Review of Shango

Shango (1970)
6/10
So-so Spaghetti Western , including passable action sequences with rousing attacks and high body-count
7 November 2018
This is a thrilling film , plenty action , thrills , fights , and starked outdoors from El Lacio , Rome and Cinecitta studios . The picture results to be entertainingly ordinary , but does not allow for the usual subtexts and undercurrents to develop that can make these flicks . This violent Western is set on dirty outdoors , woods and dark interiors , the star is a mysterious revenger , a Texas Ranger called Shango (Anthony Steffen) , who comes to avenge against nasty villainous . As Shango is a Texas Ranger who finds himself hanging at a cage , being subbsequently freed . Without memory , he gone back from a dark past to revenge and he encounters up against a former Confederate Major (Eduardo Fajardo) and his gang of thugs who have been terrorizing a local border town in search of gold . Furthermore , some Mexican bandits led by Martínez (Maurice Poli) trying to find gold . This sub-plot about gold seekers is adding with the previous dealing with former Confederate soldiers led by Major Droster (Eduardo Fajardo) terrorizing a Mexican town, while an ex-Texas Ranger, Shango (Anthony Steffen) tries to stop them . In that place there is a dangerous band led by a bandit called Crazy Joe (Fortunato Arena) and his hoodlums . While a gang of ex-Confederate soldiers and Mexicans bandits chase them . En route, the Texas Ranger executes a single-handedly revenge , as he shoots , ravages and kills each person involved in the killings of the peaceful Mexican peasants .

This Italian production contains action , crossfire , drama , treason , high body-count and it's fast moving , being entertaining and approaching increasingly the Spaghetti style , more than the American western and keeping some details that make it special in this particular Pasta genre . The basic plot is typical spaghetti western fare , but what makes this movie stand out is its style . Steffen is appropriate in his usual two-fisted character , he ravages the screen , shoots , hits and runs . Generic and mostly entertaining western with focus on a Texas Ranger against nasty Mexican ones and Confederate rebels . There is a very odd implementation of shots in the camera work during some particular scenes as the film approaches its climax , such as in the final gunfights . The movie gets the usual Western issues , as avengers antiheroes , violent facing off , exaggerated baddies and spectacular duels , excessive zooms , among them . Good production design creating an atmospheric , but poor scenario , and fine , though rotten, sets . There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing some shoot'em up or stunts every few minutes . And developing a bloody and breathtaking showdown between the ordinary contenders , Steffen and his main enemy , Fajardo . Charismatic performance for all casting . The film is well starred by a frequent Spaghetti star . As it stars a mediocre actor , though here giving an acceptable acting , Anthony Steffen , as a Ranger that vows revenge against villains who have mistreated and killed Mexican people .This notorious Spaghetti actor , Anthony Steffen may be a name best remembered by Spaghetti Western aficionados, but in his day, from the mid-'60s to the early '70s, Steffen was one of the most popular actors of the genre - at the time cheap B movies, now revered cult classics. The handsome, Italian-born - actually at the Brazilian embassy in Rome - Antonio Luiz de Teffè von Hoonholtz began working in films as a studio messenger for Vittorio De Sica . From there, Steffen began acting in sword-and-sandal epics, later moving onto the Western genre , where he found his niche . Unlike fellow Spaghetti star Clint Eastwood, however, Steffen never became a top international box-office attraction . His acting is often accused of being wooden, but in many manners is ideally suited to playing the steely-faced gunslinger synonymous with the genre . His others successes include features as ¨Seven Dollars to Kill¨, ¨The last Mohican¨, ¨Train for Durango¨, ¨Gentleman Jo¨ , ¨Four dollars for Django¨, ¨Shango¨, ¨Arizona colt¨, ¨Apocalypse Joe¨ and several others . Although Steffen's performance in the movie is a bit wooden for the role of such an interesting character as a revenger Texas Ranger who attempts to keep law and order . There appears as secondaries the habitual in Italian Western and Peplum , such as : Attilio Dottesio , Franco Pesce , Espartaco Conversi , Andrea Aureli , Petro Torrisi , Fortunato Arena ,among others .

The musician Di Stefano composes a nice soundtrack in Morricole style and well conducted . Striking cinematography by Gino Santini , though inappropriate sets , I miss the classic outdoors and settings from Almeria , Spain . This motion picture was well and professionally directed by Edoardo Mulargia , though with no originality , as it has a lot of flaws and failures . Edoardo Mulargia directed a lot of Spaghetti as ¨W Djianjo¨, ¨El Puro¨ , ¨Django Spara¨ , ¨ Cjamango¨ , ¨Shango¨ , ¨Vete con Dios , Gringo¨, most part starred by Robert Woods , Anthony Steffen or Eduardo Fajardo . Rating : 5.5/10 . Acceptable and passable Western that will appeal to Spaghetti fans .
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