Mio nome è Shangai Joe, Il (1972)

Director:

Mario Caiano

Writers:

Carlo Alberto Alfieri (writer)
Mario Caiano (screenplay)

Release Date:

January 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Western

Tagline:

One Man Stands Alone In His Fight For Justice

Plot:

A Chinese immigrant, recently arrived in America, fights to free Mexican slaves from their cruel master.

Plot Keywords:

Bull | Slavery | Stagecoach | Knife Fight | Old West

Cast

Klaus Kinski	...	Scalper Jack
Chen Lee	...	Shanghai Joe
Claudio Undari	...	Pedro, The Cannibal (as Robert Hundar)
Katsutoshi Mikuriya	...	Mikuja
Gordon Mitchell	...	Sam
Carla Romanelli	...	Cristina
Carla Mancini	...	Conchita
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart	...	Triky
George Wang	...	Yang
Federico Boido	...	Slim (as Rick Boyd)
Francisco Sanz	...	Cristina's Father
Piero Lulli	...	Spencer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andrea Aureli	...	Sheriff Corrotto
Lars Bloch	...	Wells Fargo Client
Lanfranco Ceccarelli	...	Blacksmith
Aldo Cecconi	...	Wells Fargo Client
Dante Cleri	...	Manuel, Barman
Roberto Dell'Acqua	...	Smitty
Umberto D'Orsi	...	Poker player
Lorenzo Fineschi	...	Cowboy
Tito García	...	Jesus, Slave Trader
Luigi Antonio Guerra	...	Spencer Friend
Dante Maggio	...	Doctor
Enrico Marciani	...	Spencer Friend
Osiride Pevarello	...	False Teeth
Claudio Ruffini	...	Triky's Partner
Giovanni Sabbatini	...	Old Man
Angelo Susani	...	Stagecoach Driver
Sergio Testori	...	Cowboy
Pietro Torrisi	...	Ranch Hand

Also Known As:

Mezzogiorno di fuoco per Han-Hao
My Name Is Shanghai Joe
Shanghai Joe (USA)
The Dragon Strikes Back (International: English title)
The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe
To Kill or to Die

Runtime:

Germany:94 min (DVD version) | USA:98 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:(Banned) (1976) | Norway:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Company:

C.B.A. Produttori e Distributori Associati

Trivia:

The scene in which Gordon Mitchell's character sings "Chin-Chin Chinaman" while carrying a shovel was improvised on the spot by Mitchell. He also created the song.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Squadra volante (1974)

The Fighting Fist Of Shangai Joe (Mario Caiano, 1973) **1/2

Minor, enjoyable and surprisingly violent Spaghetti Western, one of a clutch of such efforts embellished with an Oriental touch in the form of a martial-arts exponent hero (as can be gathered from the title). The film was enough of a success to boast a sequel – THE RETURN OF SHANGAI JOE (1975).

Chen Lee is the typical meek Oriental who becomes deadly when provoked; we're given plenty of opportunity to see him at work here, particularly after he falls foul of a slave trader. The latter despatches four ruthless assassins to exterminate the Chinaman – three of whom are played by well-known actors and popular Euro-Cult figures of the era: Gordon Mitchell, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart and Klaus Kinski, the other by Robert Hundar (ill-fated hero of CUT-THROATS NINE [1972], which actually preceded this viewing!). Kinski receives second-billing but his contribution lasts all of 7 minutes (and he only turns up 68 minutes into the film!).

Eventually, we learn that the title character is one of only two masters of a specific martial arts technique – so, naturally, the boss eventually calls on his equal to fight the hero! The most violent moments occur when Joe gouges the eye of one of the hired killers – a scene which surely must have inspired Quentin Tarantino for his KILL BILL (2003/4) saga – and the confrontation between the two Orientals, which involves dismembered limbs and busted torsos! As usual for films of this genre, the music score is a notable asset which is here provided by Bruno Nicolai.