spectacular showdown in the end, with comedic touches, wild shootouts, explosions, a typically great Morricone score and excellent performances and cinematography. This is more of an adventure spaghetti western in the Leone tradition. It's considerably light-hearted but fused with the same political undertones one could find in Sergio Sollima's work and brilliant pacing. Above all, this is A grade entertainment like only the Italians can deliver.Sergio Corbucci is not considered only second to Leone in the spaghetti western realm for no reason. His attention to detail, from the sets, camera angles, props, costumes and cinematography is impeccable and he manages to convey that iconic aspect of the west only the Europeans were able to capture. Don't miss it.