i must have seen a different film!!

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Absolutely Fantastic

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Half-breed Keoma (the almighty Franco Nero in peak rugged and soulful form) is tired of eking out a living by killing people. So he decides to return to his childhood home. However, Keoma soon finds himself caught up in a fierce dispute between innocent settlers, a band of sadistic bandits, and his own hateful and vengeful half-brothers. Director Enzo G. Castellari, who also co-wrote the compact and complex script with George Eastman, Nico Ducci, and Mino Roli, relates the engrossing philosophical story at a hypnotic gradual pace, does a masterful job of crafting a potently gloomy mood rife with despair and desolation, maintains a dark grim tone throughout, stages the exciting shoot-outs with consummate skill and incendiary flair to spare (the striking use of strenuous slow motion in particular seriously smokes), presents a stark and startling portrait of a brutal lawless town, and tops everything off with a wonderfully peculiar existential sensibility that offers a provocative examination on the themes of life, death, and fate. The excellent acting by the top-rate cast keeps the movie on track: William Berger as Keoma's wise and tolerant father William Shannon, Olga Karlatos as sweet and caring pregnant lady Lisa, Donald O'Brien as the ruthless Caldwell, Gabriella Giacobbe as a sinister prophet of doom, and Orso Maria Guerrini, Antonio Marsini, and Joshua Sinclair as Keoma's resentful siblings. The always welcome Woody Strode has a nice role as Keoma's faithful old buddy George. Aiace Parolin's picturesque cinematography provides an appropriately dusty'n'dingy look. The quirky and operatic, but still harmonic score by Guido and Mairizio De Angelis for the most part works, although the overwrought warbling by the female singer is a bit much at times. Punctuated with jolting outbursts of savage violence and further enhanced by a singularly brooding sober atmosphere as well as a poignant "you can't go home" central message, this one rates highly as one of the most unusual and distinctive Italian Westerns made in the 70's.

Director Enzo G.Castellari who also created other classic flicks, High Crime 1973 and The Inglorious Bastards 1978 has created another gem in Keoma.Starring Franco Nero who has also been in another classic spaghetti western flick, Django 1966 and Enzo G.Castellari's High Crime.Also starring William Berger who has also been in another classic spaghetti western flick, If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death 1968.Also starring Olga Karlatos who has also been in another classic flick, Once Upon a Time in America 1984.I enjoyed the shootouts and the slow motion sequences.If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic spaghetti western flicks, Day of Anger 1967, A Fistfull of Dollars 1964, For a Few Dollars More 1965, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 1966, The Great Silence 1968, Have a Good Funeral My Friend Sartana 1971, Once Upon a Time in the West 1968, Deadly Trackers 1972 and Run, Man, Run 1968.

Don't listen to the reviewers that paned this movie. Sure its got its flaws but thats part of what makes these movies so wonderful. While the soundtrack can be pretty hilarious at times it still does an excellent job of creating a very distinct and trance-like atmosphere. The characters are wonderful and the casting is excellent. Depth is given to Castellari's American west through the overtly political dialogue and plot. While some of the dialogue can seem a little sloppy at other times it comes off brilliantly. Castellari's screenplay presents a decisively brutalist view of America which the cinematography compliments. Another reviewer said Castelliari tries to pull to many directing "tricks" out of his sleeve or something to that effect. True, he does make a clear attempt to make a very stylistic film, but i don't think this is something to fault him for. For the vast majority of the film he succeeds wonderfully at this and while there may be one or two slow motion deaths too many, well, hey, no film is perfect and thats what makes this genre so charming anyways. That being said, overall Castellari makes full use of the 2.35 aspect ratio with wonderfully composed shots against beautiful countryside and directing during the action sequences (minus MOST of the slow-mo) is among the best in the genre. The costume design is also outstanding. If you're a fan of spaghetti westerns, thoughtfully composed shots, or just great movies then you should definitely watch Keoma.

A half-breed Indian Keoma returns back to his hometown after fighting in the Civil War, and finds his town is being run by an ex-Confederate soldier Caldwell and his outlaws. He holds power over the town by letting the plague infect the inhabitants, and since he won't let any sort of treatment be transported in. He sets up a community for those infected, and this where Keoma rescues a pregnant woman on her way there and returns her back to town. His three half-brothers have joined Caldwell, and I don't think that highly of their brother's return. But loyalty to their father, they won't kill him. His father William Shannon and former family servant/only friend George eventually join Keoma to break the strangle hold Caldwell possess.Whoa! How good? Real good. Director Enzo G. Castellari's grand looking and interesting spaghetti western comes across as a powerful and beautifully constructed Greek tragedy with a cynical and almost psychological edge bound to it. There's a bit everything chucked into this passionate and intelligent exercise. Breathing high on mood and atmosphere, photographer Aiace Parolin exquisitely frames the mercilessly brooding locations and Castellari's stylishly first-rate direction keeps the film sombre with a brutally unsparing and dirt-laced tone in its dramatic images and context. Good use of abstract lighting and composition, he knows how to keep the viewer at bay with slam-bang set pieces towards the end and a downbeat undercurrent. Inventive framing and exposition also shows the quality of his direction. The glorious slow-motion shootouts and editing technique (ala Sam Peckinpah) are dazzling and how about the constant jumping or leaping in the air. Was there a hidden trampoline on set?! Everything about it held a nice rhythm to it and you just get swept along. Even the flashback sequences are positioned in the story accordingly and in a fulfilling style. The lyrical story is full of symbolic and thematic issues (freedom being the main focal point) that do pack a punch, but also showing a vulnerable side. This gave it a real singular vibe to set it apart from the crowd. Hell, I didn't mind the uncanny and soaring ballad soundtrack too. The way it actually interlocked with the film's sequences, I thought it gave the film some soul and a backbone (well other than always charismatically reliable Nero). A rugged Franco Nero was outstanding. Both mentally and psychically in his scrappy determination and seldom figure Keoma. The impressively committed Woody Strode was excellent. William Berger brought class, and Olga Karlatos decently balanced out an innocent side that really was moving. Donald O'Brien nails it down in a starch turn as the villainous Caldwell.