JohnWelles "Django the Bastard" (1969), which also sometimes goes under the name of "The Stranger's Gundown", is a Spaghetti Western, directed by Sergio Garrone, that tries to combine the Horror genre with the Western, with a somewhat mixed, if interesting, result.The script is by its star Anthony Steffen along with the director, and tells a tale that at first seems derivative, but then intriguing: Django (Steffen) brings his deadly vengeance against rancher Rod Murdoch (Paulo Gozlino) for betraying him 13 years previously in the American Civil War.When Django's motivation is revealed, the only explanation left is that he is in fact a ghost. There are hints throughout and up to that point when all is revealed that he may not be one of "us", sliding into the frame and appearing in places where it would have been impossible for him to go without Murdoch's henchmen seeing him. Yet this is a ghost, that when shot, bleeds. However, his is shot by the madman Luke (Lu Kamante), son of Murdoch, and the only person, alongside the money crazed Alida (Rada Rassimov), who doesn't believe that his is a spook. This raises the interesting question as to whether Django is only a ghost to those who believe he is one. Perhaps though, I'm over thinking this. Garrone wasn't the most accomplished director and a number of scenes, like the wretched dynamite throwing scene at Murdoch's ranch, are simply badly made. However, the good does outweigh the bad: most of the gunfights are excellently staged, and when Luke tries to hang Django in a church, one of the most memorable scenes in Spaghetti Westerns take place. There is some very good photography from Gino Santini and while Steffen is his usual impassive self, which actually works quite well here, both Lu Kamante and Rada Rassimov are first-class. The music score, on the other hand, by Vasco Mancuso is pretty poor.Finally, there are too many directorial inadequacies and missed chances here to make this a great film. The same year's "And God Said to Cain…" with Klaus Kinski shares many of its same features, but manages to surpass "Django the Bastard" with ease. Still, there a number of things here make it a must-see for genre aficionados, and if I ever see a decent print of the film, I might like it a lot more.

chaos-rampant A black-clad stranger walks into a small town. It's your typical spaghetti western town that exists in the borders somewhere between the b-movie universe and myth. He walks through the empty streets and stops outside a saloon. He nails in the ground a cross bearing a name and that day's date. He's Django, "the devil from hell".Django the Bastard AKA The Stranger's Gundown is yet another in a long string of unofficial Django clone but sadly not among the top tier ones even by Django clone standards. Spaghettis were dime a dozen in the late 60's, most of them shot on shoe-string budgets over two weeks from identical scripts and sets with not much else going for them than a barebones script and the promise of European audiences flocking to the nearest cinema to sate their hunger of greasy Mexican villains and laconic nameless strangers.Antonio Steffen plays another unofficial Django. The novelty this time around is that his Django exists somewhere in the elusive field between lone ranger, angel of death and vengeful ghost. If that sounds all too familiar, yes this is the movie that was the key inspiration behind Clint Eastwood's High Plains Drifter and deserves credit for that reason alone. The execution however doesn't match the idea nor does it mine its full potential.The opening shot is cool but can't mask the movie's low-budget. This is low-low-budget and everything reflects that. The story is fairly simple but the narrative stretched thin with the pace suffering as a result. Some set-pieces have a charm to them but can't take on their full impact due to a lack of budget. Steffen is very good on his role as the laconic Django that is influenced more by Eastwood's Man with no Name than Franco Nero's Django from Sergio Corbucci's original. He appears out of nowhere, shoots people then disappears into the dark again, making him an elusive force of revenge. There's a dark and brooding atmosphere running throughout the movie, although it's not as successful in that aspect as Frank Krammer's original Sartana from the same year.So, what we have here is a missed opportunity but not without its charm. As it is, Eastwood's High Plains Drifter is a superior interpretation of the same idea, but spaghetti western fans owe it to themselves to watch this forgotten little flick, even out of genre curiosity.

The_Void I'm used to seeing cheap Italian films ripping off popular American movies, but this may be the first time that I've seen it the other way around. In 1973, Clint Eastwood made a film called 'High Plains Drifter', and it's practically the same as this entry in the Django series! Well, I say this entry in the Django 'series' - even though the central character is actually called Django this time; the film still doesn't follow on from Sergio Corbucci's original, and is more of a cash-in on the name. Even so, it's still a worthy Spaghetti western and one that is more than likely to delight said style of film-making's fans. Like Eastwood's later film, Django the Bastard has a streak of horror running through it, which stretches from small things such as the crosses Django leaves to his victims, all the way down to the major plot points. The film follows a mysterious stranger who turns up in a small town. A man who is surprised to see him is promptly shot and killed, and soon we learn that this stranger may not be among the living...Anthony Steffen takes the lead role as Django and delivers a performance that I don't like very much. The character is obviously meant to be enigmatic and brooding, but Sheffen is really flat and it's hard to believe that this is a man who would even bother to take revenge. After having seen the likes of Franco Nero and Thomas Milian in the lead role, Steffen's performance becomes even less enjoyable. However, the story he finds himself embroiled in more than makes up for the actor's lack of emotion. The small town setting makes for a great claustrophobic atmosphere as Django seeks out and shoots his enemies. The gun battles are impressive, and make for great entertainment. The dialogues can be a little clumsy at times, but you can't go into a film like this expecting great writing. This film may have been a big influence on High Plains Drifter, but in fairness; Django the Bastard does take its own fair share from Eastwood's partnership with Sergio Leone. Several shots of Django are extremely derivative of Eastwood's Man with No Name and it was Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood that were responsible for immortalising the lone drifter character in the first place. Still, this western is well worth seeing for fans of Italian cinema.

noahax This unusual horror film is one of the best examples of the spaghetti western genre. The plot is the standard "lone stranger seeking revenge," but in this instance, it's not clear if the stranger is a man or just a ghost. This aspect of the story, which is heightened by spooky music and scenes in fog-filled cemeteries, really sets this film apart.The soundtrack is also excellent, with lots of distorted guitars and sci-fi organ music.